The financial world is falling apart, and I am going with it. It is disturbing to see how little money is in the bank account, knowing all the things that little bit of money needs to cover. And it is really scary to see that tiny amount, knowing that it wouldn't take much to push us over the edge into disaster.
This year has been rough on us. Our youngest has accumulated a lot of medical expenses, and, unfortunately, so did I. And they aren't through yet. Thank goodness for decent medical insurance, but even so, the copays are overwhelming right now. My daughter has two therapies every week, and they are paid at "specialist" copay amounts. Add to that the other specialists she sees (two of them this week, one again next week) and it gets really scary.
I actually had to sell a bunch of personal items last week to cover a copay when there wasn't enough money in the bank. I probably sold $150 worth of stuff for $36. Big sigh. I suppose we didn't really need those things any more, but if I had had time to sell them in a yard sale, I probably could have earned a little more for them.
It was lovely to see gas prices drop FINALLY, but there wasn't any money to fill up the tank!
Speaking of gas prices, I think they have a lot to do with the state of the economy right now. All they talk about on the news is the sub-prime mortgage crisis, but I think gas has exacerbated (sp?) the whole problem. Maybe now that the prices have come down, maybe things will improve in the economy a little too. Or maybe I'm daydreaming.
My husband was talking about the price of oil versus that price we pay at the pump. He pointed out that when the oil prices were where they were Friday (I found gas at $2.76,) the last time oil was at that price gas cost something like $2.40. It seems to us that the gas companies found they could get away with ripping us off, and decided they liked it. After all, they can't let go of those record-breaking profits!
Ugh. I don't have time to go off on this topic.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Why Politics Frustrates Me
I am so sick of political ads.
I find myself rolling my eyes whenever an ad comes on television, regardless of the party or the candidate. I am sick of the mudslinging, the gossip, the ugliness. I am sick of being told that if the other person wins, the sky will definitely be falling and will crush MY HOUSE first -- just wait and see.
Now don't get me wrong. I suspect that the sky may very well fall and crush us all if the wrong candidate is elected. But I feel a little like the person in the old logic puzzle: I'm standing in front of two doors, each with a guard in front of it. One door leads to freedom and prosperity, and the other to utter destruction. One guard always tells the truth and the other always lies, and I'm only allowed to ask one question.
The problem is that this is reality, not a logic puzzle, and the only people we see standing around the doors aren't omniscient, absolutely true/false guards, but half-truth spewing, finger-pointing semi-human politicians.
I was called and polled one night. The questions I was asked sounded to me so terribly skewed to one side that I was very frustrated. "Would you say that it is better to fix the health care system so that absolutely everyone is covered, or should health insurance companies be allowed to run things the way they want?" Really, are those the ONLY two choices?
Well, I guess I would just love to have the ads -- and the debates -- change to say, "Hi, I'm (fill in the blank) and this is what I stand for, and why." Don't turn away to tell me what your opponent has done/is doing/will do wrong. Don't tell me that his system won't work. Tell me why yours will.
Meanwhile, I guess I will turn to the only omniscient being I know. Thankfully, I already know He'll tell me the truth.
I find myself rolling my eyes whenever an ad comes on television, regardless of the party or the candidate. I am sick of the mudslinging, the gossip, the ugliness. I am sick of being told that if the other person wins, the sky will definitely be falling and will crush MY HOUSE first -- just wait and see.
Now don't get me wrong. I suspect that the sky may very well fall and crush us all if the wrong candidate is elected. But I feel a little like the person in the old logic puzzle: I'm standing in front of two doors, each with a guard in front of it. One door leads to freedom and prosperity, and the other to utter destruction. One guard always tells the truth and the other always lies, and I'm only allowed to ask one question.
The problem is that this is reality, not a logic puzzle, and the only people we see standing around the doors aren't omniscient, absolutely true/false guards, but half-truth spewing, finger-pointing semi-human politicians.
I was called and polled one night. The questions I was asked sounded to me so terribly skewed to one side that I was very frustrated. "Would you say that it is better to fix the health care system so that absolutely everyone is covered, or should health insurance companies be allowed to run things the way they want?" Really, are those the ONLY two choices?
Well, I guess I would just love to have the ads -- and the debates -- change to say, "Hi, I'm (fill in the blank) and this is what I stand for, and why." Don't turn away to tell me what your opponent has done/is doing/will do wrong. Don't tell me that his system won't work. Tell me why yours will.
Meanwhile, I guess I will turn to the only omniscient being I know. Thankfully, I already know He'll tell me the truth.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Pieces of Life
It amazes me how we can think our lives are just right, complete, and fulfilling, and then have a baby and realize how incomplete we were before the child came along. When my son, R, was born, I found that motherhood was exactly what I was meant to do. I couldn't believe how he changed my life. I felt more complete than I had ever dreamed.
Then along came my second son, B. Before he was born, I worried so about how he would fit into my complete little family. But the second he was born, it was as though this precious little piece snapped into the puzzle in a spot that I hadn't noticed before. Oh! So this is what it is to be complete!
We were complete that way for a long time, and then suddenly, I found out that I was going to have another baby. A girl. I looked at the puzzle that represented my life, and there really wasn't a place for another piece, but I figured God wanted me to squeeze one in. I didn't know how she could possibly fit. Then K came into the world, and SNAP! Oh, yes. I've been needing this piece after all.
And now I am again thinking my life is complete, that our family is "full." I don't think I could survive another pregnancy. And yet, I cannot help but wonder if there is another hole in the puzzle that I've just never noticed. After all, I've got a history of not seeing the big picture.
Then along came my second son, B. Before he was born, I worried so about how he would fit into my complete little family. But the second he was born, it was as though this precious little piece snapped into the puzzle in a spot that I hadn't noticed before. Oh! So this is what it is to be complete!
We were complete that way for a long time, and then suddenly, I found out that I was going to have another baby. A girl. I looked at the puzzle that represented my life, and there really wasn't a place for another piece, but I figured God wanted me to squeeze one in. I didn't know how she could possibly fit. Then K came into the world, and SNAP! Oh, yes. I've been needing this piece after all.
And now I am again thinking my life is complete, that our family is "full." I don't think I could survive another pregnancy. And yet, I cannot help but wonder if there is another hole in the puzzle that I've just never noticed. After all, I've got a history of not seeing the big picture.
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