If you didn't read "This Side of the Door" entry, go read it. If you need to refresh your memory, go back and reread it. Uh...like...now?! I don't have all day! Geesh! LOL...I kid...sort of. I AM a busy SAHM, you know! I have laundry to fold and chips to eat...I mean, errands to run! Ready? Good. Thanks so much for your cooperation.
I was at the Ministry Center today and hunting for the blue-handled manual can opener. Some of the donated cans...the BIG cans...that come in from various corporate partners, are dented. It's REALLY funny how dented some of them are. I needed that manual can opener because the cheese sauce I was trying to open had a MAJOR dent in it. When I tried using the opener meant for the big cans, the first hole I punctured in the lid was nothing more than a relief valve, so to speak. Lovely yellow (and we're not going to even discuss the nutritional nature of that cheese sauce...we're just going to be thankful for the donation)liquid cheese began to spring forth from that little tiny hole. It was kinda funny! Why aren't you laughing? Maybe you had to be there. Anywhoo....I knew if I could crank it open with the smaller opener, I wouldn't make as big a mess. I searched through all the drawers (not to be confused with draw's....which means "underwear")in the kitchen and came up empty. My sweet friend, partner in crime, and mother-away-from-mama, Mrs. Helen reminded me that we had given that opener to a very ungrateful family. I was shocked to hear that it was the family I spoke of in my "This Side of the Door" entry.
Before we go any further, you need to understand a little of how our Ministry Center works. Clients can receive assistance once per calendar quarter. We don't have the resources to be able to do more than that. And even if we did, what is that doing for folks....NOTHING!!!!!!!!!! People will NEVER get up and do for themselves if things are always done for them...why should they? I'm not talking about folks who CAN'T work...truly CAN'T....I'm talking about the ones who won't. There's a ginormous difference between can't work and won't work. The attitude and lifestyle of entitlement is KILLING this country. Hmmm...well....that's a sermonette for another day...sorry. Should have given you the "duck and cover" warning before launching from that particular soap box! Right...back to it, then! So, our clients establish their file and can come in once per quarter for help. This is told to them during the interview process...no one leaves without this information.
This family showed up a week later, looking for more and I'm guessing, when they were told that they couldn't have anything, they weren't very nice about it. Of course, they denied having knowledge of our policy and from what I'm guessing, they made a bit of a stink. I wasn't there, but I'm guessing it wasn't a friendly encounter. Perplexing as it is, this sort of ungratefulness is pretty common in our line of work. Last summer, as it was getting on toward the beginning of the new school year, a lady came in looking for help with school supplies and school clothes. We loaded her up and the very next day, she returned all of it...every bit of it. She said that our efforts to help her were unacceptable. *Yoohoo....still with me? Need the smelling salts? Hello? Oh, good...there you are!* Yep, that's what she said. Unacceptable. Instead of a whole box of Ziplock-type bags for each of her two children to carry to school, they were each given a smaller portion...say a bag of ten bags. That's how we have to do things. We break down large quantities into smaller quantities to stretch our resources...to be able to help as many people as possible. The same for the pencils, erasers, pens and other such things. Instead of a large bottle of hand sanitizer, we gave her two smaller bottles. I'm telling you...I've been in the classroom...I know PLENTY of teachers and most of them are pleased to receive ANY and ALL contributions. They aren't going to turn away five pencils banded together because it's not the box of ten...they just aren't. But, instead of being grateful for what she was given, this lady only saw what she didn't get. That other family, too.
Ah, but here's the kicker....this sort of ungrateful attitude isn't confined to those "less fortunate." How often do I...do you...get in a situation where we are more focused on what's not there...what's missing...our unfulfilled wants? Not needs...but WANTS. We lose sight of the blessings that are right in front of our faces because of our own pride and misguided expectations. Why not be satisfied and content with what is available to us in any given situation? As much as I want to be upset with this rebounding family or that lady from last summer, I can't. Yes, their attitudes are wrong and they should be ashamed....but so are mine...and so should I...and so I am. I do try very hard to have a grateful heart...not always easy...but life isn't easy. And sometimes, just because it's easy, that doesn't make it good. I pray that I can always be found on the right side of the door...the grateful side.
