On this day, in 1984, FMP laid his entire world at my feet and basically said, “It’s yours if you want it”. I did and I do. Happy anniversary, dear! I love the Minions you gave me.~~TSG
Archive for the 'Thankfulness' Category
30
Jun
17
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29
May
17
soda for days
About once a month, one of the dumpsters on my route turns out some sort of new-in-package food that has “expired”. The dumpster is behind a strip mall with both a dollar store and a grocery store. Since the grocery store has its own dumpster on another side of the center, I assume the food is from the dollar store.
This month’s bonanza is, mostly, Coke products; cherry coke, diet coke, coke zero, minute maid lemonade, minute maid fruit punch, fanta orange and fanta strawberry. There is also a single tampico citrus punch. All were at the top of the dumpster; one of those that are only open at the top and are chest-high. All are full and still sealed. The only thing they need is a bit of a wash to get off the dust that seems to be from sitting in storage.
At work every morning, I go to the machine and buy a coke. I don’t drink coffee, so this is how I get my caffeine. The machine charges me $1.50 per soda. The coke haul is a mix of 20-ounce and 2-liter bottles. Given this and the number of bottles recovered, I estimate that I have just saved about $50-75. CPI is in from A&M and will take some back with him.
Given the way I found the sodas, I believe they were left for me. I go by this particular center every Friday. I make no secret of what I am doing if asked. I met the security guard the first time I was there and explained what I was doing. I have read in blogs or seen in YouTube videos, other divers who have people leave them things. If that is the case, thank you to the kind person who did this! Every penny I save this way makes it easier to put the boy through university. Also, thank you to God, Who made sure I found them.~~TSG
10
May
17
and then there was yum
A huge thank you to Mod Pizza! Today, for Teacher Appreciation Day, they gave a free pizza or salad to any educator who showed their badge. There is a Mod Pizza less than a quarter mile from the college I work at. I went with three colleagues at around 1:15 this afternoon. Even though I am sure the staff had been extremely busy since the moment they opened (nothing runs through a college faster than the news of free food), the staff was cheerful and helpful. The young lady who started my pizza even had some suggestions as to what was good. She also called one of my colleagues, who has been there more than the once I have before, by name. I had BBQ sauce, chicken, bacon, broccoli, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese with extra BBQ sauce drizzled over the top. It was delightful! Thank you! Thank you! Mod Pizza is the best!~~TSG
16
Apr
17
april 16th
I first published this point Easter 2015. Since I don’t think I can write a better one, here it is again. He is risen!!!
There is a God, our God to be precise, Who is absolutely whole in and of Himself. He lived that way from eternity: God, the eternal Father; Jesus, the Son, eternally begotten of the Father and the Spirit, eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. They were complete and nothing needed to be added.
In His gracious love, though, God decided to share all He is with creatures of His own making. That would be us. He made us a beautiful world full of many things to make us happy. He gave us work to do in tending the earth. And, He gave us one simple rule; do not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He did all this knowing what would happen. Knowing, as He had always known, that we would mess up the whole thing. Which, of course, we did. First Eve and then Adam ate the fruit. God is just and holy. He had to send us into exile from His presence.
But, God is also merciful and loving. Even as He created man, he had a plan for the redemption of those He loves. This was a plan of such magnitude that only God could have devised it. One would die for all. One Perfect Sacrifice. Only One was a candidate for this, the Son. Would He do it? Could He bear to do it?
The Son agreed. He was born as all humans are, of a mother. He grew as all humans do, passing through each stage of life in the same way as all the others around Him. Finally, it came time to begin His mission. Christ began teaching and preaching all throughout Israel. Many followed Him for the miracles He did, but some believed in His teachings. There were, however, some who felt threatened by Him. They were, as is so often the case, those who held power over others. The religious leaders of the day did not like the people to hear about a God of mercy and love. They taught that God was full of vengeance and wrath, ever ready to punish. It gave them a hold over the people as only they could grant forgiveness. They, along with others, plotted to have Jesus killed. Their plot was a success and Christ was crucified, died and was buried. For the first time in all eternity, the Son was separated from the Father and the Spirit, Who could not bear the presence of the sin He bore on our behalf. The leaders insisted that His tomb be guarded so that His followers not “fake” the resurrection He had spoken of.
Three days later, the tomb was empty. The guards, who saw the whole thing, were bribed to say that the disciples stole the body while the guards slept. The leaders who were behind this must have held great power because the penalty for sleeping on duty was death and none of the guards were killed. Christ appeared to many after His death and was shown to be alive and in a body. He was NOT a ghost.
Today, we rejoice that the Son offered Himself in our place on “Good Friday” and the Father said, “It is enough!” on “Easter”. We need not do any more. Anything else we do in the way of service to our God is only an expression of love and gratitude. The moment we accepted Christ’s sacrifice as our own, we were saved from the penalty of our sin. We are FREE. Free as no other people have ever been or ever will be. Let us not waste or hide that freedom. Let us, instead, live it in such a way that all will say, “If that is how their Jesus makes them behave and love, I WANT THEIR JESUS!!”.
May you have a blessed Easter!~~TSG
13
Apr
17
yes! we did it!
CPI’s first semester at Texas A&M University is totally paid for! We owe nothing and CPI did not have to take out a loan. God grant that we can continue as we have begun.
Every weird look from strangers, bruised knuckle and cut on my hands; every banged-up shoulder, sore foot and twisted ankle in pursuit of this goal is unimportant compared to the unbelievable feeling of exhilaration and relief that my child does not face the burden of paying off loans for the classes he took this semester. With the help of God, I will continue and ensure that he takes a bachelor’s degree in his chosen field unencumbered by debt.~~TSG
In the Ensuing Panic 
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