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| A fable(?) we should learn from...Once upon a time I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with
the President. I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces
memory chips for computers and portable electronics. There was some talk
that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it
no mind. I live in a free country. There's nothing that the government can
do to me if I've broken no laws. My wealth was earned honestly, and an
invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor.
I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the
President in a yellow dining room. We sat across from each other at a table
draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed
staff served our dinner.
The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached
out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate, and began nibbling it as he walked
back to the kitchen.
"Sorry about that," said the President. "Andrew is very hungry."
"I don't appreciate..." I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes
across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty. It was just a dinner
roll. "Of course," I concluded, and reached for my glass. Before I could,
however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed
the wine in a single gulp.
"And his brother, Eric, is very thirsty." said the President.
I didn't say anything. The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I
withheld my comments and decided to play along. I don't want to seem
unkind.
My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite.
"Eric's children are also quite hungry."
With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from
under me. I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was
carried from the room.
And their grandmother can't stand for long."
I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool.
Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game.
I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken. I turned back to the
President.
"Their grandfather doesn't like the cold."
I wanted to shout, “that was my coat!” But again, I looked at the placid
smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my
hands helplessly and chuckled. Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my
wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side
table. I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank
accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my
wife had been thrown out of our home. Apparently, the waiters and their
families were moving in. The President hadn't moved or spoken as I learned
all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to
face him.
"Andrew's whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven't
planned for retirement, and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a
subprime mortgage. I told them they could have your home. They need it more
than you do."
My hands were shaking. I felt faint. I stumbled back to the table and knelt
on the floor. The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak, and
drank his wine. I lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on
the tablecloth that were water drops.
"By the way," He added, "I have just signed an Executive Order
nationalizing your factories. I'm firing you as head of your business. I'll
be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind. There's a whole
bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can't come to you for jobs
groveling like beggars."
I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which
had been his crème Brule. He drained the last drops of his wine. As the
table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. He
stared at me. I clung to the edge of the table as if were a ledge and I
were a man hanging over an abyss. I thought of the years behind me, of the
life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and
struggle. Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game
had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some
surprise that there was no game board between us.
What had I done wrong?
As if answering the unspoken thought, the President suddenly cocked his
head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling
wryly as he folded his hands.
"You should have stopped me at the dinner roll," he said.
WAKE UP AMERICA !!! | | |
| Don't judge a book by it's cover! | | |
| Washing chinaI'm not a great writer, and while some of these thoughts linger I have to get them down. I was just washing my good china...I normally hate washing dishes. But I decided since I was making a nice meal for today's lunch for Easter it was deserving to get the china out. Plus my dad has been our company for a while and I wanted him to feel special this day too. I even got out the cups and saucers since Doug made coffee. I think my dad's favorite drink is coffee sometimes and he also uses it to stay warm since he's always cold. Oh, and the waterford crystal creamer and sugar bowl came out to use with the coffee. I really do love my china, I don't know why I don't use it more often. I was thinking this while I cleaned up. I will not put it in the dishwasher, so maybe why I don't use it as often not wanting to wash by hand. But you know what, I actually enjoyed washing it and enjoyed my time alone doing the dishes. Usually I would be grumping about doing it by myself, blah blah blah...But it was a joy to wash them by hand, being careful, and thinking about when I bought it. I went to a "party" at college and they were selling this, and cookware. You could buy what you wanted and only pay $10 a month while you were in school and it went up to something like $35 when you got out. I was dating Doug then, and I guess we were engaged, so I asked him what pattern he liked. He really liked the one called "shadow rose". I must have loved him, because it wasn't my first choice and I picked it because he liked it. I was thinking how he made a good choice. So often I want to make all the choices or I get mad at him for doing it. But I have no ill feelings with this china. So often "things" remind me of something to be mad about. The dishes are thin and light and just so nice to handle. Not clunky like the everyday stoneware. I think if I would think of every day as precious, like I think of my china....too precious not to use. My family is precious and deserving of more from me. Handling them more gently. It's not a burden, it' a joy. Why have I listened to the lie that work is such a burden? I watched most of the Ten Commandments on tv last night, I always loved it, but couldn't get why it was only about a half hour after the red sea parted....that's another commentary, but watching the extra biblical part that was so long in the beginning I watched how Nephrite(close as I can get it for now, the princess)was so enamored with Moses. He could have become pharaoh...and even when he didn't she still pined for him. God tells me, you need to treat your husband like a king....ackkk....my first thought is "don't I already?", and he doesn't treat me like a queen...but isn't Jesus my king and isn't my husband told to love me like Jesus loves the church? And aren't I commanded in the bible to respect my husband? I will keep you informed on how that goes....even my china is teaching me what it's like when I don't hold grudges and unforgiveness, and this is a good day to remember forgiveness! This is probably very rambling...but I think it's going somewhere and that's why I'm writing it. The last thing I was thinking about was my dad. He loved the church service today. It was a musical drama about Jesus. I'm still praying for him. In the past I've had a lot of unforgiveness toward him. And I think I've forgiven it now. But now I'm thinking of the good things about him. He still thinks Easter and Christmas are holidays for children. And I will talk more about that with him tomorrow when he's not so tired. But I think about what a good man he really is in his heart. I remember the story he told me when he was working for Montgomery Wards and a man comes to the door as he's closing up. It's Christmas eve and the man smells of alcohol and begs to shop for his family, he has no presents at all yet...my dad let him in and took him around personally and helped him pick a present for each person. We could be unforgiving and say, "you're a loser you drunk, you get what you deserve." But my dad had compassion, he still does. God never calls us losers. I'll probably have more thoughts about him later, but I know God is waiting for him like he waited for that man on Christmas eve, not impatient, and very compassionate. I am the impatient one, but I've also learned impatience shows a lack of faith. I love you all and wish you a very happy Resurrection Sunday!!! | | |
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