Where It All Began ~ Part I

“I’ll be just a few minutes,” Daddy promised, letting the van door click behind him. It was my birthday, we had gone out to breakfast just the three of us. Mommy, Daddy & Me. It had been a pretty awesome day so far, and in spite of the chilly winds the weather was even hitting on the pretty side.

My phone vibrated from the seat beside me, the number was UNAVAILABLE. Lucky for them, I was losing interest in Facebook and my emails faster than a 5 year old walking around the store with his mother. I hit the green button, poker face on. “Hello?”

“Yes, hello?” The voice on the other end belonged to a man with a thick Iranian accent. “Ah, yes Ma’am! My name is Amihad, and I  am calling with a short survey for you today. How are you doing?” I was doing fine, thanks.

“First of all, I will explain to you, Ma‘am, that you do not have to pay for anything today. The web address you submitted to my company: [ ....@ webmail.com]  can you confirm that for me, Ma‘am?”

I looked over the expanse of green fields outside my window. “No sir, I never submitted any information. May I ask how you came to obtain this information?”

Under his breath I heard him say, she wants to know how? And to me he chuckled into the phone, “Ma’am, are you saying that is not your correct web address?”

“I don’t give my address to strangers, but thanks for asking.”

“Ok, um … that is perfectly alright. We will come back to that later, but secondly Ma’am, have you completed your high school education?”
Like a three dollar bill, we’d come back to my email address later. This guy rolled with a lot of confidence. “Yes.”

“And do you mind if I ask in what year you completed this education?”

“Oh, well it was quite awhile ago actually.”

“Okay, okay. That is great, now if you will answer a few questions for me, we will send you some information about some online classes you might find helpful. Now, what are your interests, Ma’am? We offer message therapy | medical research | history | something for everyone.”

I struggled to pull apart words and sentences he was running together in his quick Arabic tongue. Was he trying to lose me, or just confuse me so he could get the information he wanted and be gone? “I’m sorry, I’m not interested.”

“No, you are not listening to me.” He sounded agitated, “You pay nothing today! It is free, Ma’am. I just need you to answer my questions, that is all.”

“I’m not interested, but thank you. I’m already in school.”

Quietly, “ah! She’s already in school, she does not tell me this.” But to me, he says “Ma’am. I am sorry, I cannot take this anymore. I will please transfer you to my manager. I will transfer you to the manager, okay? Please, a moment?”

Ask me if I was silently cracking up, thinking how this was new. This aggravating a telemarketer for the first time in my life. How all the wrong answers had thrown him off course so much, how he couldn’t even give me his pitch. How he hadn’t bothered hiding his obvious frustration. He must’ve been new.

“Oh, yes. Of course, I’d love to talk to your manager!” I answered, brightly. Much too brightly, enjoying this far too much. A few seconds later, another man’s voice sounded across the line and I smiled.

      { to be continued, because no conversation with an Arabic Telemarket could ever be so very short}

Where It All Began ~ Part II

“Hi, my name is Nate Posh with {such and such a company}.” His accent was English, and understandable. Clear and distinct, one I could easily understand. “How are you doing today, Ma’am?”
“Oh, I’m doing great. And yourself?” Polite, yet I was smirking. My mother leaned around the seat looking at me. My father had climbed back into the car, and together they just looked at me, putting all the one sided pieces together. He was good, thank you for asking.

“Now, I understand you’re interested in completing your education. That’s great, and just to help us out a little bit, could you confirm your address and give us a feel for what you‘d like to get a degree in, Ma‘am?”

“I’m actually really happy where I’m at, Sir. But may I ask you a question?”

He sounded like he was smiling, when he gave me the go ahead. He sounded a little surprised, but I was the customer after all, as he'd said, and he was here to help. “How did you come by this information?”

“Ok, well Ma’am, that is not something we are permitted to disclose. Now … if you will please give me your correct web -- ” His English accent had suddenly disappeared, and in its place, a thickened Iranian accent. Was he even kidding me?

“So you can ask me questions, but I can‘t ask you any questions?” I interrupted.

“Ma’am, that is not how this works okay? Now, I just need …” and onto his soapbox he climbed, throwing out all kinds of information and telling me what I needed to do, etc. Stressing he did not need my mailing address or my social security, or anything like that. Just my date of birth, full name and my email address. Really man? I thought not.

