Sunday Morning

This past week was an eventful one in a number of ways. I learned a number of things which I sometimes suspect puts me ahead of many my age. (almost 74) I memory tells me that my parents were pretty unwilling to learn new things in their seventies. I wonder why some people are so inflexible in welcoming new ways of doing things? There are of course certain basic principles which will never change. I am thinking folks who reject new ideas and tools which could make life more productive.

Learning new processes does sometimes mean that we have to step out of our comfort zone. Taking just a little risk to learn something new will help keep a person's mind working properly. It strengthens the brain cells just as physical exercise strengthens the cells in our muscles.

Some of the things which are pretty common today and even 'necessities' were met with resistance when they first came out. Automatic transmissions would never be accepted.
Even IBM at one time rejected the idea of personal computers. Rocket to the moon, Buck Rogers pipe dreams. Foreign made cars, especially Japanese, are just junk. People will never accept homogenized milk and certainly not that 'blue john' reduced fat milk. Supper at church on Wednesday night, never desecrate God's house like that!

So, I am looking forward to learning a little more about God, life and business this week. Today I am helping with the pony ride at SHBC's "Great Pumpkin Party. I get to be around kids and horses at the same time. How great is that? What are you doing today and the rest of the week to learn about and enjoy life?
Charlie Mac

Enthusiasm, contagious?

Readers of this blog know that I have taken on a new job. It is very different to any thing I have done in the past. It was a pretty scary decision to make. I agreed to take it because I had been praying to find a less physical way to make a living. My friend, and now again my employer, and his wife had been praying about who could fill an important position in their company. He asked me to think about the position and my immediate thought was, OH No, Not Me! He continued by saying he and Leslie had been praying about it and would I pray about it and get back to him.

While praying it came to me that it was like my prayer was being answered and their prayers were being answered. All I had to do was step out on faith. Was it scary? Oh yeah, and the first week of training it was almost deathly frightening. everyone kept saying, "You can do it." Something (evil?) in my mind kept saying, "No you can't! It is too stressful."

Then while praying about this situation, a peace that passes all understanding came over me. The email devotional for that day was "I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me."
It clicked to focus on one thing, one order, one task, one customer, one report, one entry, and one day at a time. I can be enthusiastic about one thing at a time and suddenly the task was no longer overwhelming.

Jesus taught us to pray daily for our daily bread. He taught us not to worry about tomorrow and just focus on today. So, when I apply His teachings, I can be, and am, enthusiastic about life, one moment at a time. I pray my enthusiasm can remain constant and will be contagious.

Encourage someone today. Be enthusiastic about something today. This will be a good day.
Go check out www.Alpacafarmgirl.blogspot.com Katy is a store house of knowledge about really neat income opportunities raising Alpacas for fun and profit.
Charlie Mac

Still Learning

I know, everybody says time flies. It only lacks one day being a week since I wrote anything on this blog. Several good things have happened. We had a good trip and visit with our daughter and son-in-law. This has been a week of learning more about the system for processing orders at work. The last debate (if you can still call it that) is over. We are getting closer to election day and that worry will be over and likely replaced by another.
One story I heard this week is really worth repeating on this blog. It was told by a man I respect a lot. His wife is going through chemo treatment for ovarian cancer. Bad bad stuff.
Her younger sister became a little paranoid and insisted her doctor give her a thorough check out. He found a tumor, removed it, it was cancer, it was stage one, they got it all! No further treatment necessary, at all. When my friend told his wife about her sister, she was encouraged, felt better, even ate a 'normal' meal. This was Thursday. The stock market fell about 700 points that day. The sister's life was saved, the wife rallied, the market tanked. Was it a good day? What will make your life better today? The market or other people? What did Jesus say was the second commandment?
Charlie Mac

Weekend

I am writing my weekend blog early (actually it is late Friday). I will be out of pocket probably until Tuesday and I wanted to write about Friday before then.
Today was a fun day at work. I enjoy problems only if I can work them out. I always have liked fixing things.
Wednesday and Thursday the girl ( lady) I am replacing was there to train and guide me on the business system. Today was my first day to solo. (of course the boss knows more that anyone about how the program works, but who wants to bother the boss asking dumb questions?) I had three projects waiting for me to solve when I can in today. All three took some thinking and remembering how to manipulate the system. I did it. Oh not alone, but the problems were solved before the day's end. I never could have done it without the help and friendly encouragement of my fellow workers. While the problems were in the process of being solved several glitches happened. My phone quit working several times. The system hung up a couple of times. The Internet service went out for a time.
Through all this I had a really good fun day. Wow! Maybe I should have looked for a set down job a few years ago. I told Mary when I got home that I can not remember the last time I felt this good after working all day.
We are going to visit our daughter and son-in-law and will worship with them on Sunday. We will be back, GLW, on Monday. Hope you all have a great weekend too.
Charlie Mac

Friday

Tis Friday today. My head if full of new information and procedures which I must learn and follow in my new "position". Literally this is a new position for me as I have never had a 'sit down' job in the past.
I have interfaced with customers, so answering the phone and taking orders from customers is not really new.
I have worked on (fixed) computers and used computers since 1961, so entering and manipulating data is not really new either.
I have worked as a seasonal employee in several capacities for this company ever since the new owner bought it, so the business part is not new to me either.
I have known the permanent employees and many of the seasonal employees for several years, so the people are not really new to me either.
You know what? When I stop and think about it, the sitting part is the only completely new part of this "position".
Hey, I can do that. Like they say, some things get better with age. I think this is one of them.
Thanks for stopping by, I had a great time.
Charlie Mac

