1 Peter 5:7 "Cast your cares upon the Lord for He cares for you"
Now, let's not kid ourselves, who really does that? Here God! Have my cares! I am going to check facebook now and be totally worry free! Yippee!
Doesn't happen. I've never heard of someone actually making the perfect cast the first time. What? Did I just make a fishing reference? Yeah I did. The Bible is full of them but in all my years of reciting that verse, it never occured to me that it was about fishing. Maybe it's not. I'm not going to the original language and taking it apart or anything, it just kind of hit me the other day that it could be about fishing.
Let's think about it for a second. If you have ever fished then you know that you have to cast your line out several times before you finally get to that sweet spot. After you cast your line, you slowly reel it back in only to cast it out again. After about 50 million times you either lose your bait or catch a fish. Or give up and go shopping.
Now let's refer back to our verse and our usual reality. We cast our care up to the Lord. Again and again until we lose the care or He takes care of it. I know these aren't perfect analogies so don't pick on me but just think about it. God does eventually do something about our cares. Either it doesn't become a care anymore or He does something with the care. Maybe He fixes our problem and maybe He doesn't but either way, it got cast out and something happened.
I think what this verse is also telling us that God cares for us. Not like those "well-meaners" out there who say they want to help you or just let them know if you need anything but they don't really mean it. Or even if they do mean it, we don't take them up on their offer 9 times out of 9.5. But we do take God up on it. We do pray and ask Him for help. Even if you aren't a Christian, I bet you have still prayed at some deep horrible moment of your life for Him to help you. You casted a care. God cares.
He gives us what He thinks we need, not always what we think we need. He takes the bait and sends us fishes in the forms of answered prayers and blessings. Ok, I might be going a little far with that one but still. Do you have all the same cares you had 10 years ago? Probably not. You have all new ones! Some of us have big time things we have been praying for for years and God is working, we just can't see it sometimes. But He cares. He cares and He wants us to keep casting our cares to Him even if we think he isn't biting. Oh my, I need to go to bed. But you get the drift. (see what I did there?)
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Love
Don't let the scripture stop you. If you aren't a Bible reader, please keep reading, give the blog a try!
1 Corinthians 13:4-8New International Version (NIV)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
Let me rewrite that in a different form.
Love is Patient.
Love is Kind.
Love does Not envy.
Love does Not boast.
Love is Not proud.
Love does Not dishonor others.
Love is Not self seeking.
Love is Not easily angered.
Love keeps No record of wrongs.
Love does Not delight in evil.
Love Rejoices with the truth.
Love Always protects.
Love Always trusts.
Love Always hopes.
Love Always perseveres.
Love Never Fails.
Love. We use that word all the time. All The Time. I love that movie! I love chocolate mint ice cream! I would love to go with you! Don't you love this picture? I love my husband. I love my children. I just love the ocean. I love amusement parks. I could go on and on. The word love is used a lot in our current time and I think we don't often stop and really think about what love is. So, I went straight to scripture.
Most of us have heard this verse about 10,000 times if you grew up in the church and maybe half that if you didn't. It is used in weddings all the time and in all kinds of songs. But do we really believe it? Do we really think about what each of those lines means? And if you have, do you succeed all the time? I know I don't. I'm not patient and neither is my love. My love doesn't always hope, it angers easily, and sometimes is proud. I have failed in every single one of these. But I try! I try to be kind and patient and nonenvious and I try to persevere and hope. When I realize I am faulting in something, I go to God and ask Him to help me understand what I am doing wrong and fix it. (I have found the first step in fixing something is to realize you are doing it wrong to begin with. If you don't know you are wrong, how can you get right?) Sometimes I realize on my own but usually it is pointed out by my friends and family. That hurts. But they wouldn't correct me if they didn't love me, right? Oh dang, there's that word again.
