Lepoard Print, The Trojan and Service

Yesterday my laptop, the cornerstone to my consulting firm where I am publicist to several clients got a Trojan. At the time I didn't know what had happened but essentially it was all so sudden I almost had a nervous breakdown. I was uploading an eBook for a client and then all hell broke loose. All my windows shut down and this alarm sounded then it was trying to prompt me to download something and a scan started on my computer I had not prompted. Then when I shut the laptop, because I had enough sense not to accept or download anything, the sound of a pig squealing sounded scaring the day lights out of me and a box popped up saying some one was hacking my computer enable this. When in reality as soon as I disconnected from the Internet their efforts were all but cut off. 

After several deep breaths I called my computer guy. You know that friend you have that knows about computers that you call when you feel like vomiting your stomachs in so many knots at 7PM on a holiday week. Yeah I got one of those. The main reason being he is my best friends husband. Before he has come to our aide. However, this is where he differs from others I have known. His charity is amazing. When we were really down and out he let me pay him in brownies...plain brownies. No embellishments like nuts or marshmallow but simply requests plain brownies. After leaving my laptop with him one night I now have my computer back, my husband downloaded even more intense protection, and when I ask how much I can pay him he doesn't respond. Because his wife forbid me from bringing brownies, they are trying to lose weight, I'm kind of stuck.

Which brings me to the leopard print in the title. While out with the visiting granny my daughters had a Claire's gift card to cash in, plus the granny that lives far away and was with us is always a gold mine. While at Claire's I found a leopard print phone cover for the wife of computer guy, aka bff. She's been wanting one, I bought the wrong size for her birthday....simple right? I bought it for her.

When arriving to pick up the fixed laptop I showed it to her and she literally squealed with delight. That in itself was a payment I never expected she's of the most refined lady's with genteel and polite behavior and she was on her best because she was meeting my granny for the first time. Which brings me full circle. I know her husband is thrilled she's thrilled I made her happy and to him that's payment enough. But I love her and would have done it anyway...computer fix or not. I also know he believes in the blessings of heaven coming to those who serve quietly. So I have purposely left out their names.

So how do I show my appreciation to the literal knight who saved me from the Trojan menace?

Signifigant Sunday: Hyperventilation and Keeping Covenants

So today was a lesson early on for me. I woke up to the realization that the Spirit was trying to tell me last night to plug in my lappy so I would realize that I forgot my laptop cord at the lovely VineArts Open Studio that I attend sometimes with my daughter. (To find out more about them click the name.)
Needless to say I didn't heed that prompting and so this morning when I got up and found that my precious lappy was not only dead but I had no cord to charge it with a small panic attack occurred.

Now most people would say just go buy one or just go get it from where ever you left it. Here's the problem. I made a covenant when I joined my church not to purchase things on Sunday unless absolutely necessary. Kind of like the ox in the mire saying. Meaning that back in the days of pioneers that if an ox got stuck in the mud on Sunday you didn't just leave it there to die cause it's Sunday but then if you could live without it until the next day hold off.

Then there is the respect I have for the friends that are the only ones that can get me into the center. They have worship in the morning then they are having a wonderful event afterwards at the same time my worship service is. Then they are pretty much off all week to celebrate the resurrection of Christ because Easter is next Sunday. So many factors to respect and keep. Like I said panic attack. I work from my laptop.

So anyway long story short I contacted my friends and one was able to help me out without being too put out (I think) then another gave me a laptop cord on a temp basis. Lesson Learned from all this I feel bad that I never took the time to ask in prayer what to do but inside me I was screaming for help and my prayers were answered and like so often they are in the form of friends.

Too Busy for Chivalry?

Let me start this blog off with what I encountered as I arrived home from a nice trip to the dollar movies with my kids.

I pull into my parking lot at approximately 4-4:40pm which is on an extremely traffic packed road right at a red light. I see a woman with a teenage daughter and preteen son, a uhaul truck halfway unpacked and their stuff from the truck scattered around in the parking lot in front of my complex.Now my apartment faces this parking lot so I continued to stare from my blinds as I came in and found CC my hubby at the computer.

(Don't snicker you know you would be nosey too.)

As I small talked with CC I observed this woman on the phone, obviously irritated, repeatedly running her fingers through her hair and talking to her kids, looking around and holding her chest. I saw her son darting around looking in boxes. Then I saw her daughter looking at her mother, her brother and their stuff. Suddenly I was transported back in time.

It was no longer a Uhaul but a Penske. They were no longer in Idaho but North Carolina. The little boy was my brother, the tensed woman was my mother and the teenage girl was me. I couldn't control myself. Without a word to my family I was in my shoes and crossing the battered field that separated us . I approached this woman and looked her in the eye. What I saw broke my heart. Fear.

I smiled and offered my hand introducing myself to her and her children. It was when I said "Can I help you?" that she broke down. She cried a little and said she had thought I was going to ask her to leave. I was so enraged at the assumption. Is that what this world has come too? A single mother with two children's first thought at someone approaching is that they are going to be asked to leave. I estimated that hundreds of cars passed by this scene in the time before and after I arrived. Not one person had the courage to whip in there role down the window and say "Can I help you?"

Why is that? I have two theories. One is we are simply to busy with where we are going and what we want to do to be aware of our surroundings. Two is that those that did consider asking were too scared she would say yes and then they would have to help. We do not like to be put out as a society. We are selfish, inconsiderate and unaware. Except when life's unfairness effects us directly and we go HEY!

So as for the woman. The reasons why she was in this situation is unimportant. The point is I trudged myself back over that field to my apartment, told CC and my Boy (he is 14). "Time for some service." Then after a little bit of explanation they happily came to this family's rescue. Shortly after they started our neighbor, super single mom mail lady, also came and pitched right in. I'm ashamed to say she did more of the manual labor than I did. However, she is super so it's easier for her.

What would you have done? Truthfully....