“Sir, have YOU completed your education?”

“Um, excuse me? Uh, yes Ma’am. I have my PH.D, I have graduated college. And that is why I want to share the joy of completing your education with you, Ma‘am.”

“What was your major? Did you major in telemarketing?” I asked, and at this Daddy turned around in disbelief, just as Mommy began laughing in the front seat. But then Daddy grinned, shaking his head and I knew all was well. But ... he reminded me, this was not something he was permitted to discuss either.

“Ah. So your education didn’t work out so well for you, did it?”

He was falling all over his Arabian English self. “Media!”

“I’m sorry?”

“Media, Ma’am! I. Majored. In. Media.” He finally snapped into the phone, so unprofessional. But I was smothering my laughter so much, I hardly noticed. Then, he laughed into the phone, “Ma’am, you sound like you are too smart for this.”

I was. I thanked him and he rambled on, like a car-salesman at the end of a long day; slightly deflated and more noticeably at ease with the customer. He had a kinder tone now and he was losing some of that Arabic flair.

Nine minutes later, we were still going back and forth. He explained his business, I shook my head. “So what you’re telling me is, that you will help me find a good school and send me information about that particular school?”

He confirmed, yes.

“I’m sorry, but wouldn’t it make more sense for me to go online, find the college myself and request the information? I mean, really. I don’t need a monkey in the middle to finish my schooling.”

He laughed, it must have been my monkey comment. I still wasn‘t sure where it had come from. “Ma’am, you have been such a joy to talk to. Most people hang up. Now, all I want to know is if you are interested in completing your education.”

He was a broken record, and now he wasn’t easily distracted. I smiled, “I’m already taking classes, and I’m happy where I’m at. I’m really not interested.”

“What? You have?!” The Arabic accent slipped suddenly, this cracked me up immensely. But in the next few seconds, it was back full force. “Ma’am, why did you not tell me this?”

“I did. I told your buddy the first time, and I’ve told you twice.”

“Ma’am.” Apparently, I wasn’t such a joy to talk to anymore. He sounded less than thrilled over there in his little Iced Over Office, he was probably fingering his little white name-tag that read Sue. “We have been going back and forth, back and forth for TEN minutes! Thank you for your time, but I cannot deal with this, I am sorry. Have a good day, goodbye.”

“Thanks! you too.”

With that, the phones went dead and all I could do was crack up. To which my father replied, “Girl, you’re so much like your daddy” which meant, he approved. Poor. Poor Telemarketer. But I have this funny feeling they will be taking my number off that they list they swore I wasn't on.* wink *

What Do You Want Me To Be?

The other day, Joshua was sitting at his little desk in the corner. For an hour or so he had been busily plucking away at his school work and as Mommy walked past, he grabbed her hand . . .

"Mommy? What do you want me to be when I'm grown up?"

It was the sweetest little question, and it was so very out of the blue, but Mommy didn't miss a beat. She smiled, and smoothed his dusky blonde hair with her hand. "I want you to be whatever God wants for you."

"Well," He tucked his chin in thought, then looked up at Mommy. She was always good at solving his little dilemmas with motherly ease. He knew he'd come to the right person. You could just tell by the way he smiled at her. "I was actually thinking about being a NAVY Seal."

"A Navy Seal?"

He looked at the floor again, contemplating. "Yeah, but . . . I'm not really sure how to go about it."

"You're not sure how to go about it?"

This is typical of alooooot of conversations with my little man. He's just so smart it sometimes blows us away, and all we can think to do is repeat his brilliance. * winks *

"Ahmm." We weren't tripping him up any, that much was obvious. This little boy was focused on one thing. Lips drawn together, his whole life lay before him and he wanted to be a Navy Seal. The world was on his cute tanned shoulders. "I just don't know how to get into the Army."

"The Army?" Mommy was about to give up her mirrored phrases. "Well, it's actually the Navy you have to join. First you have to finish school, and get good grades and training."

"Oh!" Lightbulbs were going off in his blonde haired head. He shrugged, "That's okay, Mom. I'm gonna get all 100's in college!"

Oh duuuuh! Why didn't any of us think of this? :P

Such confidence. Such determination. How can you NOT looooove him? He's my tiny pumpkin love, my strong little man with sweet kisses and long squeazy hugs. He's my yogurt eating, PB&J munching child.

