Thursday, January 18, 2007

Pulling the reins back ...

Wowser ... Has it ever been busy ..
It has been a whirlwind. Revelations, which I will not go into, have caused us to ask our son-in-law to move out. He chose to go to his sister's house, where his wife is not welcome. She assured him that she would bring him back and forth to Mt Sterling for work. Guess what ? First day he as to work, S calls to see if he is going to work, and he claims his sister will not bring him. Only one of two things could be .. Either she lied to him or he is lying to us .. Either way, we wash our hands of it. S can stay, under the conditions to which they both agreed. There will be a job involved or much job searching. There will be every effort to keep our life as close to what it was before.

I am sorry that S has to go through this, but this is the world she created with her actions. Against better advice, she went forth with marrying this guy. Against better advice, she let her life become what it is. Now that she is living in the heat of the consequences of her actions, she wants to whine and feel sorry for herself, and we are not having any of it.

It never ceases to amaze me when people, living in the hovel to which their actions have reduced their lives, look up and question as to how GOD could let this happen. I believe that GOD created this world a long time ago. When he handed it to man, we began remaking it in our own choice of images. When it gets out of control because of the choices we have made, we turn to GOD and wonder why he let it happen. We wrestled it out of his hands. We took control. We screwed it over and over. We created this FUBAR, and then we look up and ask 'WHY?'

You are why you are where you are. Ultimately, I am responsible for my position in the world. Every day I am faced with choices. Each choice is attached to a consequence. Some choices are light and the consequence is light. Some choices are heavy, and the consequence is heavy. Other are in the middle. Still, the choice and the consequence are mine to own.

(Sliding the soapbox mostly back under the bed)

While I am typing this, I am printing envelopes for our fundraising for SkillsUSA to go to the Nat'l Farm Machinery Show in Louisville KY. My own insanity has caused me to agree to take 43 high school students on a day long into the night trip on Valentines Day. There is that Dierks Bentley song .. "What was I thinking?"
Still, it has been fun getting it ready. The students wanted to go. I had them write a letter to the Principal of GRC requesting permission to go, outlining all the positive effects it would have to their education. They did a great job and he agreed to let them go. Now, we have to raise the $790 to rent the bus and the $971 for tickets. We are selling candy, want some ?

That is part of the pulling the reins back title .. Every day is a new thing to do concerning this trip. Each day the list changes. Each day someone else wants to go. Yesterday the list stopped when I submitted the names to the National Skills USA organization. The list is now closed. 49 students joined. 43 are going on the trip. There will be many pictures taken. This will be a membership drive item for next year.

When I came here, the chapter was nearly extinguished. Membership was nearly rock bottom. The new Advisor was making some changes and number were growing. However, he left at the start of last year, leaving it all to me, with me not knowing very much about it. I have been learning on the job. This year is the highest number for membership in many many years. (patting myself on the back just a little) .. I am proud of the students and student leadership. They have kicked in marvelously.

I am hoping for a slowdown (another Dierks Bentley song, if memory serves me correctly.) With a month until the trip, and much left to do, I don't see that happening. Still, it is nice to dream. I think I need to learn the fine art of delegation.

Well, there you have it. Most of the stuff going on. Oh there is much more, but it is all the usual goings on. Kids stuff. House stuff. Car stuff. Sickness stuff. Work stuff. Bill stuff. You know, the usual.

1 comment:

Retro Girl said...

I am with you, my friend. Life is what we make of it...and change cannot happen until we recognize that it is needed, decide what our goals and objectives are, then make a plan to enact the change...and stick with it. I'm living proof. I think Tammy is too...You have to want something better for yourself and figure out how to get it. (I'm trying to impart these words of wisdom to my neice...and she's having a difficult time too)...

The trip sounds like fun, but also like a lot of work....Good luck on the fundraising. Candy's always good. It's a little too cold for a bikini car wash though LOL.