For the last few months, CR has taken the bus to work. That usually puts me behind the wheel of our minivan at 7:45 AM, in my fluffy purple checkered robe with the collar wrapped up to my chin, warm pj's underneath, flip flops, and crazy hair. It's early. (I'm not embarrassed, I know I clean up good!) He rides shotgun (nervously), so it's easier to open both side doors and slide out in one motion when we reach the stop; rolling cart, laptop, and all. That's how it's supposed to work . . .
Except for that one morning a couple of weeks ago when we got to the corner and there was the bus not 100 feet from the stop! I get glimpses of his 007 driving habits at times like these. His nervous state only accentuated the situation as I heard his frantic voice, "Go!" Being an obedient wife, I pushed on the gas, took the corner, and successfully cut off the bus. We pulled in just in time and luckily the driver pulled in behind us, as if he's seen crazies like us before! CR rolled out and grabbed his back seat stuff with his limbs flying. And aiming for the little power sliding door button with his hand, missed it, because his feet were already running to the bus. It was a sight to behold!
There I was. Rush hour traffic. Dressed to kill. The back passenger door, wide open. The bus pulled out around me with CR in a front row seat, staring out the window, wondering if I knew how to close the sliding side door from the steering wheel. . . I did not.
Dozens of solutions flashed through my mind; each of them resulting in humiliating embarrassment. Could I really get out and put my frazzled self on public display to manually push the little button? I took a deep breath. I watched for a break in traffic. I put the car in "drive" and slowly inched my way with my new side air conditioning, to closest driveway out of the traffic flow. Yes, it was the Chinese St. Columba Kim Roman Catholic Church parking lot, where I pulled in a shady spot to retrieve the 792 page drivers manual with both hands. There on page 67 was an illustrated picture of the button on the panel just above me, that with a slight touch, would smoothly close the door. . .
I sat back with sweet satisfaction as I watched the door slowly and quietly tuck itself into its closed position. Then I closed my eyes and smiled.
Awww . . . Life is good!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
a fun surprise!
Thank you SO much for the fun Valentine surprise!
I was giving a piano lesson and saw a bunch of cute girls run across the yard to the front door. That's why I opened it. . . (plus my piano student was a cute boy who was curious, too!) right during "the attack"! When I realized it was supposed to be a surprise, I quickly closed the door. One of the funnest things was that I saw your darling faces!
It's nice to know that we are on your list! You can heart attack us anytime!
Love
the Clawson's
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
What I Learned From the Singles Ward Kids (cont.)
Last Sunday a boy shared his testimony. He had been bowling with a group during the week. On one of his turns, he ended up with every pin knocked down, except for 2; one on the far east side and the other on the far west of the opening. No pins in between. Not a lot of options for success. He was up a creek. It didn't look good. While pondering the dismal situation, he was uplifted to hear a voice from the group, "Opportunity for greatness!" The situation took a different spin in that instant. He could be bummed or he could change his attitude and think about possible creative strategies. It was still his turn and why give up?
Then he compared this situation with one that Heavenly Father might witness in our lives as we come upon dismal situations where we just want to give up or even choose unwisely. His is the cheer leading voice that, if we listen and take a deep breath, we'll hear and feel "Opportunity for greatness!" He is always cheering us on no matter what the trial. Think of the possibilities!
I like the thought of that.
Then he compared this situation with one that Heavenly Father might witness in our lives as we come upon dismal situations where we just want to give up or even choose unwisely. His is the cheer leading voice that, if we listen and take a deep breath, we'll hear and feel "Opportunity for greatness!" He is always cheering us on no matter what the trial. Think of the possibilities!
I like the thought of that.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
holiday decor
A couple of photos that spoke to me while decorating last year:
One last good-buy to a great Thanksgiving.
:(
That same afternoon, the Christmas carolers were ready to burst out!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Blessed
For FHE in December, the singles ward organized an activity where everyone brought preassigned goods that would be useful for someone in need; toothbrushes, tooth paste, soap, crackers, granola bars, combs, etc. (We signed up to bring toothbrushes.) A big room with several long tables was set up. All the goods were categorized into an amazing array. Gallon size baggies were handed out to be filled with a good variety of each. We all filled many bags and collected them in boxes to be delivered. On the way out, we were instructed to take a few filled baggies to keep on hand to be given out at a moments notice during the month.
We drove for a week or so with the baggies on the floor board in between the front seats. It's surprising how hard we looked for just the right person in need. The corners we had noticed them before were empty now.
At the same time, a story kept rolling around in my head about my brother Jim. A few years ago, he had passed a homeless man on the corner of the McDonald's he was driving into and decided then to purchase extra food to be given to the needy man on his way out. Good idea, right? Wrong. As Jim held out the bag with a smile, the man sternly quipped, "I don't want food, I want money!" Yikes.
So, while watching for needy people around, I also sized them up pretty good. Would I be rejected? It made me nervous.
On the access road against the freeway one day, there was a weathered man with a backpack and a sign. I would be stopped there until the light changed, but I thought twice about offering. I looked down at the baggie on the floor and back at the man. He must have seen me search, because the second my window rolled down, he reached out. I handed him the baggie with a smile and to my surprise, I heard his words, "Thank you ma'am. Have a blessed day." I felt warm and grateful I could help. His response was a gift I won't forget. I can still hear his voice, as he was the grateful one.
