Maundy Thursday Thoughts

Hi, my name is Nancy.

Hi, Nancy

It has been less than 2 hours since I acted like an idiot.

Please tell me there is some kind of 12 step program to help me. I keep doing idiot like things and nothing seems to be stopping me from myself!


Today I attended a funeral of a fellow classmate of Dayspring, Belinda E. She fought cancer for 24 years and was a total joy and encouragement to be around. Three men from Shell spoke, a neighbor who happens to be a church member and Beth. It is only the second funeral I have ever attended where everything that was said was completely true. There was none of this "funeral speak" to make the person be much better than they were in life. Belinda lived life proactively, with much love and with opinions but they made Belinda, well Belinda. OK, I didn't act like an idiot at the funeral.

Instead of going to the lunch afterwards, I went upstairs to see friends from the ED Suite. Rae and I got to spend some time catching up and compare some health notes. Then I was off to run a couple of errands which included buying stamps at Tanglewood Gifts. First off, the parking lot there has become an every man for himself type place. There doesn't seem to be a slack time ever. So trolling for a parking place is an art. Right off, I pulled in to the parking lot to only come in contact with a lady in a Hummer that wouldn't let me into the lot as she was leaving it. She had people behind her and to her right blocked off. She starts yelling at all of us then realized she just needed to back up a few feet and the congestion would diminish. She yelled at me and like an idiot I looked at her like, what? What's the matter with you. She yelled even more and by this time I was past her and her mess looking for a place. Finally after about 10 minutes of near misses I finally scored a parking place. Went to the Post Office in the store to buy stamps. I know the price of stamps is going up in May so I didn't want to be stuck with stamps without a 1 or 2 cent stamp to make up the cost difference. So the clerk asks why do you want to do that? I explain again. He says tell me one more time what you want. I considered charades but explained again, slowing down my speech and feeling the wrath of those standing behind me in line. After my explanation he says, why don't you buy a forever stamp. Well why didn't he tell me that in the first place, I didn't even know they still had those things. Of course I am writing a check since they don't take plastic and I held everyone up behind me a little longer. Ladies who lunch aren't really known for their patience and their watercress salad hadn't filled them up and they were grouchy. I'm an idiot. I let all that get to me and apologized my way down the line.


During the funeral I had received a call from the condo association that our number connected to the phone box wasn't working and we have two packages in the office. My best moments have not been in that condo office. Happy am I that all who had seen me blow up from time to time over rules and infractions that are enforced hit and miss, meaning they made me follow the rules but not everyone else. I remember one particular time I lost it, cussed out the manager...who I called trailer trash and a trashy woman and I let some of the big no no words out of my mouth. Roy of course just stood there because he figured he was going to have to bail me out of jail and defend me in a court of law. Finally, we came to a compromise we could all agree on. Here's the thing when they won't let a washer and dryer be delivered and it has been a couple of weeks going through the motions of repair/breaking/repair and with clean clothes just in sight, I wasn't going to let them go back to be delivered on another day. It was a Wednesday of this incident because I was asked that night to pray at the end of choir. I declined because I wasn't too sure that I might not let a few cussies slip out in prayer since I had used quite a few that afternoon. Today, it didn't even get close to anything like that, but clearly I am thankful the manager of long ago is long gone. She got fired over her lack of response on trash issues. I'm just saying.....


I've found myself not being really social and too hung up on my workout time which I schedule around the lunch hour. Either I need to go earlier or later in the afternoon and later in the afternoon is winning out because it isn't crowded with young buff good looking things. It is mainly a middle to older age group and we are very encouraging to one another. I had lunch with Cynthia yesterday. We've been trying to schedule this for several months. Had a great lunch at Ashland House and got caught up. Over the years Cynthia and I have had adventures that include fish heads with maggots, trying to ride our bikes on the wooden rail of a bridge, cutting down a tree in her beach neighbors yard so there would be a better view of the gulf, and biking in and all around the Houston area. Oh, we had a few "perverts" sit near us in movie theatres that caused us some concern. None of that happened yesterday, it was a nice uneventful lunch.


Last night I went with Dena to the Nord for dinner. At lunch I tried to be good by ordering a veggie sandwich only then to order apricot pie for dessert. The Nord had Kobe steak, carrots, asparagus's, mashed potatoes which we subbed bistro fries, all for $15.95. It was good and I was only going to order salad. That thought went right out the window. Dena was planning on being good too but dang it, Kobe beef and veggies...bistro fries, we could not resist.


Tonight is one of my favorite services at First, Broken for You. Even when I was very involved with the planning of that service, it still was one of my favorites.


I was reading the LPM blog where Melissa wrote about Palm Sunday. I was remembering being one of those palm waving choir members. Waving the palm in my choir robe didn't bother me, it was one year when they cast me in Pageant in the triumphal entry scene and I had to run down the aisles toward Jesus yelling Hosanna, Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord, it is the Lord, and Jesus is coming. I was never a good biblical actor in all those years of Pageant. We were to think of a Bible character and act out of that. The only Bible character I had ever identified with was the Fatted Calf and making cow noises to announce Jesus just didn't seem to be the thing to do. A couple of times during performances I forgot to do biblical palm waving and was yelling stuff like, whoo hoo Jesus! All Right, He is here now. You know not very King James English renditions. One night in our pre performance meeting, it was asked that who ever was yelling out modern idioms please stop. Right then and there I took myself out of the second half of Pageant except for Bethlehem. I didn't have it in me. I always felt like an idiot because I would think even back in the day with Jesus did everyone run, didn't some stand back and watch? That would be my Bible character...just like the fatted calf.


This is much too long to go on about how I can be an idiot but I got on a roll. Maundy Thursday everyone.