Thursday ALready

Wow! We are on the downhill slide of a fast week. Really fast for me.
Yesterday was my first day as an order taker, order entry, order coordinating, order processing clerk.
The company has a really neat processing record keeping system that can (it seems) do any manipulation of facts and figures you might need. I felt like my head was totally full of information by noon and I still had 5 hours to go. Very soon I need to begin getting ready to go back and see how much I retained.
Something my parents taught me as a child kept running through my head. Charles, you can do anything you set your mind to. So parents, I encourage you to encourage your children. Children, I encourage you to listen to your parents.
I know I can meet this new challenge and if I can you can also meet the challenge you are facing head on.
Charlie Mac

Learning Curve

Challenge and change. I am taking on a challenge which involves a good bit of change.
Learning to "fly" a desk instead of doing manual labor.
It should not be a real difficult switch, but there will be a challenge or two.
I will be doing basic data entry and I type pretty well for someone who has to look at the KB, but it will be somewhat of a challenge.
I will be taking orders from several sources, computer, phone and in person.
My aged eyesight will be a challenge in reading the monitor screens.
My age related hearing loss will be a challenge when listening to customers on the phone.
My habit of no being careful with my penmanship will be a challenge when I allow pressures to cause me to "hurry up".

So, why am I doing this? For the challenge and learning experience. Besides all that, it will be helpful to someone I respect and I can fill a need.

I'm needed, challenged, willing, and still growing in skills and knowledge at an age many simply say and mean it, "I'm too old for this."

Well I'm not yet too old. Me and Caleb and the Energizer Bunny.
Charlie Mac

Change is good?

Change is coming.
Change is a fact of life.
Change can sometimes be good for us.
Change can sometimes be bad for us.
Change can be good for one person and bad for another.
You can fight change or work for change, but change keeps coming.

I am facing change in what I do at work. I have made many changes since I took an "early retirement" over 20 years ago, so change is nothing new for me. The changes I have made have kept me young in my mind if not in my body. Some of those changes were successful and some were failures, but I kept trying new changes.

This coming change will be both a challenge and rewarding. I will provide a service to our company and our customers by making the change successful. I am looking forward to the change. This change, while good for the company and for me, may be bad for the person I will be replacing. I would like to think it will be turn out to be good for them too in that they will find a better position for their talents.

Change is coming. Will you choose to fight change or make the best of change?

Charlie Mac

New Week, New Day

Today, Monday October 6, 2008. This is a Why day.

Why do some people dislike Mondays?

Mondays are great days of the week. The beginning of the work week for most of us. I believe that the beginning of most things are great. Today we can begin to make this week better than our past weeks have been. We have had a day or two of rest, at least we were designed to have at least one day of rest and worship out of seven, so we can approach this week with renewed strength and determination.

Think "life"! Do not let the Monday morning blue people get you down. Go and do everything you can possibly do to make this a great day!

Happy you stopped by.

Charlie Mac

The Wonder of Sundays

Today is Sunday October 5, 2008.

Today is the day the Lord has made. Thank you Lord.

Today is a day of worship and rest. Thank you Lord.

Today is my 3836th Sunday (+- 3% error factor). Thank you Lord.

Today will I follow God's plan for my life or will I do what I desire without seeking His guidance?

I wonder?

Tonight I will know. God already knows.

Charlie Mac

Opportunities Today

This will be an interesting day.

First I am at my self imposed and put off deadline for putting tomorrow's Sunday School (we call it Sunday Morning Bible Fellowship) lesson together in almost final form. Almost because you never know what may come up once class actually begins, sometimes the Spirit leads us along different rabbit trails. Someone may have special insights or questions concerning the particular passages we will try to focus on. (1 Samuel 13-15) Saul had a good thing going and messed up. I wonder how often we have thwarted or side-stepped God's plans for our lives?

This afternoon Mary and I will be doing our spinning demo (and I am sure I will be telling stories related to spinning) at a newly opened local yarn shop (LYS). I suppose you could say I am just a little different when compared to most guys. I would rather be spinning or knitting and talking about fiber processing that watching football on TV (or in person for that matter). Besides, other than actually playing sports, which I was never very good at, these activities attract lots of the fairer sex.

Tonight, Mary and I will probably just enjoy the blessing of being together for one more day.

Whose life are you blessing today?

Charlie Mac

Starting Over Again

I have been reading other's blogs and neglecting this one. It is time to begin anew.

I have made a number of changes since my last post.

I quit my job and began looking for another in this downward spiraling economy. Smart? I think so.

I rejected one job offer.

I did not get one job which I thought I really wanted. It was the only job I ever had a personal interview for and did not get, if I remember correctly.

I am working again at a job for a company where I have worked during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season in the past. this year I may be doing something completely different. Actually It may take so much of my time and energy that I will not be able to live up to my vow to begin blogging anew.

I have met a number of new and really neat people in the last few months. I am so blessed by the other people in my life. I would list them, but I might leave someone out. Let's just say I seem to meet someone just at the right time.

It is nice and maybe even necessary to have friends you have known for a long time. But it is often the new people you come across who grow your life. Like I said, I am so blessed.

Tomorrow, Oct 4, Mary and I will be doing a free spinning demonstration for Wellslee's All Strung Out yarn shop. I am really expecting to meet still another really neat individual or two. Maybe even strengthen the bond with some I just met recently.

Life is good, if we can focus on making today one to remember.
Part of the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6) is, God, give me my daily blessing.

Will my blessing be you?

Charlie Mac