The Gift

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When I was growing up, I would actively look for my Christmas presents in the months leading up to the actual day.  I got brazen as I got older and would instead carefully unwrap presents and rewrap them.  (side note: the technique was so good that I would have to charge money to share it with you)  This was about as rebellious as I got but I did it just about every year until I left home.

Part of it was probably boredom, part of it the challenge.  I think the biggest reason, though, is that I absolutely detest surprises, particularly surprises you know are coming.  I want to know what is going to happen and to prepare for it.

This weekend my beloved Sophie girl had a neurological event of some sort, most likely a seizure.  Brett and I adopted Sophie the month after we were married and she’s been my best girl ever since.  Brett traveled full time for the first five years we were married so it was always me and Sophie.  Even after we had children, Sophie has been my first baby.  Her age has started showing in the last year and a half with several health issues but I still hoped she would be a fifteen to eighteen year companion.

Yesterday we received a heartbreaking diagnosis of congestive heart failure at the after-hours veterinary clinic.  It wasn’t delivered in a particularly gentle way and my heart was simply not ready to hear it.

After the vet left the final time, the nurse came in, took one look at my face and said she was so very sorry.  I asked her if she had any advice.  She asked if I believe in God and I replied, yes, I do believe in God.  She suggested that I pray and that I look at every day with Sophie as a gift because that’s what it is.

It’s a sentiment most of us hear frequently.  Every day is a gift.  Never take a day for granted.  It isn’t something I am particularly good at doing but it isn’t because I’m ungrateful.  It’s because I’m constantly looking to tomorrow and the day after that.  I’m trying to carefully unwrap my future and rewrap it instead of enjoying and appreciating what I have and where I am today.

Instead of feeling profound joy that I walked out of the clinic with Sophie in tow yesterday, my mind was thinking about 6 months from now when we may have to make a decision to provide her a peaceful transition out of this life.  I’m finding it is next to impossible to enjoy my time with her when I’m constantly wondering when our last day will be or how I will handle the day when she isn’t laying by my feet while I work.

There are volumes of Scriptures about worry and anxiety.  I think it’s because people haven’t changed that much through the centuries…God knows that so many people struggle with this very thing.  I would love to hear your thoughts on living in the present and leave you with some of my favorite Scriptures.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  ~John 14:27

“Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”  ~Psalm 55:22

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But a good word makes it glad.”  ~ Proverbs 12:25

 “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”   ~ Matthew 6:34

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  ~Philippians 4:6-7

“… casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  I Peter 5:7

Friends don't let friends use Orange Glo

One of the first things I noticed about our current house were the wood floors.  They were gorgeous.

I loved them.

We hired a housecleaner shortly after we moved who used Orange Glo.  The floors looked amazing.  So much so that people commented frequently about how shiny they were and asked what we used.

Fast forward two years and they went from stunning to awful.  There were scratches everywhere and they were dull.  The cost of having them replaced after such a short time made me ill.

Around this same time, we let go of our house cleaners of 2 1/2 years (story for another day) and had hired someone new who asked to use a different cleaner.  Brett happened to be home when they were cleaning in early January and they told him we needed to stop waxing the floors and they would need to "clean" them a little at a time to get all of the wax buildup off of the floors.

To say I was angry would be an understatement.

"We've never USED  wax on the floors, Brett!  How is it possible to have wax build up when we've never waxed them?"  I promptly dismissed the idea as preposterous and seethed at the spot they had "cleaned" because it looked one hundred times worse than any of the other areas.  It was bubbled with white film and I was convinced they had ruined our already awful floors.  Brett used his fingernail to show how it (what was it?!?) was flaking off the floor.

I googled Orange Glo, hardwood and film and found site after site of people outraged that Orange Glo had ruined their floors.  God bless the person who posted that what finally worked on their floors was Windex and a credit card.  We did a slight variation of really hot water with straight ammonia (wear a mask) and the dull side of cheese knives.  Each plank had to be done in sections.  By hand.  I kid you not.

Here is the process we used to fix our floors. Not that I'm bitter but it took us FIVE days and we still have a section that needs to be done. 

Tell your friends.  They'll thank you.

Before

Sprayed with Windex (we later moved to straight ammonia and hot water)

Scraping - this is all the residue that was coming off of the floors

After (but before being fully cleaned)