Catch up time

Wow, ok, so it's been a while since I have posted anything. It's not that there hasn't been anything going on, there has. It's just been that busy and well, unfortunately this is one of the lower things on the totem pole in priority listing. So I here I sit with the Bose headphones on to type away. We're listening to the Angels and Demons soundtrack by the way, just in case you are wondering. Hans Zimmer is one of the best.

Anyway, there is so much to catch up on since my last post. Work is busy and good. I've been traveling more, but it's not too bad and quite honestly, if it keeps my job, I'll do it. I'm learning something new and getting pretty versed in it. We are working with SSRS and Report Builder to get users to do their own reporting for our trouble ticket tools and it seems to be going over pretty well. Now, keep in mind, it is a Microsoft product, so obviously there are glitches and defects everywhere but we are learning as we go, just like anyone else would.

There's lots of drama going on around me, much of it not mine. I have a friend of mine who is going to have to have a ventilator in place and the surgery is set for the end of July. Pretty disheartening. She has ALS and is fighting it every step of the way, God love her and her family. So if any of you are reading this and you donate to charities, please, donate to your local ALS chapter. They provide help, support and equipment to those families affected by this disease that, so far has no cure. I walked in the ALS walk last November, and I am thinking about it again this year. I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

I also have another friend that I went to school with; we had a couple of classes together but never hung out who is also going through a fight for her life. She battled breast cancer and is surviving it; however, they found spots on her lungs and confirmed that she now has lung cancer. She's going into the battle full force with a great attitude, loving family and friends and a HUGE network of support. I pray for her daily as well in hope that she can yet again beat the C word.

I have another friend who, strangely enough is being faced with the same situation but this one is a little closer to home. She's from here and she's scheduled to have a biopsy soon to determine what is bothering her lungs. God's speed and prayers to her too.

I feel like I am surrounded by it. Another friend of mine has "something" but they are not sure what, it could be just a dermatology related reaction to stress or it too could be something serious. It's unknown. This one will be more impacting as I care about this person a lot. They have been friends with me for many years and we have helped each other in many different ways. So, I am praying that this is just another way of her body telling her that she doesn't deal with stress well and that it can be treated easily.

Then I have another person that I talked about in my previous blog. They have some serious issues going on too, but at this point it's not life threatening. She's battling something but it's not health wise. Today this person posted a note on their page lashing out at all those people who have said to stick by her in time of need, but they haven't. I warned her in the beginning that she would learn who her true friends are and who are not. You can tell she's in pain and there is nothing anyone can do for her either. It's pretty hard to watch, but this is one where I have to stay on the sidelines. I have tried to reconcile in my head that I am doing the wrong thing/the right thing by leaving things alone. I feel like I have abandoned her, but in every single person I asked for advice, the consensus was the same. For the sake of my family and all around it, I had to stay away. I don't regret my decision to leave things as is until resolution, nor would I change it. I just wish that in some points that this person would see that in order to grow, learn and mature that some things need to be dealt with directly, not in an overall audience. If you have an issue with someone backing away from you, then let them back away and let them go their way. There is a saying that fits all types of friendships and sometimes, through good or bad things change. If these people fit into these categories then evaluate it as such, cry your tears of pain for them leaving – for whatever reason and then realize that there is more to come. It seems pretty cold and heartless to say it this way, but, it's time to move on. Take your lesson, apply it to what you know and keep going to find newer lessons. That's one of the reasons we are here.

A R EA S O N A S E A S O N O R A L I F E T I M E

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on. When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season. LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway); and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

I struggled with this post most of the day. Mostly because I think I had a guilty conscious for how I felt about the whole thing. In talking to Frank (God love him too J ) he made me realize that it probably wasn't directed at me – which I agree with. Some of the things said don't apply. However, I got angry just with how things were presented and if it were directed at me, if I were one of the targets of that email then, rather than confronting this person to defend my thoughts, feelings, whatever, I wouldn't talk to that person again and be done with it.

I'm just saying…