Here is a challenge for each of you. Meditate on each of those lines up there. Take some time to really think about each of them and how you live them everyday with your friends, spouses, children, parents, co-workers, fellow students, whoever. Are you really patient? Kind? Honoring? Seeking others happiness above your own? Not easily angered? Do you keep a record of wrongs? Do you boast about your good loving deeds? Are you protecting those whom you love the most? Be honest with yourself. If you aren't sure if you are doing ok, ask those who love you the most. Be ready for their answer. They may just be honest and sometimes honesty is painful. Talk to your spouses. Your kids. Your friends. Whether you are a Christian or not, those lines are for you. They are for me. Love is a special gift and we need to treat it carefully.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Racism?
My 15 year old and I were having a discussion about segregation in schools and we realized something. When I was a kid (say that in an old person's voice) schools had only been desegregated for about 20 years. I went to elementary school in South Carolina and I don't remember any of us caring if we were white, black, or purple. It wasn't until middle and high school that the real separations occured. In high school, I moved from SC to MD and we moved to a town that was highly acceptable of anybody, any race, any color. I remember visiting my old school in SC after living in MD for about 8 months and couldn't believe the difference! The difference in myself and in my old hometown. I wasn't used to separation anymore, I wasn't used to having to even think about what color people were.
Back to the conversation between myself and my 15 year old. She said in her high school there really aren't color distinctions. People hang out with people and color doesn't factor in. She is going to school about 40 years after desegregation. She is friends with a white girl, an African boy, a Hispanic girl, and the whitest of white girls. She makes me look real tan. My older daughter has a white friend who is dating a black guy and she is also friends with an Asian girl and a biracial girl. All these beautiful people mixing together, sharing their lives and not worrying about what color they are.
I know there are still pockets of segregation and hate. In our own lovely state of Maryland there is still an active Klan in a town not far from our house. My husband has reffed there before, he was the only black person present. I know there is still work to be done but it is getting better. I hope that when my grandchildren go to school, about 60 years after desegregation, they will be shocked to hear that blacks and whites used to be separated on purpose. I hope they are horrified, just as we were horrified to learn about the Holocaust when we were kids.
I am not asking people to be colorblind, color is beautiful! All my kids are a different color and each one is gorgeous and unique. I am asking people to look at character, look at souls, actions, and color. I can't help being born white and wouldn't ask to be another color. I am guessing that that is true about most people. They can't change their skin color and wouldn't want to. But you can change your attitude. You can stop stereotyping people. You can stop separating yourself from people who don't look like you.
What about you? Did you go to school during segregation times? Do you remember the separation of color when you were a kid? Do you think it's getting better? Do you have a story to share? Tell me about it!
Back to the conversation between myself and my 15 year old. She said in her high school there really aren't color distinctions. People hang out with people and color doesn't factor in. She is going to school about 40 years after desegregation. She is friends with a white girl, an African boy, a Hispanic girl, and the whitest of white girls. She makes me look real tan. My older daughter has a white friend who is dating a black guy and she is also friends with an Asian girl and a biracial girl. All these beautiful people mixing together, sharing their lives and not worrying about what color they are.
I know there are still pockets of segregation and hate. In our own lovely state of Maryland there is still an active Klan in a town not far from our house. My husband has reffed there before, he was the only black person present. I know there is still work to be done but it is getting better. I hope that when my grandchildren go to school, about 60 years after desegregation, they will be shocked to hear that blacks and whites used to be separated on purpose. I hope they are horrified, just as we were horrified to learn about the Holocaust when we were kids.
I am not asking people to be colorblind, color is beautiful! All my kids are a different color and each one is gorgeous and unique. I am asking people to look at character, look at souls, actions, and color. I can't help being born white and wouldn't ask to be another color. I am guessing that that is true about most people. They can't change their skin color and wouldn't want to. But you can change your attitude. You can stop stereotyping people. You can stop separating yourself from people who don't look like you.
What about you? Did you go to school during segregation times? Do you remember the separation of color when you were a kid? Do you think it's getting better? Do you have a story to share? Tell me about it!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Can you handle it?
Hey ya'll!! It's been awhile since I posted, I had to go back through my old posts to make sure this wasn't going to be a duplicate.
