All I Want For Christmas Is A Gun In My Purse...

but we'll get to that in a minute (I'm all about a catchy title).

Another Monday has rolled around. As I did a quick look-through of my local news station's website, a couple of headlines caught my eye. First, there was an active poll asking the following question: Should parents of obese children lose custody? Seriously? I clicked no and found that 74% of survey responders agreed with me. I was left thinking about the surprisingly high number (at least to me) that checked yes. Losing custody based on weight? Sure, nobody ever got hurt from a little parenting advice, but good grief.

(And at this point, I have written and deleted and re-written and deleted a paragraph or two on the subject. I think I will move on).

The second story that made me glance twice was that our local Walmart was held up at gunpoint on Friday night around 9:30 pm. The thugs (two of 'em) used the garden center check-out and got away with "an undisclosed amount of money." Great. That's the check-out I like to use... easy in, easy out. I'm sure they'll be changing things now. And the fact that my first reaction is one of inconvenience and not of fear testifies to how ridiculously common this whole stick 'em up! scenario is being played out. I'm thinking our Christmas gifts this year may consist of conceal-and-carry classes. How's that for a sign of the times?

Other than the local drama playing out while we were snug in our own four walls, not much else is new (at least that I can see anyway). As we were walking to our car yesterday after church, I said to my husband, "Now that's the kind of service that makes me think I can make it through another week." He hugged me in agreement. I was talking to the middle later about how everything the preacher said seemed directed at our very situation. He shared with me his own similar experiences. We both agreed that God does indeed care. I can't wait for church to roll around again (and it's been a very long time since I felt that way). His timing is everything.

Unemployment? Bills? Despair?
That does seem to be the theme of our life for now.
But it doesn't have to define our life.

I told you I was a slow learner.