Reflections From a Country Girl

Do you even pick up the phone and are so sure you know who it is that you answer it with some funny or romantic terms of endearment?

I do that pretty often these days; especially early in the morning when I get calls between six and six thirty.

I always know who it is at that time of morning…at least until today.

This morning the phone rang just a little later….well 6:35. That’s still in the realm of when a call comes in from my sweetheart – who is usually on the road to work by then.

So, as always, I didn’t put my glasses on to look at the caller ID, I just answered with my usual “Ooh, it’s the man of my life” or “Ooh, it’s my sweetheart calling to tell me he loooooooooves me early in the morning” – gleeful comment.

Since I’m one of those perky people in the morning, that’s the way I like to do it. Sometimes, I even sing – “Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day.”

There was a dead silence on the other end of the line. After a few seconds – which felt like five minutes – I asked if anyone were there…thinking he was just delaying his response to be cute.

It wasn’t him.

In fact, it was a woman with a very thick African American accent.

She said she must have the wrong number and hung up.

After I laughed I called the man of my life and told him what happened.

Want to venture what he said?

“Oh, so you are enamored by a woman now? I can’t compete with that!” were the words right out of his mouth.

My wish for you today is that you think twice about answering the phone with a caller in mind…unless, that is, you enjoy the possibility that you, too, will make a slight fool of yourself. Just don’t answer some like “What do YOU want?” 

~ Joellen

Recently, I attended a “starting and running your own business” seminar offered by SCORE…Counselors to America’s Small Business…over at the Lexington Chamber of Commerce.

There were three seasoned trainers leading us…Bill, Al and George.

Now these guys were really great teachers. They spent the better part of a morning sharing some helpful hints about getting a business started the right way.

There were several of us who had recently opened a business. There was also a man there who was a new “teacher in training.”

During one of the breaks, the “teacher in training” and I started up a conversation and we found ourselves talking about jobs we’d had in the past.

Now what would be the chance that someone in a seminar would even know what my first job was?

You see, I pumped cores.

Unless you read my book, you probably do not know what pumping cores is.

This man knew all too well because he and his father had been in the business in Columbia for years while my father had run the same kind of company in Spartanburg. We had a great time talking about that and exchanged some stories about our experiences.

Not only did I have a chance to learn a great deal about starting a new business, but I had a chance to exchange pleasantries with someone about something from my past and to learn a little about his experiences with that as well.

My wish for you today is that you take the time to get to know someone new and find out if you have anything in common. You may just find you two have walked some of the same paths.

~ Joellen

PS:  Oh, you probably would like to know that pumping cores is cleaning the impurities out of a 300 pound or more block of ice!

As I awoke early this morning, usually my first thoughts are of what I will write about. It did not come easily to me this morning.

The first thing on my mind was that shooting at the college.

I asked the same questions we all are asking. What was he thinking? He MUST have been crazy. How could he do that?

As information unfolds there will be no answers good enough for the families of those killed and wounded in the shooting.

So what do you know today? Is there anything that can put this tragedy into perspective for you…for the families…for those of us who have lots of questions?

For me, the only thing that can give me comfort during this time is my faith.

If you are a person of faith, you know what I mean. But what if you aren’t? Or what if you struggle with religion period?

The song that comes into my mind this morning is a simple but poignant song that many a Christian sang as a child…Jesus Loves Me, This I Know. There may be a song or other thought or saying in your heart that gives you this kind of comfort.

As we move into the days after such a tragedy, this is what I know, that my faith tells me these victims and their families may be able to find comfort in the love and care of all of us, regardless of our religious preference. After all, don’t most of us just want to go through life living with each other in peace?

Realistically, that is not going to happen in our world today. But, if we are able – one by one – to do what we can to make the world a better place, we may be able to find some comfort there and offer it to others at the same time.

My wish for you today is that you find that place of peace and be aware of those around you that are struggling. Help them if you can…pray for them at the least and find comfort in your faith as you walk your daily path.

~ Joellen

Yesterday morning I opened the blinds only to discover that a new family has moved in with me. Well, not actually into the house but, they found their home right outside my patio door.

I had not invited them to move in but, since she is expecting soon, they felt obligated to find a proper place quickly and decided on my back patio as their new home.

Because I have squirrels, I do not put live plants in my planters. My squirrels are life long residents and they love to eat the flowers from the pots I used to carefully plant in. Now, as I have become wiser, and since I love having the squirrels play in my yard, I simply use artificial flowers and change them during each major season. I keep the bird bath and a little container on the porch full of fresh water so they have enough to drink from. Yes, my squirrels love living in the trees in my yard. I even had a white squirrel once.

The new family that moved in is a family of birds, nesting in one of my planters. They are busily adding straw and other small pieces of material deep inside the deep planter.

Yes, they will soon have little mouths to feed and will need a safe place to keep their family. I can’t wait to see the babies.

I do have one problem, though. I have a neighbor’s cat that LOVES to hang out on my back porch. She, almost daily, meets me on the back porch after work for a few minutes of petting and stays there talking to me while I cook supper.

Now that’s a problem.

This cat is a natural born hunter and chases the squirrels up the tree all the time.

I suspect she will think of the little birds as something to pounce on as well.

What do I do?

I think I will revert my time with the cat to the front porch.

I can’t move the bird nester so I must move the cat…IF I can…and let nature take its course.

Ah, the things we do for family.

My wish for you today is that you enjoy your family, whoever they may be, to the fullest and do all you can to help them coexist in a peaceful environment.

~ Joellen

As I thought of someone today I started humming Stevie Wonder’s You Are the Sunshine of My Life.

I am one of those happy people in the wee hours of the morning and so I tend to do that. I just never know what I am going to start humming early in the morning.

For some reason, this song stuck with me most of the day.

I have been known to call my loved ones early just to sing a verse of a song I am thinking of. When I do that to my son, who is NOT a morning person, he may or may not greet me with favor. However, you can hear a little – just a little – joy in his voice as he responds. He reminds me that he is not as “perky” in the morning as I am…but manages to say thanks anyway.

Then there are the times when I hear a funny song on the radio and I’ll call and sing it to him while he is out. Once, he put me on speaker phone and the friends he was having dinner with said…”way to go, Ms. Cook!” I can see him just shaking his head now as he laughs.

You know, when the rubber meets to road, there are enough challenges in this world to keep us in the “bah, humbug” mood. When one has the time to do something spontaneous to bring a little joy, if not humor, in another’s life, it worth the effort.

Never mind if it is appreciated at the time or not. You are sure to be remembered for the gesture.

My wish for you today is that you do something spontaneous and joyful with those you enjoy being with. Even if you are not in the same city, you can still send a little e-mail, make a quick call, or write a short note showing how much you care. It’s the little things that count, after all…and we can all use a little more sunshine in our lives now and then.

~Joellen