Spending the Night at the Mall

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pic is from a professional photo shoot we had last evening with the "girls" in my family. (Portrait Innovations did a better job than I did, but I thought I would share a couple with you.)

It was truly a beautiful November day yesterday. A little gray in the morning, and then a little sun shining through in the afternoon. Cooler temps and leaves fluttering down. It's beginning to look a lot like... Thanksgiving. I do not believe in skipping holidays. There will be plenty of time to celebrate Christmas AFTER we enjoy Thanksgiving and all it has to offer. But that's just me. In reality, I'm extremely jealous of people who are already putting up trees and getting their other decorations ready. I may have to re-think this and put my huge inflatable JOY up in the front yard just for the fun of it! We'll see.

Wednesday Wisdom - This quote is a little deep, but I like it just the same. "I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and its content." Lin Yutang. I guess it goes without saying I do not know who Mr. or Ms. Yutang is, but I agree with them wholeheartedly.

Pigeons From Heaven - Part Two

As I was walking to my car on Friday afternoon, I was berating myself for being such a "weenie." I was at my absolute lowest, and I still refused to do what God said to do. "What is it going to take?" I asked myself... and God answered.

I saw something dark go over my head out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look up. I heard a tremendous crash directly above my head, but still didn't look up. I felt a large object land on my head, and I COULDN'T look up! A huge pigeon had flown into a window of the (old) SouthTrust Building and had fallen, stunned, on the Most Stubborn Woman in the World. I dropped everything immediately because from my vantage point, I was unable to see what was on my head.

Then the flapping began and the huge pigeon began hitting my face with its wings. Of course, I still didn't know it was a pigeon. I was thinking along the lines of a vulture, condor or some other enormous man-eating predator. I grabbed the bird and tried to snatch it off my head. The claws were stuck in my new navy blue headband! (Remember, this was over 20 years ago. It was fashionably acceptable for me to wear a headband!) I twisted and pulled and screamed and finally wrestled the pigeon off my head, and in a complete and utter hysterical frenzy, I threw the bird into the plate-glass window of a loan officer's cubicle in SouthTrust Bank. (The horrified look of the young couple applying for a loan on the other side of his desk is burned into my mind forever.) I picked up my purse and ran directly into the street, leaving in my wake one very dead five-pound pigeon.

"Do you really think God dropped a five pound pigeon on your head to get your attention?" you may ask. Yes. Yes, I do.

On Monday morning, I turned in my notice. It was the right thing to do. It was part of God's plan for my life, and it was His love and patience that taught the Most Stubborn Woman in the World a very important lesson (again). Sometimes I think it is so easy for us to take for granted the things we learn as children in Sunday School. The Lord's Prayer comes to mind in this situation. "Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in Heaven." (I've checked all the translations -- it doesn't mention Belinda Faulkner's will even once!)

After much prayer, and the news that Austin would be joining our family, God's will for our lives became clear to us (without pigeons), and we prayerfully decided to live solely on Mike's salary. God has blessed us time and time again, and I must say, I thoroughly enjoy His plan and perfect will for my life much more than dinging cars or wrestling giant fowl out of my hair every day!

Tomorrow, as promised, I will tie in my pigeon story with Jonah's whale story using the three simple points Pastor Kevin used. Jonah could have been my twin, I tell you!

Spending the Night at the Mall

I've been wanting to try this one for years. On Roxie's 13th birthday, instead of going on a little mini-trip (just the two of us) like the boys and Mikie did, I decided to take her to the Wynfrey Thanksgiving night and take advantage of Black Friday from INSIDE the mall. No looking for parking three miles away. No huge crowds. Several stores open their doors at 4:00 a.m. The whole mall opens at 6:00 a.m. This is our plan.

My sister and niece (Bev and Katie) and my cousin and her daughter (Amy and Monica) will meet Thanksgiving night after celebrating the holiday with our families. We will get comfortable in our pajamas and eat popcorn and drink hot chocolate in bed, and watch Christmas movies until we fall asleep. At 4:00 a.m., the alarm will go off, and we will hop out of bed and go to the stores which are open and shop, shop, shop. (We may or may not be wearing make-up and/or pajama pants. I am insisting we all brush our teeth before heading out!)

Around 6:00 a.m., we'll eat breakfast in the food court and shop a little more. Depending on the mood of the girls and how everything is going, we will continue to shop until check-out (and perhaps finish ALL of our Christmas shopping), OR we will go back to the room for a little nap before it's time to leave.

Since we've never done this before, I don't know if we'll do it every year. However, I do know of women who do this annually and thoroughly enjoy it. I'm hoping we'll be some of those women.

Of course, if you try this with your family, you need to make plans months in advance. As always, save money for the hotel room and shopping in an envelope marked "Thanksgiving." Just $5 or $10 a paycheck will give you more than enough for this special time with your family or friends.

I'll be letting you know how it turns out!

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Tomorrow I have a spouse date to squeeze in for the holidays, along with a few more things to discuss. Check back in if you get a chance.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda