Thankful Messes

I know we've all probably seen the viral post of the Mom who taped off her newly cleaned living room until Thanksgiving. She worked hard, got it all just how she wanted it, and this was her attempt to prevent her family from undoing all that hard work. Though the post was funny and while every mom can relate, because we have all been there, this mom totally missed the mark in her quest for the perfect Thanksgiving.

Today, as I cleaned my house, I spread an Autumn themed table cloth out across my husband's Grandmother's table and set our ceramic pumpkin with the big "A" in the center and stepped back. 

I thought of all the meals that have been eaten seated around this table, not just ours but the generations before us as well. I thought of the holidays of years past where the houses were filled to the roof with laughter and love.  I thought of how hard we moms and dads work to make things "perfect" and how I can honestly say I don't recall any of that work. 

I don't recall exactly how many hours I have spent cleaning my house in preparation for events, I know I have spent that time but there is no tally. I don't recall how much money I have spent making sure everything was just beautiful and picture perfect. Lord knows what that price tag is. 

Do you know what I recall? What came to me in a flood of happy memories as I spread that spotless table cloth out? I recall my children's laughter. I can see them at 3, at 7, at 12, and every age in between running like crazy people, tracking mud and legos all over my floors. I hear their giggles at corny jokes only little kids find hilarious, while liquid of some sort spews from them. I remember my Grandmother sneaking my kids sweets when she thought I wasn't looking. 

I thank God for every stain on the carpet, every smudge on the glass cabinet doors, every broken plate. I remember those moments now that our house is mostly silent.

Moms, as hard as it is, take down the off limits sign on the living room. Enjoy the spilled juice and the chaos. Table cloths are washable, carpet is cleanable, dishes are replaceable. Kids grow, life changes fast and before you know it, you'd give anything for one more chance to find hidden animal crackers in your couch. 

Be thankful this year for your mess makers, they are so much more of a blessing than you realize. 

When God Yells, You listen!

If the devil dances in empty pockets, he was having a ball in mine. I was empty. I had let issues, drama and others tear me down to nothing. I looked around and found myself surrounded by nothing but negative people & negative situations. I don't even know for sure when it started but there I was. Angry, bitter, hateful & just an unhappy person. That's not who I am but was surely who I had become. 

Sometimes in life, you have to take a step back and look very hard at yourself. You have to either like what you see or you need to change it. I chose the later option. 

Over the last year, life has pounded us like a fence post it seems and it just all became too much. I think the Good Lord was trying to tell me it was time to step back and gain some perspective. I refused to listen. Stress was everywhere, drama was a constant companion but I refused to listen. My health tanked. Acid reflux literally ate me alive from the inside out. My hair fell out in huge chunks yet, He kept trying to talk to me. I just kept ignoring Him.

He yelled at me.

Now I know without a doubt, that God has carried me through some hard times but to hear His voice was something I will never ever forget. Let me just assure you when God yells at you, you listen. 

Everyone was gone for the day. I was off work due to being sick. I had found out someone I considered a friend was anything but and they were causing the vast majority of the drama in my family with my kids. We needed money for more than one issue. I honestly couldn't complete a thought without another one popping up. I hit the shower thinking I needed to just get my day going. My mind was just all over the place. Then it happened.

God told me I had to get Satan out of my house. I said "uh ok" then another voice said "well that's just crazy no you don't", and I got scared. Y'all I'm talking, don't want to be home alone scared! It was all I could do not to run. But I didn't run, I listened. 

God said "GET SATAN OUT OF YOUR HOUSE NOW!"

There was ZERO denying what I had heard. I was commanded to clean house and I did. I kicked Satan and his presence out my life, the lives of my husband and children, and out of my house for good. I walked through every room in my home, shouting at him to leave this family alone we belonged to God and always will. I ended up in my carport with a feeling of victory I cannot describe. It came straight from God. I walked back into my house and the whole place felt different. I felt different. I felt His presence walking beside me. 