Today, I want to give some advice for people who are interested in dating outside your race, color, ethnicity, etc. A few months ago, I was asked to give some words of wisdom to a friend of mine's white niece who was preparing to marry a black guy. I had to think about it but here is what I came up with.
1. You need to enjoy being different.
Do you like to fit in? Do you worry what people think of you? If so, do not get involved with a person of another race. People will stare at you and question what you are doing. I got to thinking about myself and my friends who are involved in inter-racial relationships and this was a common theme, they like to stand out. It may be with their opinions, their dress, or their desire to do something crazy. Or they were super self confident. I was the crazy one, my husband was super confident.
2. Make sure you and your partner can openly discuss things.
I question my husband frequently about race issues. He answers. We can openly discuss sensitive topics without him worrying if I am racist or vice versa. I love my husband and he loves me. Make sure your lines of communication are open because topics and issues will come up and you need to be willing to discuss them.
3. Be ready for some hate.
Regardless of your loving family, open minded freinds, and happy church family, somebody will hate what you have done. Be ready. Nasty looks, snide comments, maybe even open hostility. You will run across someone someday who will not be happy. I never had anything prepared to say but I just remembered that Jesus had sanctioned my marriage and He loves me even if these people don't.
4. Learn to do hair.
Your children will not have black or white hair, they will have some kind of mix. If you are white and you only know how to deal with straight hair, learn how to braid immediately. Be ready to take a trip down the aisle at Walmart that has the black hair products. Get your girls sleep caps, it helps keep the frizz down. Be ready to play with different creams, gels, shampoos, conditioners, and hairstyles. I can't count the number of things we tried before we realized that the "frizz ease" stuff works best for my kids (we call it the frizzy stuff). Dove has a great moisturizing shampoo and conditioner that works well with my kids hair too. If you are black, be ready to accept that your hair products that work so well with your hair may not work with your kids, it may be too heavy. Your kids hair may need to be washed more or less frequently than your own. My girls wash their hair everyday but my friend's daughter only needs to wash hers about once a week. Try different things and be open minded. Ask questions if you need to.
5. Love.
Love your spouse, love your kids, love your in-laws, love the people who hate. Love, love love!!! I can't say it enough! The percentage of inter-racial couples who divorce is, I think, is twice as high than same race couples. I think the percentage is 98%, 98% of interracial couples will divorce. Love your spouse, communicate, be open-minded, and love! Learn to love the things that are different about his or her past and accept them. Let your children see how much you love each other. Be affectionate.
As I was reading this post over, I believe these rules apply to those that adopt children from other races. You will get comments, hatred, weird looks, stupid questions, and have hair you don't know what to do with. I have had friends who foster ask my advice on how to do their biracial or black babies hair. My favorite questions are from other kids and they accept my answers so cutely. One little boy in my 5 year old's kindergarten class asked me, "Why is she black and you're white?" I said to him, "Her dad is black and I am white." His eyes got all big and he said, "Me too! My dad is black and my mom is white!" All the other kids who were standing around start yelling out what their parents are and it ended up being a really cute conversation. They didn't care that she was mixed, they just wanted to know.
What can you add to this post? An experience? Another hunk of advice? A funny story? My biggest question though, is, Can you handle it?
Today, I want to give some advice for people who are interested in dating outside your race, color, ethnicity, etc. A few months ago, I was asked to give some words of wisdom to a friend of mine's white niece who was preparing to marry a black guy. I had to think about it but here is what I came up with.
1. You need to enjoy being different.
Do you like to fit in? Do you worry what people think of you? If so, do not get involved with a person of another race. People will stare at you and question what you are doing. I got to thinking about myself and my friends who are involved in inter-racial relationships and this was a common theme, they like to stand out. It may be with their opinions, their dress, or their desire to do something crazy. Or they were super self confident. I was the crazy one, my husband was super confident.
2. Make sure you and your partner can openly discuss things.
I question my husband frequently about race issues. He answers. We can openly discuss sensitive topics without him worrying if I am racist or vice versa. I love my husband and he loves me. Make sure your lines of communication are open because topics and issues will come up and you need to be willing to discuss them.
3. Be ready for some hate.
Regardless of your loving family, open minded freinds, and happy church family, somebody will hate what you have done. Be ready. Nasty looks, snide comments, maybe even open hostility. You will run across someone someday who will not be happy. I never had anything prepared to say but I just remembered that Jesus had sanctioned my marriage and He loves me even if these people don't.
4. Learn to do hair.
Your children will not have black or white hair, they will have some kind of mix. If you are white and you only know how to deal with straight hair, learn how to braid immediately. Be ready to take a trip down the aisle at Walmart that has the black hair products. Get your girls sleep caps, it helps keep the frizz down. Be ready to play with different creams, gels, shampoos, conditioners, and hairstyles. I can't count the number of things we tried before we realized that the "frizz ease" stuff works best for my kids (we call it the frizzy stuff). Dove has a great moisturizing shampoo and conditioner that works well with my kids hair too. If you are black, be ready to accept that your hair products that work so well with your hair may not work with your kids, it may be too heavy. Your kids hair may need to be washed more or less frequently than your own. My girls wash their hair everyday but my friend's daughter only needs to wash hers about once a week. Try different things and be open minded. Ask questions if you need to.
5. Love.
Love your spouse, love your kids, love your in-laws, love the people who hate. Love, love love!!! I can't say it enough! The percentage of inter-racial couples who divorce is, I think, is twice as high than same race couples. I think the percentage is 98%, 98% of interracial couples will divorce. Love your spouse, communicate, be open-minded, and love! Learn to love the things that are different about his or her past and accept them. Let your children see how much you love each other. Be affectionate.
As I was reading this post over, I believe these rules apply to those that adopt children from other races. You will get comments, hatred, weird looks, stupid questions, and have hair you don't know what to do with. I have had friends who foster ask my advice on how to do their biracial or black babies hair. My favorite questions are from other kids and they accept my answers so cutely. One little boy in my 5 year old's kindergarten class asked me, "Why is she black and you're white?" I said to him, "Her dad is black and I am white." His eyes got all big and he said, "Me too! My dad is black and my mom is white!" All the other kids who were standing around start yelling out what their parents are and it ended up being a really cute conversation. They didn't care that she was mixed, they just wanted to know.
What can you add to this post? An experience? Another hunk of advice? A funny story? My biggest question though, is, Can you handle it?
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Lord!! Please!! Not the remote!!
Arguments run abound in my house of teenagers and tweenagers and little guys. I have recently witnessed with my own eyes a fight over a seat on the couch, a fight for a seat at the table (they are assigned by the way) a fight over a seat in the van (also assigned), who will get to pick the tv show, and who will get to use the pair of headphones we use for the computers. I'm not talking about petty arguments, these things escalate into yelling, tears, they generally end up involving another sibling who tries to mediate, and then a punishment. Today, our Christmas break, oh I'm sorry, our Holiday Break started at 3:12 when my kids got off the bus from school. I opened the floodgates of media that have been off limits all week and the arguments started. It ended up with my 12 year old and my 11 year old fighting and my 14 year old jumped in to try and mediate and only made it worse. I called my 2 younger ones in to my room and we had a little discussion. What my children seem to lack is LOVE. I mean love the verb, not the fuzzy feeling. They do not seem to love their siblings enough to give up something they want for the happiness of their sibling. Kids are born as little selfish beings so it is natural to them to get what they want, even if it means hurting someone else. Loving someone unselfishly is something that is taught and learned, not a natural thing. The argument I gave them was this, "If God was willing to give us His son and Jesus was willing to give His life, what are you willing to give?" As we discussed this in real life examples, I saw an understanding come over them. I know they don't truly get it and I know we will have to have this same discussion again, but today, they got it.
I spent some time in the car rethinking this train of thought and I came to realize that most adults don't get this concept either. Are we Christians really able to give? Give up? Give up all? How many of you have heard this in church or a prayer group, "Lord! I'm an empty vessel, fill me up!!" Really? Totally empty? Bone dry? Or are you half filled with your natural desires and you want God to top you up? Should we be saying, "Lord, I am pretty happy but I want you in there too, there's some room on the side, just squeeze in next to my favorite hobby and my best friend." How many of us are really willing to give up ALL to allow God to truly fill us? Would you be willing to sell your possessions? Move to China? Quit your job? (this is for the people who love their job) Take in an ailing parent? Downsize? Take on a ministry at your church? We pray for God to use us, to fill us, but it's usually on our terms, not His. "Lord, use me but make sure it's something I feel like doing".
I know this is something I struggle with everyday. I am willing to give up my seat on a bus for a stranger but I won't give up the remote to my husband. I am willing to give money to my friend but don't want to give my kid money to go to the movies. I am selfish but I want God to use me. I know lots of people like this. They love Jesus, they want to be used, and they don't want to be selfish. They want to be Lovers (the verb) but life gets in the way sometimes.
Do you struggle with this? What will you give, knowing that the God we serve gave so much? Will you be a Lover (you know the verb)?
I spent some time in the car rethinking this train of thought and I came to realize that most adults don't get this concept either. Are we Christians really able to give? Give up? Give up all? How many of you have heard this in church or a prayer group, "Lord! I'm an empty vessel, fill me up!!" Really? Totally empty? Bone dry? Or are you half filled with your natural desires and you want God to top you up? Should we be saying, "Lord, I am pretty happy but I want you in there too, there's some room on the side, just squeeze in next to my favorite hobby and my best friend." How many of us are really willing to give up ALL to allow God to truly fill us? Would you be willing to sell your possessions? Move to China? Quit your job? (this is for the people who love their job) Take in an ailing parent? Downsize? Take on a ministry at your church? We pray for God to use us, to fill us, but it's usually on our terms, not His. "Lord, use me but make sure it's something I feel like doing".
I know this is something I struggle with everyday. I am willing to give up my seat on a bus for a stranger but I won't give up the remote to my husband. I am willing to give money to my friend but don't want to give my kid money to go to the movies. I am selfish but I want God to use me. I know lots of people like this. They love Jesus, they want to be used, and they don't want to be selfish. They want to be Lovers (the verb) but life gets in the way sometimes.
Do you struggle with this? What will you give, knowing that the God we serve gave so much? Will you be a Lover (you know the verb)?
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Children: Blessing or Hindrance?
Last month on Facebook, I did 30 days of thankfulness. I loved writing each one and wanted to do something similiar in December. This month, I am doing 31 days of "Count Your Blessings" My status today is going to be short but I wanted to expound on something that comes up quite frequently in my life and I'm sure it has come up in yours if you are a parent or a sibling.
My children are a blessing to me, everyday. I love seeing their faces, hearing the funny things they say, seeing them grow and change, and watching them succeed. I have 6 kids, 6 very different kids who all make my day brighter in their own unique way. I did not choose to have 6 kids, God chose for me. He knew I would need each one of these little Blessings to help me be a better person and to draw me closer to Him. I am trying to enjoy each stage such as it is and try not to look forward too fast to what is to come.
More often than I want to count, people have made comments that stuck with me in a negative way. They saw my children as a hindrance, a background noise that needed to go away. One day we were at a bank and the teller was commenting on the number of children I had. Here's how it went down.
lady: "Wow! You have 6 kids!"
me: "Yes I do".
lady: "I bet you can't wait til school starts!"
me: "Maam, I didn't have 6 kids to send them to school. I actually like being with my kids and in fact, I homeschool all of them."
lady:"Oh, I didn't mean it like that!"
Sure she did. She saw children as a status symbol and while they are in free babysitting (school) all day I can pursue my own interests. She didn't see them as a blessing, a gift from God to my husband and me.
Another time, we were fostering 3 boys so we had 9 children 11 and under. I took all 9 somewhere and some lady walked up to me and said in a snoddy voice, "Please tell me they are not all yours!" I retorted : Ok, they're not all mine. And I walked away. She did not see children as a blessing. She saw them as a problem, a horde of bees maybe. Eww, kids.