Last week on our way to institute, I pointed out the other long overdue-to-deliver baggie to my friend. We talked about where we have seen people in need lately. Mill Ave. seemed to be a good place to start. So we decided to make it our mission to find a recipient for the bag on the way home. As we drove slowly through town along Mill, sure enough, there was an older man in a wheelchair on the corner. He was holding a sign I couldn't read. We went around the block to be able to turn in where he was. It was a cold day, but a sunny one. I pulled into an expired meter slot and made my friend vouch for me if a policeman questioned the meter. I grabbed the baggie and walked to the corner. I came up behind him and on around to speak to his face. He looked at me and before I even started to speak, he held out his tired hands to retrieve the welcome goods. I handed them across and at the same time I said, "I thought you could use these", he said, "Bless you, ma'am." His sign read, "ANYTHING WILL HELP". But I will remember this mans' eyes. Gratitude.
I was blessed for delivering small bags of necessities to two people who were in obvious need. My offerings weren't bounteous, but their graciousness in accepting was overflowing. They both blessed me.
Matthew 25:40
We drove for a week or so with the baggies on the floor board in between the front seats. It's surprising how hard we looked for just the right person in need. The corners we had noticed them before were empty now.
At the same time, a story kept rolling around in my head about my brother Jim. A few years ago, he had passed a homeless man on the corner of the McDonald's he was driving into and decided then to purchase extra food to be given to the needy man on his way out. Good idea, right? Wrong. As Jim held out the bag with a smile, the man sternly quipped, "I don't want food, I want money!" Yikes.
So, while watching for needy people around, I also sized them up pretty good. Would I be rejected? It made me nervous.
On the access road against the freeway one day, there was a weathered man with a backpack and a sign. I would be stopped there until the light changed, but I thought twice about offering. I looked down at the baggie on the floor and back at the man. He must have seen me search, because the second my window rolled down, he reached out. I handed him the baggie with a smile and to my surprise, I heard his words, "Thank you ma'am. Have a blessed day." I felt warm and grateful I could help. His response was a gift I won't forget. I can still hear his voice, as he was the grateful one.
Last week on our way to institute, I pointed out the other long overdue-to-deliver baggie to my friend. We talked about where we have seen people in need lately. Mill Ave. seemed to be a good place to start. So we decided to make it our mission to find a recipient for the bag on the way home. As we drove slowly through town along Mill, sure enough, there was an older man in a wheelchair on the corner. He was holding a sign I couldn't read. We went around the block to be able to turn in where he was. It was a cold day, but a sunny one. I pulled into an expired meter slot and made my friend vouch for me if a policeman questioned the meter. I grabbed the baggie and walked to the corner. I came up behind him and on around to speak to his face. He looked at me and before I even started to speak, he held out his tired hands to retrieve the welcome goods. I handed them across and at the same time I said, "I thought you could use these", he said, "Bless you, ma'am." His sign read, "ANYTHING WILL HELP". But I will remember this mans' eyes. Gratitude.
I was blessed for delivering small bags of necessities to two people who were in obvious need. My offerings weren't bounteous, but their graciousness in accepting was overflowing. They both blessed me.
Matthew 25:40
Friday, January 18, 2013
In A Tizzy. . .Not Pretty
I was driving north along McClintock last Sunday when I came to the odd cross walk just south of the canal - almost to Guadalupe. The pedestrian lights above it were flashing red as I pulled up next to the intersection. I usually slow way down at that stretch of the road anyway, because that crossing is so different than any other I am used to. I always carefully look both ways in case of someone I don't see. (So, if you are following me there, caution; my brake lights will always be ahead of you.)
Stopping, I had a front row seat to watch a little family cross, complete with a baby stroller and a dog. They made it safely across, all the while the red light above them flashed away. Waiting for the light to change, and not sure of what to expect next, I was surprised when the driver 2 lanes down from me continued on through the red flashing lights. (I was still waiting for pedestrians; they could have been my own children.) I was also confused. How could he be so careless and disregard the red lights? It seemed nervy! As I sat there dumbfounded, I noticed a second sign below the lights that read, "Proceed when clear". Now I understood why the driver didn't hesitate. . . But I have a hard time with the sign
When did going through a red light become legal? If the city wants to prevent accidents, I think all red lights should be honored. No exceptions. (Maybe you should never be caught driving behind me there, because now I will probably always stop no matter what the color. And I certainly won't be risking my life there as a pedestrian!) Is green going to mean something different now, too? Sorry for my tizzy. On a red light, I vote for no exceptions. Maybe we could stand to wait and take a breather until the detection is clear of pedestrians; then proceed on a green light. . . or a purple one. "Proceed when clear" on a red light is an accident waiting to happen. It tempts drivers to look for shortcuts or loopholes. Driving shouldn't be about shortcuts or exceptions. If the light is red, you stop. If it's green you can go. It's that easy.
Stopping, I had a front row seat to watch a little family cross, complete with a baby stroller and a dog. They made it safely across, all the while the red light above them flashed away. Waiting for the light to change, and not sure of what to expect next, I was surprised when the driver 2 lanes down from me continued on through the red flashing lights. (I was still waiting for pedestrians; they could have been my own children.) I was also confused. How could he be so careless and disregard the red lights? It seemed nervy! As I sat there dumbfounded, I noticed a second sign below the lights that read, "Proceed when clear". Now I understood why the driver didn't hesitate. . . But I have a hard time with the sign
When did going through a red light become legal? If the city wants to prevent accidents, I think all red lights should be honored. No exceptions. (Maybe you should never be caught driving behind me there, because now I will probably always stop no matter what the color. And I certainly won't be risking my life there as a pedestrian!) Is green going to mean something different now, too? Sorry for my tizzy. On a red light, I vote for no exceptions. Maybe we could stand to wait and take a breather until the detection is clear of pedestrians; then proceed on a green light. . . or a purple one. "Proceed when clear" on a red light is an accident waiting to happen. It tempts drivers to look for shortcuts or loopholes. Driving shouldn't be about shortcuts or exceptions. If the light is red, you stop. If it's green you can go. It's that easy.
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