And he has big asperations when he grows up!

I adore that he never lets anything get in his way, or give up on the many dreams he's got tucked away in that imaginative mind of his.

Sticky Glue & Some Paint Too.

The other day, I woke up feeling like I could do a lot of really productive things . . . starting with something less exciting like taking care of some laundry. But soon all the clothes had either been folded and put in their proper bins { as I've yet to get those organizing drawers for my closet, sigh } or hung by least favorite, to favorite. Which, if you have trouble throwing things out makes things so much easier when you're looking for something. * winks *

{And don't worry, eventually you'll bite the bullet and throw those old clothes out . . .}

So, you're wondering why I've posted pictures of randomness, hmm? Well, I finally finished packing away the rest of my winter things. This is how I came to the conclusion I need more storage boxes like there's no tomorrow; because if there is, I shall soon run out of room!

And of course, ALL that moving around and packing away gave me an extra creative oomph that I needed to tackle some projects I hadn't even thought about.

Starting with some picture frames someone had given me ages ago. Truthfully, I wasn't a fan of them (they were a little too "glitzy" for me), until I paired them with a few vintage candlesticks | an old mirror | and some greenery for my Christmas mantle.

I went to a local craft store and found two shades of paint I liked, turqoise and mocha. It cost about $2.32. I mixed the two until I had just the right shade I was looking for and after a little TLC, I had picture frames that I was seriously loving!

I had some old notecards I had been saving for a "Someday Project" and cut them to fit inside the frames.

And in about 15 minutes, I had two really cute and personalized pieces that invited the Springy Sunshine and warmth into my room. It was just what I needed, and it just kept the inspiration coming too.

I wasn't about to complain about all the stuff I was digging out of boxes, and the glue sticking to my fingers from another project I'd found on one of my absolutely FAVORITE sites: Pinterest .

Like I said, I save what can be salvaged from my Scrapbooking projects so I can reuse them later. It saves me a lot of money, and begs creativity to happen!

So I pulled out the big stack of cardstock | old notecards | a bit of hemp cord | and glitter and set to work . . .

This project took me quite a bit longer than the picture frames but still, I was kind of impressed with the paper chain | garland that I hadn't spent a cent on!

Also, one of my absolute FAVORITE finds would have to be this rub-on wall quote from . . . The Dollar Tree. Can you believe it?!

I got another one from Target a while back and paid $14 for it. But I was browsing the shelves two weeks ago for some things for my Aunt's 65th birthday party and stumbled on this little thing. I snatched it up in an instant because I knew just where I could put it! It would jazz up my mantle even more and it was also a GREAT reminder!

Sweet Pea, Apple Of My Eye.

As promised, here are a handful of pictures of Baby M that we took recently. She was such a good little girl, and hardly fussed at all . . . Momma and I loved taking pictures of her, it was so much FUN!

She's fast asleep on Mommy's lap. Isn't she just the sweetest?

I {heart} this little girl already.

Eventually, all the camera snapping | etc woke her up and she was
in such a happy mood. It was great! And don't you just love her
pink tutu dress? I thought it was adorable.

. . . Sweet Little Toes.

And she fell asleep again on Mommy's shoulder.

She slept off and on in between all her pictures, but she was so good. And really, I am quite in love with her Little Tutu. It's beyond cute! Grandma loved it, Mommy loved it. Everybody was a fan, she was a Little Sweet Pea all afternoon. So after we took all the fun pictures, I stole her again for a few minutes while she was awake . . .

We Aren't Together Anymore, Ken & I.

My phone buzzed from the window sill. I finished up what I had been doing and grabbed it about five minutes later. A missed call from an unrecognizable number. Nice.

 I don't know about you, but it's very rare I answer a call I don't know. You get anything from people you used to know, to telemarketers. "Hey Daddy," Moving into the family room, I eyed the phone number again. "Who is two nine three?"

Charlottesville? Okay, well if it was important I'm sure they would call back. So on that note, I tossed my phone in my room and went to finish getting ready for the day. But by the time I'd grabbed a cup of Tea an hour or so later, it was beginning to wear on my nerves.

Most of the time, I'll give it over to my sisters who are more than willing to "do my dirty work" as they call it. But none of them were up for the job today, so I hit the redial button and waited as it rang . . .

