Show Me the Money
Two themes came together, early this Sunday morning in Pensacola, first, as Father Harry spoke to us at Christ Church this morning on stewardship, and giving generously, and then later, as I was reading my Sunday Pensacola News Journal, an article on our elected officials, and their finances, their net worth and where their money is coming from.
Father Harry spoke about the rich man, at whose gate Lazarus begs, covered with sores, and then, at death, how the rich man asks God to send Lazarus to wet his lips, as he burns in the eternal hellfires, and Lazarus sits with God. He also asks God to send Lazarus to warn his rich family members that their choices, their lack of generosity, will have consequences, but God says (I paraphrase here) that Moses already told them, and earlier prophets, and that if the rich didn’t listen to them, they are not going to listen to Lazarus.
To me, it seems a given, that if you are blessed with plenty, then you have an obligation to help those who struggle. It isn’t necessarily money, it can be food, it can be time, it can be expertise, or – in my case – it can even be fabric. ๐ We learn it in pre-school and kindergarten, don’t we? Share what you have, and everyone gets along.
It totally boggles my mind that many of our good friends, government and military people, have excellent health care under a highly socialized system – that’s what the military health care system is all about, we all have access to the same treatment. Many of the people who have access to medical treatment become rabid about supporting health care for those who don’t. Part of it seems to be “I earned it, and those lazy bums expect it for nothing.”
Most of my life, I’ve worked with ‘those lazy bums’ and have grown to have a lot of understanding and compassion for the circumstances that can make an entire family bone poor. Sometimes, it is poor choices – but how do people learn to make better choices without help? How do people aspire to more when they think that the ‘more’ is inaccessible to them?
The face of our nation changed after World War II when many more Americans gained access to higher education as a veteran’s benefit; prior to the GI Bill, higher education was only available to those comfortable people who could afford it.
Also in today’s Pensacola News Journal is an article about Study: Educating Women Saves Millions of Children which is an Associated Press Story about a study published this month in Lancet. “Educated women tend to use health services more and often make better choices on hygiene, nutrition and parenting,” the study (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) concludes.
And last, in the Pensacola News Journal, is an article that makes my heart sing, that makes me proud to live in a democracy, the article about how much our elected officials are worth, and where there money is coming from. I love it that we hold our leaders accountable, and that their wealth is (theoretically) transparent to us.
I’m a great advocate of wealth. I admire people who create wealth, who invest, who work hard for their money. The best of these people, and I mentioned Bill and Melinda Gates (above) for a reason, give back generously. Many people don’t start out rich, they start from little or nothing and build slowly slowly until they have reached a comfortable level. Sometimes, even in hard times, if you have built a strong foundation, that money just keeps multiplying, especially if it is invested with some diversity.
“It’s called the law of the harvest,” my Mormon friends told me when we were discussing how what you give comes back to you multiplied. It was so graphic, I’ve never forgotten it. There is nothing wrong with money. Money is just another tool, like a computer, or a hammer. It’s what you do with your money (tool) that makes the difference. Money is kind of like a seed, you plant and you harvest, but it is also like fertilizer – you spread it around, and amazing things happen.
Having money is a blessing, and giving it away is even more of a blessing. When you give, good things come back to you, multiplied. It’s the Law of the Harvest.
Guide to Giving to Beggers
I don’t see so many beggers in Pensacola, but I do see a lot of men sleeping rough; the warm temperate climate here attracts a lot of homeless. The churches provide hot breakfasts, sometimes, and there is a homeless shelter and long term transition facility downtown. Giving to beggers was a much bigger issue in Qatar and Kuwait, where the begging woman with the baby in the souks or the guy with the plastic bag full of urine and blood would accost me, and I always had half a feeling I was being scammed.
Today’s reading in Forward Day by Day puts it all in perspective:
THURSDAY, September 23
Luke 4:14-30. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
Snow fell on me as I waited for a cab. A rumpled homeless man in a stocking cap and fingerless gloves asked me for money.
I like to know that anyone I give money to is worthy (which usually means working or actively looking for work) and I donโt want him spending the money on alcohol or drugs. So I donate through a church or community organization. Pastors usually encourage that kind of giving.
I gave the man twenty dollars because Iโd just been to the ATM and had nothing smaller. He stared at me for a moment and stammered, โMaโam? You meant to give me a dollar, didnโt you?โ When I said no, he put his head back and began to yell, โThaaaank you, Jesus!โ over and over. He went to a nearby coffee shop and came out with a huge cookie and a cup of coffee, still singing out, โThaaaank you, Jesus!โ
What if a beggar misuses my money? That isnโt my business. Giving to a beggar is between me and God; what he does with the money is between the beggar and God. (2004)
Thank you, Jesus. ๐
Air France Customer Service
At long last, my Mom is coming to Pensacola for a visit.
After days of to-and-fro-ing with Mom and Big Diamond, after countless visits to Expedia and Travelocity and Delta, I was able to talk with Andre’ at Air France who, once he heard I was booking for my 88 year old mother, spent an hour with me, finding flights she could handle, (not too early in the morning, not too many stops, wheelchair assists, etc.) finding first class seats and confirming them, making sure Mom would fly in comfort.
“Thank you, thank you so much” I kept babbling, as he clicked and clicked, trying to find days and flights that would work.
“It’s my job” he would say.
The very last time I thanked him, it changed.
“Well,” he said, “when you said the word ‘mother’ then I knew I could not stop until everything was perfect.”
๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐
Air France is lucky to have him. Bravo, Andre’.
Organization and Settling In
We’ve only been back a week, but we’ve spent this time unpacking, cleaning things up, sorting out things we don’t need, finding places for things and putting things up. AdventureMan is having a lot of fun, he bought this beautiful tent hanging which just exactly fits around three of the walls in his office and the entry:
He spent a day putting tiny nails into the wall while I sewed a cord for hanging onto the back of the band. He has it up now, and he loves it. He also put up some pictures on the wall and instituted a recycle basket and a shred basket. He is so organized:
He put together another set of cubicles for me so I can keep order in my closet:
We are people who need order in our lives; we live chaotic lives in an ordered environment. ๐
Peg Leg Pete’s on Pensacola Beach
I am so lucky. My son and daughter-in-law live here and they can clue us in on where to go. When we were headed to the beach, my daughter-in-law suggested Peg Leg Pete’s.
When we got there, there was a 45 minute wait, so we went to the new Margaritaville Hotel instead. This week, AdventureMan and I finally got to Peg Leg Pete’s, and oh, what fun.
First, there was no wait.
Second, we had a choice whether we wanted to eat outside:
Or inside:
It’s bearable outside, but it’s still in the 90’s (low 30’s C) and humid, so we chose to eat inside.
We started with the Yellowfin Tuna Dip – oh YUMMMMM:
AdventureMan had the Giant Scallops Platter, and there was so much food, he brought 4 scallops home and had them over pasta the next night:
I ordered the steamed shrimp, and I ate all the shrimp, and the tiny corn on the cob, but I left all the potatoes:
Peg Leg Pete’s is a lot of fun. It is very beach-y, lots of tourists, lots of scantily clad sun bathers just grabbing a bite to eat.
Here is what we have discovered, and what we are having a lot of fun with – when you Google ‘Peg Leg Pete’s Pensacola Beach’ Google will bring up a place item, where it shows on a little map where it is AND it will show all kinds of reviews gathered from all kinds of places, like UrbanSpoon, TripAdvisor, etc. All the comments, in one place. It is a great resource.
Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder
Before we left on our 5,000+ mile trip to Seattle and back, we bought a bird feeder. I found it at Home Depot, and didn’t pay much, but it said it was squirrel-proof. It wasn’t. It deterred the squirrels for maybe two days as they figured out how to climb the thin pole and lean over to nibble at the bird-goodies.
When we got back, the feeder was ripped apart; the squirrels had torn out all the bird perches, so we got a new one, a more expensive one, ‘totally squirrel proof.’
Yeh. Right.
The good news is that we also bought a hummingbird feeder. A hummingbird had been by, and we could tell he was looking for a feeder, and figured there had probably been one before, when the previous owners were in the house. As I was waiting to catch a shot of the squirrel, he came back and found the feeder, where he is a regular visitor. He also visits our garden, full of hummingbird-friendly flowers. ๐
Mediterranean Plus ReVisit
One of the very first places we head once we are back in Pensacola is Mediterranean Plus, because the food there is always good.
This time, we order the Vegetarian Mezze (appetizer assortment) and I had the Seafood Soup.
The mezze is as good as anything we have ever had in the Gulf, or in Jordan. The Seafood Soup is spectacular, oh, sooooo goood.
If you are in Pensacola, you go to where 9th meets Creighton. On the north side of Creighton is the Walmart, across Creighton is a large strip mall. In the section closest to Creighton, in the same section with Four Winds Market and the liquor store, and Rob’s Cameras – is where you will find Mediterranean Plus. Parking is plentiful. The food is fabulous.
Welcome to Louisiana
We have had some beautiful drives on this road trip, but I would have to say that my absolute favorite drive of the trip was from Lafayette to Baton Rouge. About 18 miles of the drive was along a 1930’s era freeway over miles of bayou and swamp land, it was beautiful, just lovely. I was driving, so I couldn’t take any photos, and the lanes were a little narrow so I was truly focused on the driving, but couldn’t help but notice the beauty we were driving past.
Our stay in Baton Rouge was a little noisy, there were LSU alumni gathered in our hotel to watch a football game, which is great except their children were running up and down the halls and screeching, oh aarrgh.
Our drive home was uneventful – about an hour across the rest of Louisiana:
Another hour crossing Mississippi, then another hour crossing Alabama, about a half and hour and we are home in Pensacola! It is barely noon, we unload the car and go to pick up the Qatari Cat, who moans loudly to tell us how annoyed he is with us for abandoning him. Once home, he is quickly settled and happy again.
It’s been a long, fun, trip and we are glad to be home. AdventureMan is airing out our old carpets, cleaning some which our cats threw up on (previous cats, not the Qatari Cat. Big Nick. Morganna. Cinnamon. Merlin. We’ve had a lot of sweet cats.) There is work to do, bills to catch up with, doctors to see (oh aarrgh) and meetings to attend. We have to catch up from our trip AND we have to catch up with our ‘normal’ lives. The best part is catching up with our son and his family and Baby Q. ๐
Four Years Old :-) Birthday Cake and Adult Beverages!
Come on by for a celebration and a visit. ๐ Sit and chat a while.
When I started blogging, in Kuwait, in 2006, I had no idea where it was going to take me. I felt scared, and I felt vulnerable. I felt exposed. Slowly, I developed virtual relationships, some of which even turned into real friendships. I had no idea I would grow to care so much about my readers, some of whom I have never even met.
In the background, I have had meetings, and I have had correspondences. We’ve shared joys and laughter and tears and anguish. There are times now, now that my life is so much less interesting than when I was living in exotic locations, when I think about stopping. Sometimes, even in Kuwait and Qatar, it was a struggle. There are always days when my life just doesn’t seem that interesting.
I don’t want to bore you. On the other hand, I have grown to enjoy our time together. So, here is my blogging pledge – I will keep blogging as long as it keeps working for you as well as for me. If I am boring myself to tears, I will stop. Meanwhile, it helps me to hear from you, and to have great discussions on these pages. There have been some good ones!
Short Day to Spokane
After breakfast, we hit the road early, stopping after a couple hours for a leg stretch and coffee. The weather is in the 50’s as we hit the road, and we are both ready for a warm-up. I was all set to order my normal ‘short non-fat Mocha, no whip cream,’ when I saw that they already have the fall specials on the menu, and oh, I love Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte . . .
While the roads are nearly empty, just us and an occasional truck, or pickup, the weather has turned ugly, rain coming down in drizzle, or torrents, or sheets, changing by the minute. By the time we stopped for lunch, I was ready to give up the driver’s seat.
Lunch was at the Fat Belly Deli, in Alberton, Montana, where we had Turkey Pastrami and Swiss sandwiches, oh, and ummm. . . . fries. They were having a little trouble getting the fryer hot enough to fry the fries, so I had time to take a couple photos:
On our way in, AdventureMan spotted a huge used book store – like catnip for cats, we could not resist. I found a copy of Elizabeth Warnock Fernea’s book “A View of the Nile.” If you have never read Elizabeth Warnock Fernea (Guests of the Sheikh, A Street in Marrakesh) read her biography in the link above. She was an amazing woman, who shared her insights in a very readable way. A View of the Nile is hard to find. I want it for my lending library. AdventureMan and I both found books. . . Too many books. We had to drag ourselves away.
(Update: AdventureMan reminds me that HE found the Fernea book and asked me if I wanted it. I promised to correct this entry and give him proper credit. ๐ )
Soon we left soggy Montana to enter an equally soggy Idaho, although the weather cleared by the time we got to Coeur d’Alene:
By the time we hit Spokane, the sun is out and we are starting to feel warm once again. We could go on; we have gained an hour, but we see another Mariott Residence Inn along the road and decide to hit the pool and kick back for the rest of the day, with another short day on the road tomorrow to get us to Seattle, where the hard work will begin. We have accounts to close, a storage locker to clear, rugs to gather and plastic carrier boxes to pack. We are hoping we can get everything into AdventureMan’s Barcelona Red (the name of his Rav4) for the long haul back to Pensacola.
Our reward for good behavior will be a few meals with friends and family before we depart. We are looking forward to that part. ๐
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