My children are mine and I love them. Even when they are rotten little brats, I love them. Even when I resolve to be mad at one (or a few), I can't stay that way. I love them. They are a blessing to me in so many ways. I am willing to put my life on hold, to put my dreams to the side so that they can have as much as me as possible. I am willing to put my plans to the side if necessary so that they can do their thing. And I love them doing their thing. I love seeing them play their instruments, draw their pictures, bring home a good test grade, pick out their own funky outfits, try out new hairstyles, sing songs, and decorate their rooms. It's my job as a parent to make sure my kids feel loved and accepted by me, not as an aggravation or a hindrance to my life.
My favorite place to tell people I was pregnant was at church. Out in public people would yell out, "You're pregnant again? Don't you know what causes that? How are you going to afford 6 children? What were you thinking?" Etc. At church: "Congratulations! It was about that time, you had gone a whole 3 weeks without being pregnant so we knew it was coming. Oh, your children are so sweet and beautiful, we can't wait til this one is born. I am so happy for you." My church (and my family) see children as a blessing. An individual gift to unwrap and enjoy.
How do you view children? As a Blessing, a joy, an addition to your life? Or an 18 year blight, a curse upon mankind, a distraction to what is really important?
My children are a blessing to me, everyday. I love seeing their faces, hearing the funny things they say, seeing them grow and change, and watching them succeed. I have 6 kids, 6 very different kids who all make my day brighter in their own unique way. I did not choose to have 6 kids, God chose for me. He knew I would need each one of these little Blessings to help me be a better person and to draw me closer to Him. I am trying to enjoy each stage such as it is and try not to look forward too fast to what is to come.
More often than I want to count, people have made comments that stuck with me in a negative way. They saw my children as a hindrance, a background noise that needed to go away. One day we were at a bank and the teller was commenting on the number of children I had. Here's how it went down.
lady: "Wow! You have 6 kids!"
me: "Yes I do".
lady: "I bet you can't wait til school starts!"
me: "Maam, I didn't have 6 kids to send them to school. I actually like being with my kids and in fact, I homeschool all of them."
lady:"Oh, I didn't mean it like that!"
Sure she did. She saw children as a status symbol and while they are in free babysitting (school) all day I can pursue my own interests. She didn't see them as a blessing, a gift from God to my husband and me.
Another time, we were fostering 3 boys so we had 9 children 11 and under. I took all 9 somewhere and some lady walked up to me and said in a snoddy voice, "Please tell me they are not all yours!" I retorted : Ok, they're not all mine. And I walked away. She did not see children as a blessing. She saw them as a problem, a horde of bees maybe. Eww, kids.
My children are mine and I love them. Even when they are rotten little brats, I love them. Even when I resolve to be mad at one (or a few), I can't stay that way. I love them. They are a blessing to me in so many ways. I am willing to put my life on hold, to put my dreams to the side so that they can have as much as me as possible. I am willing to put my plans to the side if necessary so that they can do their thing. And I love them doing their thing. I love seeing them play their instruments, draw their pictures, bring home a good test grade, pick out their own funky outfits, try out new hairstyles, sing songs, and decorate their rooms. It's my job as a parent to make sure my kids feel loved and accepted by me, not as an aggravation or a hindrance to my life.
My favorite place to tell people I was pregnant was at church. Out in public people would yell out, "You're pregnant again? Don't you know what causes that? How are you going to afford 6 children? What were you thinking?" Etc. At church: "Congratulations! It was about that time, you had gone a whole 3 weeks without being pregnant so we knew it was coming. Oh, your children are so sweet and beautiful, we can't wait til this one is born. I am so happy for you." My church (and my family) see children as a blessing. An individual gift to unwrap and enjoy.
How do you view children? As a Blessing, a joy, an addition to your life? Or an 18 year blight, a curse upon mankind, a distraction to what is really important?