"Hello."

The voice was dry and I got the vibe they felt they couldn't be bothered with a phone call. I still had no idea to whom the voice belonged and they weren't going out of their way in the friendly department. I wracked my brain for a list of possible people it might be, and came up empty-handed.

"Hi. I missed a call from this number and I was just returning the call."

"Well, I called a lot of people. Who are you?" Ah, now they were going to speak to me in an accusatory kind of way that made me feel as if I had no business dialing their number and ruining their day. What a woman I tell you. What a woman. Hmmph ...

"Brittany," I paused. If they knew me they wouldn't need a last name, but since they obviously didn't I decided I might as well tack that on too.

"Yeah?" As if I didn't know my own name. "From where?"

"Scottsville." I said, probably a bit testily. But I'm sure there was more questionable comedy in my voice than anything else. These people were playing twenty questions! and it was beginning to feel more like speed dating than just a returned phone call.

"Brittany from Scottsville?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I'm from Scottsville." How long was she going to keep this up anyways?

"What do you do?!"

What the What?! She wanted to know what I did for a living now too? This was simply too much for the girl to give away to a complete strangers with a sour-milk attitude. "I return calls I miss."

"Ohhh. You live with Ken." There was a bit of recognition in her voice now, like she was slowly realizing who I was. Only, I wasn't the girl that lived with Ken. She was way off the chart on this thing, and she didn't even know it.

"No Ma'am. I don't live with Ken."

"Do you know Sue?" The woman sounded slightly irritated when I said I didn't know Sue, assuming all the Sue's I knew weren't any of the Sue's she did. "Are you SURE you don't live with Ken anymore?"

I tell you it was all I could do not to crack up. I almost said, Well we broke up, Sweetie. But I decided against carrying on this little charade any longer, even though she was annoying the dickens out of me and cracking me up all at the same time! " Uhh, No Ma'am. I definitely don't live with Ken."

"Well why'd you call me then?!" Her voice cracked. Oh ladeeee ...

"I was just returning your call from this morning, Ma'am."

"Well I don't think I called you. I don't even know you. You don't even know Sue!" The woman's voice was getting louder, as if it was a terrible crime to no longer be living with Ken and not know Sue of all people.

"I'm sorry, have a nice day then."

"Uhuh. G'bye." The phone snapped into silence, and I pulled it away from my ear. What a very. very. very. weird conversation.

This is why I only dial numbers I know almost backwards and forwards, so I don't give people grief and annoy the world out of people. But still, I find it kind of commical!

Happy Monday, everybody! I hope you started it with a handful of smiles and end it even better. * smiles *

Dear Lord, It's All Greek To Me.

At 6:15 this morning, I was just getting ready for the day ahead of me. Michael Buble's Baby Please Come Home was dancing through my head, and my Tea was warm and delicious. Throw my big comfy hoodie into the mix and you've got one very content girl on your hands.
And since you're wondering, I am totally still listening to random bits of Christmas Music. For me, it's more of a Winter thing than just a one month kind of a deal. So as long as it's cold outside and there's still a chance of Snow . . . you'll find me right in the middle of a really great song.

I munched on Breakfast as I packed my lunch, and made another cup of tea. Heaven Forbid I run out of something warm to drink when I'm at work, it's just all downhill from there! Of course, there IS a coffee maker at work but no yummy creamer for the spoiled lady who adores her coffee just so. * long wistful sigh *

The morning was brisk and really rather frigid. In fact, I could even see my breath when I stepped off the porch. But by the time I had arrived at work, the office was warm and inviting. Ah, my day was already off to a great start!

Sliding into the office chair at the front desk, I moved the cursor across the computer screen waiting for it to come alive with a whir of power. A text box popped up and flashed before my eyes, the server was down.

Really? The server was down so very early in the morning? This might've have despaired me some, but I found that Francis had left her appointment book sprawled across the opposite counter. No worries, I thought as I flipped to the current day. I'd be set up in seven minutes flat.

Impressions for upper dentures . . . Okay, I thought I could handle that semi-smoothly. I'd taken two impressions since my first day, but Johnna had always been there to oversee and guide my hands into proper positions, tell me how to mix this and that and whatnot. She wasn't here today, and some of the appointments for the day were Greek to me. But! I smiled to myself as I flipped the compressor switches in the back hall, I can handle this if I keep my head on straight and ask God to help me.

The water from the Ultra-Sonic tipped in the process of filling it up. Scissors fell from a cabinet when I opened it. The Auto-Clave { the sanitation device } was brimming full. I couldn't find Wax Rims I needed. Dear God, everything is going amuck. Give me peace and wisdom to do what I need to do. Please! Help me get through this day, Lord.

My whispered prayer was a simple, silent plea for help that brought instant peace to my heart. In fact, it really amazes me now as I look back on all the little things I couldn't find and the appointments that took longer than they should have, that God really did help me and put such an overwhelming peace in my heart.

Wax Rims. Ah, those wonderful little things that aid in the whole denture fitting process. I really enjoy appointments like this because I do so very little during the actual appointment! Basically I set up and stand by for whenever Jay might decide he needs something from somewhere I probably haven't any idea where it is. That's usually how it goes, but I love the learning aspect and remembering where things go.

I breathe a HUGE sigh of relief when I know right from the moment he asks for something just where to find it. You wouldn't believe how such a silly little thing encourages me, and lightens the load. "Yep, that's good. Perfect!" Is one of the best things I hear all day, when I know I've gotten it right. And thanks to a boatload of learning experiences in the past three months, I'm hearing it more and more. By the way, I can't believe it's already been THREE whole months since I started! Whoah.

{ to be continued ... because somedays call for long winded-ness }

It's All Greek To Me, Part II

We had a particular older lady come in for a fitting this morning. Her middle aged daughter tagged along to see all the "excitement". They had the same style, the same laugh that sounded more like giggles and they were very um ... shall we say exuberant? Yes, we'll go with that one.

At first it was fine and made me smile, and then after about an hour of hearing the same noisy chatter followed by mirrored giggles from down the hall, I considered the fact that such things could make one go crazy. Lucky for me, the lab needed a pick-me-up. Occasionally, Francis and I would chat for a few minutes in between our little jobs which made the day so much more enjoyable.

Our very last appointment of the day, a patient who had knocked a crown off. While Jay began to discuss what we would do about repairing the crown, I collected the things to take to our other office and cleaned up a bit. It was Friday, and I could feel relaxation creeping into my bones. Ah, what an amazing thing Friday afternoons are. I love waking up and knowing the weekend is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!

"Brittany," Jay's voice rose slightly from down the hall. I dropped what I had been doing in the lab and pushed the curtain aside, taking note of how things looked to be going. "I think we're going to go ahead and mix this cement up. Are you comfortable doing that?"

The five year old in me just comes out whenever I have the opportunity to mix things at work. No matter if it's clay mold mix | crown cement | or impression molds. It's totally different from mixing ordinary things, it's a science.

And so the girl smiled and nodded her head, quietly. My voice has been coming and going as it chooses all day, so very random. So with great care and a steady hand, I pushed the crown cement back and forth across the mixing surface. Then counted to thirty in my head until the cement was smooth and creamy. Jay looked over his shoulder, "Actually. I think I'm going to go ahead and let you finish that."

He quickly showed me how to load the cement into the crown and create the perfect indention underneath. When I had finished, he took the crown and completed the process. It's ridiculous I know, but trying something new was actually really great. That's how I've come to figure out whats what around the office and learning how to do things; by watching and trying it out myself.

So the day that felt so OFF, so crazy and hectic and imperfect turned out to be a really enjoyable and even relaxing in a weird sort of way kind of day! I am so thankful for all God allowed me to get done today, and for helping things to go so smoothly. I'm off to enjoy a wonderful weekend, and an even better Sunday!

A Little Bit Of Goodness

It was a gorgeous afternoon, the sun was shining { like it has been of late, beautimous }. Mommy and I went to the Fork Union Pharmacy which is such a bad | deliciously tempting place to go.

Basically, it's a little Primitive shop and pharmacy rolled into one. I've never in my life gone there to get a prescription filled, but I've found all sorts of little treasures while browsing the shelves and various displays.
In two trips, I'd completed my Willow Tree Nativity Set. I have all sorts of little goodies from the Pharmacy, including Iron Butterflies | Vintage Flower Pots | a Table Runner | Candle Stands | etc. It's one of the best places I know to find homey things like that around here. Pennsylvania is by far the absolute best place with it's BIG Amish Goods shops and Handmade Quilts. So it's our little fix when we want something a little Homey and Heart Warming. * winks *

TODAY: I found this --> a woven Burgundy | Tan | & Cream Centerpiece. It's simple and something like 12x12 inches round. It's great, and I can use it all year long if I want to because the colors are warm and inviting. I saw it and knew it was exactly what I'd come looking for. Not to mention, it was $6.

