Sunday Thoughts: 2/16/25

 


I have two totally unrelated thoughts that have been chewing at my brain today thanks to two unrelated social media posts from friends.  (This is not a bad thing!)  So indulge me for a few minutes while I share what I've been mulling over in my mind.

  • Friend #1 wrote that she is losing her job yesterday.  She didn't lose it because she isn't a good employee, she lost it because the small local business that she worked for is closing down.  I don't know how long she worked there or how long the business had been in operation, but my heart aches for her.  Losing a job, no matter what the job might be, is painful. My friend has down played the loss.  She points out that it was only a part time job and the money that she made there went for "trivial" items such as coffee and a travel fund.  She is the friend that I met up with a Disneyworld last September.  (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2024/10/not-under-boardwalk.html)  So no big deal right?  It's not like she is going to be evicted from her home or not have food to eat because she is not the primary wage earner in the household.  (Although this makes me think about what might happen if I, the primary wage earner in our family, lost MY job.  I don't work for a small business, but none the less the scary possibility does weigh on my mind.) Missing a trip or two to Disney is not the end of the world.  HOWEVER, that "trivial" money covered trips to see her mother in Florida and yes, the two of them would often take a day trip (or two) to Disney.  Spending time with her mother, whether it be in Disney or in her mother's town or residents is NOT trivial.  It is a treasure.  And with the loss of funds from her job, might some of that treasure be lost?  Additionally, I know whenever she is able to travel, she consciously shops at local businesses.  Actually I know that she does this not only when she is away from home, but in her community as well.  So the loss of income from her job, means a loss of income for those businesses.  And while this might not be earth shattering, it certainly is a tragedy, not just for her, but for all the organizations that will be effected.  (Because they WILL be effected.)
  • Friend #2 wished she could pose this question to the President:  What is a Christian?  I don't know what our current president would say.  (Although I do have some thoughts, but I'm not going there.)  Even though this friend did not ask me, I’m going to go there. As a practicing Christian (and yes, it takes PRACTICE), I'd say a Christian is someone who follows the teachings and examples of Christ.  That's what I TRY to do.  I'm not always successful.  But I DO practice and (mostly) do so on a daily basis.  I am of the mind that sitting in a church pew for an hour or so on a regular basis does not make you a Christian.  It may be a part of a person's practice, but that alone does not constitute being a Christian. I fully admit that I am NOT a scholar when it comes to Christianity.  I fully admit that I haven't read the Bible cover to cover and there are verses in both the Old and New Testaments that I just don't "get" completely (I'm looking at you Ezekiel 23:20.  And as for the book of Revelation, well...most of it freaks me out.  Maybe I DO need some schooling.)  With that said, as your "average" person (is there such a thing), I do (try to) follow what I DO understand.  And there are some basics that I believe Christians should try to follow such as the 10 Commandments (which is from the Old Testament) and Jesus' "New commandment (found in John 13: 34).  We may fail in following (I know I continually "fail"' when it comes to commandment 3), but we must keep TRYING and STRIVING to learn from the teachings of Christ and act accordingly.

So that’s what I’ve been thinking about on this gray February Sunday.  Perhaps it’s time for me to provide my brain with a little levity and go watch the episodes of Matlock and Elsbeth that I recorded this week.  I don’t think you can go wrong with Kathy Bates and/or Carrie Preston, but then again that’s just me.


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