Where She Stepped Over The Edge (But Pulled Herself Back Up. Whew.)

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them."   ---James 4:17


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Weekly we get home grocery delivery from Aldi and always? Always I order either sorbet or ice cream bars. One box. It's our weekly treat, our best comfort food while the world-as-we-know-it burns down.

Tom and I are only human, after all.

Well, 2 weeks ago the shopper/delivery guy brought no ice cream bars. Unbelievable, right? He'd even ignored my order note: "If the ice cream bars and alternate choice are out, please bring ANYTHING similar."

(The previous week I'd written, "Don't even show up without the ice cream!. ...smile..." I've returned to writing that.) シ

We'd had problems before, but I knew this was a special test. Knew it! But I didn't care. The day was hot, humid, people everywhere were behaving badly and there's that aforementioned thing about the world burning down.

Well. I stormed, muttering, past Tom at his desk and on up to this computer where I left the guy a 1 star ('terrible') rating and halved the tip (yes, I did that). Then I clicked on 'Report a Problem' and wrote something like:

"Your delivery person brought our order without our ice cream! No mention of it was even made. I want our ice cream. Now. Today. And I will be waiting at our window until he brings it!"

An email came. "We're sorry you didn't have a good Aldi experience. We've given you a $2.49 credit for your next order."

Gah. I saw red. Purple. Green, too. I sent another email saying, "You people are a major disappointment to me."

Normally? I'd not act that way. But these 'unnormal times' had all, well, just piled up. (Anyone else been there?)

Then I changed into some nice clothes (being from that generation who still cares about such things), told Tom what had happened and that I'd now have to walk the 2+ blocks to 7-11 through the glaring sun to buy us some ice cream. Then return and cook lunch-which-is-actually-dinner.

So I left and of course carried my (stupid) mask because--even tho' I'd not visited 7-11 in months--I knew what I'd spy on the door. Yep, I was right. A sign which pretty much said:

"Don't even think of stepping inside without a mask plastered to your gullible little face."

シ

Man, and here I'd just promised you that I'd only wear a mask at the cafe or in an emergency situation. But technically? I guess I stuck with that. If ice cream during a pandemic and riots isn't an emergency, what is? (But I'll skip the part where I stood on that 6 foot marker circle, fuming beneath my mask, and mad at the world.)

Anyway.

I made it home. Calmed down. Ate ice cream with Tom after lunch and felt better.

Then I pulled myself back upstairs where I saw a new email from a different Aldi rep. This one said, "We want to make this right. I saw you have a $2 credit for a forgotten item. Is there something else I can do to help?"

I rolled my eyes. Chuckled, actually, and wrote back: "So now my credit has gone from $2.49 to $2?! No thanks. I don't need anymore help like that. Thanks anyway." (Heh. She did write back and say the $2.49 credit had been restored.)

Yet by this time, conviction was kicking-in. Majorly--and I felt sorry about my overreaction.

So I did one other thing: the right one. I returned to my online Aldi receipt and sheepishly switched the rating to 4 stars ('Good') and restored the full tip. The guy had only forgotten 1 item and how could he know that--if he'd skipped half of our order--I'd not have even blinked as long as ice cream sat in the bag?

Whew. Did I ever feel better after making those changes!

And you know? Since that day I've felt awesome. Forgiven, stronger, more hopeful for us all. This experience reminded me there's huge redemptive power in choosing the right, godly response, (the quicker, the better), especially when it's difficult and you'd much, much rather slap somebody, instead.

...smile...







When we serve God with our whole heart, our peace will be whole. Just serve Him partially when it feels right and we'll have only a less-than, partial peace.

When God forgives us, it then becomes an act of obedience when we forgive ourselves.

"Do the right thing even when the right thing isn't happening to you."   --- Joyce Meyer


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Mandating masks has erased our smile, the psychological effects that no one is talking about

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Happy Retro Cooking Music



Oh! And before I forget: the preppers are getting restless. Many are saying things only appear as though they're improving, but they aren't, not to mention times may become too dangerous to venture out to your local stores or delivery trucks can't travel through mobs or everyone in late July will freak out over the loss of their unemployment or CO2 shortages or ---.

One Christian minister/prepper advocate of 30 years, suggested we be stocked-up on food and water by July 15th.

Just passing that along. Do with it however you feel led.


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Oh! And I keep forgetting to tell you that the robin couple finally built a nest in the crabapple tree outside of our kitchen window. Trees. A much better place for a nest than a piece of window molding! Anyway, it was fun watching them feed their babies. Happy sigh.


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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15