Sunshine Rambling.

There’s something about this Sunshine. There’s something about this day. There’s something about the wind in the trees that makes me feel this way. I feel like dancing under the sky, I feel like drinking Chocolate Milk from a glass bottle and soaking up all of this Sunshine.

Today, I feel capable. Capable of creating happiness.

I had nowhere to go, and nothing in particular to do. This is one of the things I absolutely LOVE about Mondays and Tuesdays. There's something exciting about knowing that the day is completely free to cross off  my growing To-Do list. An empty day is permission to add and subtract to said list with reckless abandon. * smiles *

It started off with a steaming cup of my very favorite Raspberry Tea, plain and chocked full of nutritious goodness just the way I love it. For me, it's the best way to start out my day ~ Hot Tea and My Morning Devotions while everybody else is upstairs starting their day. No interruptions.

Today was just so Productive and Sunshiney. My closet got reorganized which always makes me feel much better about Life. Nothing in my room was left untouched, I tell you. And that box full of Craft supplies under my bed . . . How could I have forgotten about all that good stuff from Fabric, and Scrapbooking to Buttons and Paint?

And from there, my To-Do unfolded into Part Bee. But alas, it was lunchtime and I had cards to write and food to consume. By the way, did I mention there were yummy cupcakes from Baby's Shower last night? Okay, so I have this thing about ButterCream Frosting . . .  as in, I prefer whipped frosting to actual frosting any day. But that's beside the point, because after all a cupcake is a cupcake. And sunshine is sunshine.

And cupcakes, and sunshine and productivity all added up to a really awesome day. I could still put on some fun music and dance around my room in my socks if I want to. But I'm brainstorming for ideas to decorate my room for Valentine's Day. Six days ago, I had this vision in my head and promises of posts of Vday crafts but I was out of comission for three of those days and now I'm standing here wondering, Where shall I start?

I haven't any clue, but we shall see. * winks *

I'm rambling, I know. But that's what happens when happiness and sugar explode all in one day. A Dozen Chickens are running about the yard, Joshy is munching on his second PB&J of the day and Mckenna is filling the house with hymns and such as the evening news gives me the low-down on what's been happening around Charly of late. 

P.S. I was just reminded how much I am loved. My littlest man throws his arms around me, his face breaking into a dimpled grin around his beloved little sandwich, and says, "I love you, Bwit."

Sometimes, You Just Have To Consider.

What If . . .  you woke up tomorrow and discovered you had lost the use of your legs?

What If . . . you went to the doctor and he diagnosed you with Cancer?

What If . . . you lost your eye sight?

What If  . . . you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today?

Having a Bad Hair Day? Do you ever stop to consider that little girl who stands in front of the mirror every day, looking at her bare head with tears rolling down her cheeks? Do you think of the weeks and months of Chemo she's going through and thank God you're so healthy?

Do you know how that little girl's life has been pulled from beneath her? How her old friends give her funny looks and pretend she's not there.

Feeling a little sluggish about exercising? Do you ever stop to consider the man who would love to run around in the backyard chasing his giggling children with reckless abandon?

I saw this picture the other day, and thought "How in the world can I get up everyday and find ANYTHING to complain about?!"

I complain  . . .

The Sun's too bright: I need a new pair of Sunglasses.

My hair's a wreck, I can't do anything with it: I wish I had a hair stylist. Celebrity hair.

I've got a headache: I don't think I'll do much, just wait for it to go away.

Run? I don't have time to run. Besides, I just don't feel like it: Maybe tomorrow. Reading sounds good, or maybe we can see what's happening on Facebook.

Wow. Do the articles and pictures I've come across lately put things in proper perspective for me. My excuses and complaints by the boatload are LAME. I've really got to step it up and really count my endless Blessings here! Do more for others, and not myself. Have a better attitude in general, most definitely.

Take just a second here to consider:



What can you do to make Life more about the Blessings, and not the Complaints?