Satan had been working overtime trying to tear us apart and I let him. I let him take root in me without even realizing it but God knew. I let others negativity & bad attitudes cloud what I knew was true.  I let others actions towards my family cause me to grow angry and frustrated when I should have just handed the situation over to Him in the first place. Others are so unhappy with their own lives they can't handle those that are and will do or say anything, and I mean anything, to cause trouble. The old saying that misery loves company is true but I refuse to entertain that company anymore.

God said He wants better for me. He wants better for all of us. Even those who deny Him, those who pretend to know Him & those who think He could never love them. He loves us all, even when we lose focus and forget. We just have to be willing to listen to Him. 

I wish I could make the world feel the peace and joy I have held in my heart since the day God yelled at me. It's unreal. Trust Him to handle your conflicts. Seek His council on those you bring into your inner circle. He will always bring you what is best for you! 

I am back home these days being a wife and mom full time. I am truly happy for the first time in a long while. I am not stressed out. My acid reflux is pretty much gone, my hair has stopped falling out and I am waking up everyday with a joy in my heart I can't contain. 

Happy feels good y'all!

Sandy 

Ephesians 4:26 

Don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger give a foothold to the devil.

Proverbs 22:24-25

Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shall not go, lest you learn his ways and get a snare to thy soul. 

Love, Legacies & Lost Jewelry

Just when you least expect it, something so tiny & long since forgotten makes your eyes start leaking tears. 

Now I didn't not know Hoss' sweet mother Cheryl, but she has been here all these years in little ways. 

Subtle, gentle reminders of her love for her family. In the recipes she passed on in her cookbooks, the China we eat holiday meals on, in the funny stories from her old friends who still think of her often, the twinkle in my husband's eyes when he laughs, the love in him for his family, that's all her. Always her. 

Today while going through boxes that have been in storage for ages, I found these two pieces. 

My thoughts went to her immediately and how I would hand these down to our coming granddaughter, Cher. Then my mind went to how much I know she would have loved being here to see her 1st great grand baby come into the world in October, who will be named Cheryl Lynn, after myself and my mother in law. Then my heart just broke. It broke for her. 

Cheryl was a blessing for everyone who knew her. She had to be the way people still speak so lovingly of her after 20 years. I've no doubt she left this world and went to Heaven but I still hurt for her. I hurt that she missed out on seeing her son happy and loved, on seeing our children grow into strong young people who, while drive us crazy some days, make us so proud. I'm sure she'd laugh at Hoss when he gets frustrated with them, reminding him of the things he put her through. 

I hurt for all the joy she missed. The moments with the kids she never got to experience. And now, she not here to claim her title as Great Grandma to baby Cheryl and those who, Lord willing, will come later. Now that I am going to be the Grandmother in this family, I can see how painful the knowledge that she would miss these things must have been for her. 

I don't know for sure what kind of Mawmaw I will be. I pray I am the grandmother I was blessed with and one like I have no doubt my mother in law would have been. I pray my grand babies will beg to be with us. I pray they will remember when us with love when we are gone. Mostly, I just pray Hoss and I are there to see them to adulthood. I prayed to see my children grow and now I find myself asking God for much more. 

Funny how a tiny little girl waving hello from an ultrasound can totally change what you want out of life. She's my world and she isn't even here yet. 

As I hang onto a necklace and an ID bracelet a little while longer, so my baby's baby can have them when she's older, I will be thinking of my mother in law. I hope I will be the Grandmother she wanted to be. 

Most importantly Cheryl, I promise your great granddaughter will know the amazing woman whose name she carries. Your son and I will make certain of that. 

Sandy 

This is the House Where Jack Lives

                                                 

35 or so years ago, this book was read to me as a child. 

My sister Shannon and I, to this day, can still recite this simple children's book word for word not having cracked it open since our childhood days. (We did it this morning, 150 miles apart over the phone...true story!) It was our favorite. Some things just stick with you, this book is one of those things. 

This is the House Where Jack Lives is a story about a little innocent boy named Jack, who, without realizing, it started a chain reaction of chaos that affected so many others in his building. You see, (SPOILER ALERT!!!) Jack just wanted to take a bath. He was enjoying his bubbles when he let the water spill over and drown the floor, causing the apartment below to leak from the ceiling. This leak caused the woman in 7A trouble because she was having a party and called for her cook, who tripped over the cat, who scared the maid, who dropped her dirty mop on the man washing the windows...well it just kind of snowballs from there, ending with some poor kid on the sidewalk getting whacked in the head with a pail! 

Why am writing about this book? Why is this book the one that stuck in my head all these years? Why is this book so important to me? Let me explain. 

While I personally found this book funny as a child, as an adult I find it painfully spot on as to how our lives go some times. How many times have we all watched some thing that seemed so simple grow into a huge issue? How many times have our actions caused trouble for others? How many times have we been caught up in drama caused by others? Daily, I would venture to guess. I know that's how things normally go for me. 

Some times what we think is a great idea, just what we need, turns out to be anything but. We also have a hard time seeing how something so tiny could possibly hurt anyone. Like Jack we think, its just a bath, right? 

The truth is, we hurt people every day. We get hurt every day. Some days we are a little boy in a bathtub on the top floor and other days we are the boy on the sidewalk getting smacked by a rouge pail!

I often wonder how Jack's mother handled his bath time antics. I imagine upon finding her son, in a tub full of uh oh, she reached and turned the faucet off first thing. I'm sure she got a hold of him and dried him off, then helped him clean his mess.  And I am quite sure she still loved her Jack in spite of his childhood foolishness! 

God does the same thing for us when we are neck deep in bad choices. He turns the faucet off. He picks us up and helps us fix our messes. If we ask Him for His help, we get it.  And He still loves us when we act foolishly. He also helps us up when someone else knocks us to the ground. He comforts us in times of trouble, self inflicted or otherwise. He loves us so much! 

2 Corinthians 1:10 tells us; He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

Life is full of overflowing bathtubs, struggles, mean people, & just very bad days. God promises to be there through it all. I am so thankful for that promise. I cling to that promise every day y'all, every day! I am so grateful that when I'm a Jack or hurt by one, I'm still loved! 

Have a great weekend and go read a book! I think I'm gonna crack open Jack's story one more time...you know, just because I can! 

Stop In The Name Of Love!!

Some things I have read have caused me to stop dead in my tracks this morning and pray for my town, our local law enforcement & those who are so consumed with fear they seem to be unable to focus on anything but that fear.

Our town has had an increase in breaks on vehicles over the last few weeks. Thieves are targeting unlocked cars and taking whatever they can quickly grab and run with. Things like cash, gifts, small things. There have been a few home breakins as well but to my knowledge no one has been home when these events have occurred. The police are working on it, it happens in every town across this nation this time of year. It is a sad reality but it is the world we live in. Satan is alive and well.

Some people (because there have been more than one) have jumped on social media in groups and proclaimed that they plan to shoot whoever is lurking around their homes. Shoot them dead. DEAD.

Now, before I go any further, please take note, highlight it if you will, that I have ZERO issue with folks defending themselves against an intruder. An actual intruder, you know one who enters your home while you are there? I for one will defend myself, my husband, children to my dying breath by any means necessary should the choice of them or me ever arise. I think we all would. Their safety is paramount. It's why we buckle our kids in car seats and monitor their online activities. And I will defend them. 

I am struggling however with the way some folks in this town have become so consumed with fear that they say they are willing to shoot people over stuff. STUFF!! 

If that person is not an active threat to your person and you shoot to kill in your driveway over some tools in your car, guess what??? You're going to go to jail. And posts about doing in before it happens can and likely will lead to a charge of premeditation. It happens daily. All because some over zealous individual takes things too far. 

I have been robbed before. It is extremely unsettling. It takes a long time to even process it let alone move on from it. But at the end of the day, they only took stuff. Replaceable stuff. They didn't harm any of us, or my pets. They took things they could sell. We weren't even home. My car has been hit twice over the years. I left it unlocked and that was all they needed. Was I mad? You better know it! Did I want my stuff back? Absolutely. Did my anger and lust for revenge change a dang thing in that situation? NOPE! It only changed me. And not for the better, I assure you. 

Fear is what is fueling this behavior I am seeing. F-E-A-R. Fear and some warped belief that our stuff is somehow way more important than human life. It's not people. 

There are families in this community who have lost everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, in recent house fires. They got out with each other and the clothes on their backs. While I know they are unhappy about losing old family pictures and favorite stuffed animals, I can promise you they could care less about any of it because they are so thankful to have survived together. It's just stuff and it can be replaced. 

There are people in this town who would in all seriousness give up everything they own to see a recently departed loved one again right now. They wouldn't hesitate if it meant seeing the one they miss so badly.

We have become such a people of stuff that we are willing to threaten to kill folks AT CHRISTMAS over stuff. What the thieves are doing is wrong, there is no defense for their actions but if we call ourselves Christians, then there is also no defense we can offer for behaving so badly over things of this world. Stuff. Like it or not, this behavior and talk is extremely un Christlike. It's just sad. 

I refuse to be consumed by fear and I also refuse to be so materialistic that I place human life at a less valuable rate than my tv or the change in my cars console.

Need I remind everyone that Joseph & Mary were going from place to place makings ruckus in the middle of the night because they so desperately needed a place to rest right before the very Savior many of you claim to follow was born? Think about it. The inn keeper could have followed fear but he didn't. 

We would all do well to remember that it was a thief who in his agony on his own cross, next to a crucified Christ, called out to his Lord and Jesus saved him as well. A thief. Think on that.

Luke 2: 10  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

Stop letting fear steal your joy this Christmas. Fear is lethal to your soul. God loves us, we have zero to fear. Put a little love in your hearts folks. It's life changing. 

Merry Christmas, 

Sandy

Pie = Love

Today is our day to celebrate Thanksgiving with our Herd. As we prepare for our meal, my cousins an entire state away are sitting down to eat as well yet we will all be eating the same meal. Well at least a part of it. 

Today I taught 2 of my daughters to make a my Grandmothers pumpkin pie as my dear cousin Tonda made it for their gathering, each not knowing what the other was up to. Funny how that happens, isn't it? My Grandmothers pumpkin pie is smelling so good as it bakes.

It seems like a silly thing to be so excited about. I guess to most folks it's just a pie. It's so much more to us. It's a piece of her, a piece of our childhood. Before life got crazy and so busy we seem to only see each other at funerals. It's a reminder. A reminder of what's important. Family.

Grandmother is gone now, as are so many we cherished but they live on, really  they do. They live on in each of us. In our smiles, in our eyes and yes even in the pumpkin pies we make. Little pieces of love left to guide us on without them.

So this year, as I bite into that first piece of Grandma's pie, I will give thanks for her teaching me so much more than a great pie recipe. I will thank God for all the love she showered us all with. It's that love that makes a simple pie so delicious. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and to my cousins who now share the secret recipe, enjoy a slice for me!

Much love, Sandy 

Better Than Myself

Tonight as Hoss, Tucker & I met with the man who will be our pastor over the next few months, our conversation turned to Hoss' home church, First Christian Church in Wellington, TX. It also turned to talking about the wisdom of his Grandmother, Elise. Granny Grunt as we all called her.

Her Bible was pulled out from the spot it was placed for safe keeping and brought to the table. This particular Bible was a gift from Hoss' sweet mother, Cheryl back in 1965. Her hand written note of love inside the cover still speaks volumes of the love & special bond the two of them shared. I have see that note probably 15 times since Grunt passed in 2009. What I had not seen before tonight was the writing a little further in the Bible on another page. I don't know why I had never seen it. I have held that Bible so many times over the years and carefully turned its fragile, time worn pages with reverence. Reverence for not only the Holy Word encased inside the leather binding but for the woman whose hands opened it so many times for answers to her problems. She is why that Bible is falling apart and I loved her for that.

Tonight, I found her aging handwriting strung together in a prayer to her Lord. She wrote this prayer as an older woman. A woman who had been through so much pain in life. She had buried her husband, she had buried her daughter (Hoss' mother), she had seen so many people come and go. It cannot have been easy to be last. That pain made her bitter at times. But how could we possibly blame her for that. Pain is cruel and it changes you.  But, even in those moments, she wanted so much to not be what came easy to her. She wanted to be better.

Tonight, I read her prayer and it reduced me to tears.

Now, I do not know these words are hers originally but my heart knows they are hers wholly. As a read her prayer, I saw her. I saw her heart, so open, so honest, struggling to be who she wanted to be in spite of who she was. I also saw myself.

She and I were a lot alike. Both hot headed & stubborn. Both fierce when it comes to our family. Both loved Hoss more than anything. We had a great relationship until the dementia turned her away from us. It was heartbreaking then, it still hurts today.  Dementia robbed her of herself. It robbed us of her. The last few years were rough for us all. I can promise you we would do every minute over again for another day with her though. I would not trade anything for the memories we have from being there with her all the time. She was a one of a kind and we miss her so.

Tonight, Grunt gave me one last gift. She gave me a little piece of her to recall in those times of struggle. She reminded me of who I can be even when the temptation of self is strong. I am writing this prayer in my Bible because while it was her prayer, it has become mine. Who knows, someday my granddaughter may find herself in the writing of this prayer in my Bible.

Thank you Granny Grunt, your "vast wisdom" lives on. But you already knew that, didn't you? May I follow your lead and work hard to be better than myself.


Here is her earnest prayer, word for word:

"Lord thou knowest that I am growing older. Keep me from becoming talkative and possessed with the idea that I must express myself on every subject. 
Release me from the craving to straighten out everyone's affairs. Keep me from the recital of endless detail. Give me the wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips when I am inclined to tell of my aches and pains; they are increasing with the years and my love of speaking of them grows sweeter as time goes by.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong. 
Make me thoughtful but not nosey, helpful but not bossy. With my vast wisdom and experience it does seem a pity not to use it all .
But thou knowest Lord that I want a few friends at the end."

Our Silicon Marriage

When we got married, my love gave me his late mother's bridal set and his father gave me his golden band to give Hoss. I have always cherished my sweet mother-in-laws rings, even though I never had the joy of knowing her personally. She was a wonderful, beautiful woman and the fact that Hoss wanted me to wear her rings just made me feel so very special. I know what she meant to him and it showed me how deeply he loved and trusted me. I will guard those rings closely the rest of my life and he feels the same way about the one his mother so lovingly gave his father all those years ago. Neither of us wear our rings often because, well, mine are tight these days and he has always been worried about injury or losing his.

A few days back some new wedding band from Qalo.com arrived in the mail. I was so excited because they are so cool! These bands are designed for active people, people with dangerous jobs, (like Hoss) or just folks who can't wear metal bands for whatever reason. Qalo bands are made of silicon and are just the best! Ours are their Thin Red Line series designed for firemen. I purchased one for Hoss and one for myself, seeing as I am a proud Fire Wife. 

When the rings arrived I tried mine on and was amazed at how stretchy it was but also at how it snapped right back to be a perfect, weightless fit on my finger. Then when something occurred to me. These rings were just perfect for Hoss and I. 

Our marriage is indeed like our new rings. These rings are totally ours. No one has ever worn them before, they came into this marriage just like we did, ready for whatever adventure life holds! While life has certainly stretched us to what seemed like the limit from time to time, we always snap right back into shape. Never breaking, only bending when we needed to. Even the way it feels is like us. We don't have to smother each other to know we are loved. Love should be lightweight and feel like the most natural thing in the world. 

The red line that runs in the middle of both bands represents the commitment we have not only to each other but to his passion and his line of duty. As the wife of a fireman I can promise you that commitment needs to come from both of us. His commitment to service and mine to him as he serves. Wholeheartedly and without reservation, I have his back and he always protects me, as it should be.

These small bands you see in my hand represent our marriage so well. They represent us in every way possible. No matter what situation life throws at us, we tighten our grip, set our hearts to the end goal and never let anything break the bond we share. Some days we have to stretch a little make it work but we never give up. We have been through so much over the years but our bond is a strong as ever.  

Strong and built to go the distance, these rings are just like us. 

"SOMEBODY"

Seems all some folks can say talk about these days is somebody.  Been hearing a lot of somebody should have been there, somebody should have helped, somebody should do something lately and it has gotten me to thinking about this issue.

Have you ever stopped to think about what you are saying when you see that homeless man begging and you think "somebody will bring him some food" as you hurry on your way to yoga class? Or how "somebody" should do something about those kids who you see after school hours just roaming the streets as you drop your child off at dance? Better yet, "somebody" should have gotten to that fire call faster and done more to help that family who just lost everything, all while you live across the street from the station and have never darkened the door.

You are right, you know. Somebody should have stepped up. That somebody should have been you.

In the middle of the very word somebody are the letters m & e. Together those letters spell Me. Every time you say somebody what you are really saying is you should be doing whatever it is you think needs done.

Before you complain about kids roaming, ask yourself, is there a local program that might need more volunteers in order to let more kids into the program? Ask yourself is there a talent I have that I could teach to those kids, some books I could read to them, some time I could invest so that they know somebody cares? I bet there is.

Before you shift your eyes downward at the homeless person, ask yourself, do I really need that latte more than they need a sandwich? Do I need that $100 pair of jeans more than they need a blanket to keep out the cold? Ask yourself is there a shelter, a food bank, a church outreach that I could invest my time into so that they know somebody cares? I bet there is.

And lastly, before you complain about a perceived slow response to an emergency call, (be it a medical one, a police run or a fire call), ask yourself when the last time you jumped out of bed at 3am to the sound of a shrill alarm, or left a meal at a restaurant you just paid for, perhaps your first of the day & its now 4 pm, donned protective gear, fought traffic that refuses to yield to you even though your lights and sirens blare? Ask yourself when was the last time you held a mother back with all your might because your fellow firemen where trying to gain entry and save her child all while she fights you to go in herself? Ask yourself when did you last help fix a broken truck because a mechanic to do it just isn't in the tiny budget you have to work with? Ask yourself if there is anything, anything at all you can do to help the emergency workers in your community? I bet there is.

I know there is. Know why I know? Because you are Somebody. I am Somebody. I come from a long line of Somebodies. Somebodies who see a need and fill it. We don't do for the praise or the glory. We do it because its the right thing to do. After all, Somebodies got to do it, right?

It easy to act like others are not doing right when in fact they are doing more than you are. How would you know they are not doing all they can when you are doing nothing yourself? All you are doing is complaining about a job you aren't even willing to do your own self. This is what's wrong with our world today. Way too much finger pointing and not enough hand lifting.

The simple truth is this. I know some folks can't physically herd children, fight fires, or stand out for hours handling out blankets but everyone and I mean everyone can contribute something. If you are not willing to volunteer your time, your talents, your resources or your money, then you have no right to complain about how things are handled. And you have zero right to critique those who do step up. Zero.

Next time you feel the urge to complain, check yourself. Ask what you can do to fix the problem. Maybe you can't do it on your own, but you sure as heck won't fix it if you never try.

"It's Those Damn Foreigners! They Need To Go Back Where They Came From!"

Pretty inflammatory title, huh? Bound to catch some attention, raise some eyebrows, that sort of thing. Good. I hope it does because I want the entire world to read what lesson I am about to teach.

Yesterday while making a visit to the town that will be our new home, Hoss, the youngest 2 children and I were verbally accosted by a woman whom we do not know, for reasons we also do not know. Her exact words to us after my husband smiled at her and said "Howdy", where "Get the HELL out of Ball" as she angrily stormed past us into in the building we had just come out of.

 Now, assuming there are some people reading this that are unfamiliar with the term howdy, I  can assure you it is a greeting that simply means hello. Add the warm, big smile Hoss has to it and there is a less than zero chance that the greeting can be construed as anything but nice and inviting.  

As this person left our person space, I turned to my husband in shock and asked him to clarify what I just knew I could not have heard. He told me my ears did not lie to me & that she had even told him to go home at the meeting in which he was hired, telling the "outsider" to "go home"  while hurling several other expletives his direction. I was shocked to say the least. I knew some did not want us in Ball because they are mad but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be taken as far as it was on that sidewalk, in front of my children. This woman, then opened the door, screamed her name at us and once again, angrily stormed off.

Please recall that we have never met this woman. We have never interacted with her on any level. We have done absolutely nothing to this woman to make her react so violently, so rudely, so hatefully towards us and our children. Nothing.  All we have done is apply for a job, got the job, and are in the process of moving there, paying taxes there, shopping there, etc. Bare this in mind as I continue this post. 

Flash forward to this morning, here in Winnsboro, La. I decide to stop in at our local Subway for a sandwich for my son and I. As I arrived there is a woman who appears to be having some issue with her credit card not working and had gone to her car to call the company. She comes back into the restaurant, walks to the register and proceeds to tell the manager (I know this is the lady that runs it, seen her many many times) "its those DAMN foreigners! They need to go back where they came from!" as she pays for her sandwich finally. To which the manager agrees with her, mentioning how "they" can't speak the language, etc. It is at this point, that I lost my temper.

I turned to the lady and said "You know what? Half of my family was forced onto Reservations and the other half came over on a boat and I take MAJOR offence to what you just said!" 

This woman has the nerve to turn to me, obviously not understanding what I actually said, and says "that's what I mean! Its those foreigners!" At this point the manager, who is smart enough to catch my meaning, although its not like it was muddled, starts backing out of the conversation.

I then proceed to explain to this ignorant woman that unless she is a 100 % Native American, which she clearly is NOT, that she herself came from IMMIGRANTS and she should be ashamed of herself. I told her that this entire country was started by immigrants and that her attitude was extremely offensive!  I also told her that had it not been for Immigrants, she herself would not be here to complain about it now!  She stuttered, grabbed her sandwich and dang near ran out the door. Guess she wasn't expecting the Great Great-Grandchild of an Native man to nail her in the Subway for being an idiot. The manager tried to change the subject then another employee walked in and she shoved me off on them under the guise of having to go get an employee (her son) for work. 

I told the other employee what happened and that I was no a happy camper. I was told by that employee that sometimes you just have too "let things go". I told her no I did not. Because it was wrong and I have a problem with wrong. I will not be visiting that Subway again. Not because of the customer because you can't help what walks in your door but because the manager joined in the hate and I was told it was not a big deal. 

Now, I have an honest question for anyone who reads this blog. How many of you read the 1st part and got angry at how unfairly this one woman treated me & my family? I would venture a guess most of you did. Why is that? Because it was wrong of that woman to act the way she did to total strangers who have done nothing to her personally. 

Now, another question. How many of you think the words of the customer and manager at Subway where wrong? Not as many as who think the woman on the sidewalk was wrong, I would be willing to bet. Why is that? The two incidences are the same. 

Some will argue that what happened to me is not the same as the woman in Subway but the truth is, its the exact same hate. It's hate people. Hate. Unfounded, unnecessary, hate. That woman showed us how much she hates us though she has no legitimate reason to do so. The women in Subway showed me how much they hate immigrants even though they have no legitimate reason to do so. 

The woman on the sidewalk hates us because of things she has been told that are untrue. She hates us because we aren't "from there" and are "outsiders". Most of y'all know us. You know how hard working we are. You know we are very community minded. You know we are a good, honest family. She thinks otherwise and for no reason. That's not right is it? No it's not. 

When you spout off about people who immigrate here to the USA, you are no better than that woman who was hateful to us. You are being mean to someone mother, someones child, someones husband or wife. You lump every immigrant into one box and you label them. Just like she has done with us. 

So many people come here legally. They pay taxes, they work hard, they just want a new life and a chance. They aren't asking you to be their best friend but I personally don't think just basic human decency is asking too much. Just like we are asking from the town we are moving to. 

I refuse, do you hear me, refuse to judge the entire town of Ball based on the actions of one person. I also refuse to judge all immigrants based on the ones who are here illegally and cause trouble. Guess what? People who where born here cause trouble too. 

Don't assume because I am white, straight and vote Independent that I agree with you because I don't. Hate is wrong. It has never been right and it never will be. 

Think about what you are showing someones child when you spew hate at people you don't even know. Think about what you are saying about your community, your church, your own family when you spew hate at someone you don't even know. Think about it. 

Jesus said love thy neighbor not only love the neighbor who was born where you were. 

I didn't post this to start an immigration debate. I posted it so you can see that what happened to us happens to others in the country every day, many, many times over. It is wrong. Immigrants aren't the problem. Outsiders aren't the problem. 

The condition of our hearts is the problem.