(BTW...if you find me on the other side, PLEASE make me move!)
I was at the Ministry Center today and hunting for the blue-handled manual can opener. Some of the donated cans...the BIG cans...that come in from various corporate partners, are dented. It's REALLY funny how dented some of them are. I needed that manual can opener because the cheese sauce I was trying to open had a MAJOR dent in it. When I tried using the opener meant for the big cans, the first hole I punctured in the lid was nothing more than a relief valve, so to speak. Lovely yellow (and we're not going to even discuss the nutritional nature of that cheese sauce...we're just going to be thankful for the donation)liquid cheese began to spring forth from that little tiny hole. It was kinda funny! Why aren't you laughing? Maybe you had to be there. Anywhoo....I knew if I could crank it open with the smaller opener, I wouldn't make as big a mess. I searched through all the drawers (not to be confused with draw's....which means "underwear")in the kitchen and came up empty. My sweet friend, partner in crime, and mother-away-from-mama, Mrs. Helen reminded me that we had given that opener to a very ungrateful family. I was shocked to hear that it was the family I spoke of in my "This Side of the Door" entry.
Before we go any further, you need to understand a little of how our Ministry Center works. Clients can receive assistance once per calendar quarter. We don't have the resources to be able to do more than that. And even if we did, what is that doing for folks....NOTHING!!!!!!!!!! People will NEVER get up and do for themselves if things are always done for them...why should they? I'm not talking about folks who CAN'T work...truly CAN'T....I'm talking about the ones who won't. There's a ginormous difference between can't work and won't work. The attitude and lifestyle of entitlement is KILLING this country. Hmmm...well....that's a sermonette for another day...sorry. Should have given you the "duck and cover" warning before launching from that particular soap box! Right...back to it, then! So, our clients establish their file and can come in once per quarter for help. This is told to them during the interview process...no one leaves without this information.
This family showed up a week later, looking for more and I'm guessing, when they were told that they couldn't have anything, they weren't very nice about it. Of course, they denied having knowledge of our policy and from what I'm guessing, they made a bit of a stink. I wasn't there, but I'm guessing it wasn't a friendly encounter. Perplexing as it is, this sort of ungratefulness is pretty common in our line of work. Last summer, as it was getting on toward the beginning of the new school year, a lady came in looking for help with school supplies and school clothes. We loaded her up and the very next day, she returned all of it...every bit of it. She said that our efforts to help her were unacceptable. *Yoohoo....still with me? Need the smelling salts? Hello? Oh, good...there you are!* Yep, that's what she said. Unacceptable. Instead of a whole box of Ziplock-type bags for each of her two children to carry to school, they were each given a smaller portion...say a bag of ten bags. That's how we have to do things. We break down large quantities into smaller quantities to stretch our resources...to be able to help as many people as possible. The same for the pencils, erasers, pens and other such things. Instead of a large bottle of hand sanitizer, we gave her two smaller bottles. I'm telling you...I've been in the classroom...I know PLENTY of teachers and most of them are pleased to receive ANY and ALL contributions. They aren't going to turn away five pencils banded together because it's not the box of ten...they just aren't. But, instead of being grateful for what she was given, this lady only saw what she didn't get. That other family, too.
Ah, but here's the kicker....this sort of ungrateful attitude isn't confined to those "less fortunate." How often do I...do you...get in a situation where we are more focused on what's not there...what's missing...our unfulfilled wants? Not needs...but WANTS. We lose sight of the blessings that are right in front of our faces because of our own pride and misguided expectations. Why not be satisfied and content with what is available to us in any given situation? As much as I want to be upset with this rebounding family or that lady from last summer, I can't. Yes, their attitudes are wrong and they should be ashamed....but so are mine...and so should I...and so I am. I do try very hard to have a grateful heart...not always easy...but life isn't easy. And sometimes, just because it's easy, that doesn't make it good. I pray that I can always be found on the right side of the door...the grateful side.
(BTW...if you find me on the other side, PLEASE make me move!)
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