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
I am slightly offended
For those who know me, I do not get offended easily. I get angry easily and defensive, but not usually offended. I saw something today that got me thinking so I facebooked it and it evoked some comments and I figured I'd blog about it.
I went to a Wells Fargo bank this morning and there was this sign in the parking lot:
LOW EMISSIONS VEHICLE PARKING ONLY
I am slightly offended. I realize low emission vehicles are a great thing and I am all for them but I simply cannot afford one and they do not make one in a "family size". Or at least, my family size. I have owned my van (see previous blogs for details) for over 6 years and God and my wonderful mechanic have kept it running and on the road. I simply cannot afford a new car right now. Even if I did get a new one, it wouldn't be one of the new low emissions vehicles because, again, they don't come in 8 passenger. And if, by my lack of education in the matter, they do come in 8 passenger models, I can't afford them. So now what? That means at the bank I have to walk 10-15 extra steps to the front door because the spots that border the building are reserved for low emissions vehicles. That is just dumb. I'm sorry but it is. Is that supposed to be incentive for me to get a loan from said bank to buy a vehicle so I can park 10 feet closer to your building? Um, no. I am not going into more debt so I can park closer to your building. A friend of mine says they have those parking spots reserved at her local library. Really? Shouldn't those spots be saved for people with children so the kids don't have to run across the road in the rain? Or for older patrons so they don't have to walk as far? No, they are for the young wealthy people who can afford a nicer car. I am not against young and wealthy and I am not against those of you who are better with your money than I am, I just don't think you deserve or should get a better parking spot because of it.
Another friend of mine said those signs aren't law so she doesn't have to honor them. I did honor it but only because I knew if I backed into the spot (which I have to do since I can't really back out of parking spots well in the 15 passenger) and I hit the sign with my less than low emissions vehicle, they would probably make me buy another one. And since gas costs a fortune these days, I really can't afford to replace the sign.
So what do you think? Do you think businesses can really put up a sign that reserves spots for certain kinds of cars? What would be next? Should we all stand outside the Wells Fargo and protest? I am all for it if it's not raining. If it is, we can just sit in my running van and wave our signs out the windows.
I went to a Wells Fargo bank this morning and there was this sign in the parking lot:
LOW EMISSIONS VEHICLE PARKING ONLY
I am slightly offended. I realize low emission vehicles are a great thing and I am all for them but I simply cannot afford one and they do not make one in a "family size". Or at least, my family size. I have owned my van (see previous blogs for details) for over 6 years and God and my wonderful mechanic have kept it running and on the road. I simply cannot afford a new car right now. Even if I did get a new one, it wouldn't be one of the new low emissions vehicles because, again, they don't come in 8 passenger. And if, by my lack of education in the matter, they do come in 8 passenger models, I can't afford them. So now what? That means at the bank I have to walk 10-15 extra steps to the front door because the spots that border the building are reserved for low emissions vehicles. That is just dumb. I'm sorry but it is. Is that supposed to be incentive for me to get a loan from said bank to buy a vehicle so I can park 10 feet closer to your building? Um, no. I am not going into more debt so I can park closer to your building. A friend of mine says they have those parking spots reserved at her local library. Really? Shouldn't those spots be saved for people with children so the kids don't have to run across the road in the rain? Or for older patrons so they don't have to walk as far? No, they are for the young wealthy people who can afford a nicer car. I am not against young and wealthy and I am not against those of you who are better with your money than I am, I just don't think you deserve or should get a better parking spot because of it.
Another friend of mine said those signs aren't law so she doesn't have to honor them. I did honor it but only because I knew if I backed into the spot (which I have to do since I can't really back out of parking spots well in the 15 passenger) and I hit the sign with my less than low emissions vehicle, they would probably make me buy another one. And since gas costs a fortune these days, I really can't afford to replace the sign.
So what do you think? Do you think businesses can really put up a sign that reserves spots for certain kinds of cars? What would be next? Should we all stand outside the Wells Fargo and protest? I am all for it if it's not raining. If it is, we can just sit in my running van and wave our signs out the windows.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)