For the Love of Cookies! (A Friend in Need)

 

What I thought was going to be a fun-filled Saturday with my male companion turned into a disaster. It was my day off and I had hoped to take a day trip to the countryside to ski or to go to the city to shop. I was quietly doing some work on my computer  that morning when all of a sudden my friend demanded that I cook him something to eat. While he was in the bathroom I got some ingredients together and began cooking on my stove top. Minutes later my male companion got into a rage and screamed, "How can you cook me such horrible food? Who do you think I am, a homeless person who eats food from a shelter?" He tossed the food into a pot and stormed out the door. I was so frustrated with Mr. Nameless that I went outside to take a walk. When I came back inside my condo, he was was back, this time screaming that he received a call to go to work and needed to borrow some gasoline money. I told him I was short on cash and then he really blew it. He began throwing everything he could get his hands on. He called me horrible names and broke some drinking glasses, a room divider, and a broom. Then he threw the couch against the wall and pulled my curtains off the window. I was petrified and the worst part was I didn't have my eyeglasses with me, so I was squinting to see what was going on. Ten minutes later feeling guilty Mr. Nameless began sweeping the floor that was full of glass. Through a miracle I was able to get my eye glasses in the bathroom and throw on a fleece jacket and my boots. I grabbed my wallet and ran out the door. I thought for certain that he would stop me but he didn't.  It was freezing outside and I had no coat, hat, or gloves to wear. Luckily there was a gasoline station nearby and I went in there to keep warm and make some calls with my phone to see if my brother or any of my friends could help me out. My brother wasn't answering his phone, either was my friend down the road. Then.... I thought of Mary, from church who I was in a prayer group with.I called her and I was delighted that she answered her phone. Within 20 minutes she arrived at the gasoline station to see how I was doing and insisted I call the police to report what had happened. 

After some stressful moments, I was able to return to my now empty condo, retrieve some personal belongings and go with Mary to her house to spend the night. It was only a 15 minute drive to her house but I felt as if I was transported to another world. We were in the wilderness away from noise and traffic. The solitude was priceless. Once inside Mary's house, I was introduced to her husband Tom. I felt right at home at Mary and Tom's. house. Mary showed me around the house and then took me to the bedroom I'd be sleeping in. After I unpacked a few of my things I went to the kitchen to have some tea. How about some cookies with your tea?" asked Mary. How could I resist? I love cookies. Tom sat at the table with me and said "I eat Mary's cookies everyday, it's a must." Within moments Mary put an assortment of cookies on a plate for us to enjoy. There were chocolate chip, coconut, ice-box, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, sugar, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies to choose from. "I always have cookies on hand and I usually keep them in the freezer because Tom can't live without cookies," said Mary. She opened up the freezer and said "You can help yourself anytime to cookies. In fact I'll be baking more cookies tomorrow morning."said Mary. The three of us enjoyed those cookies very much and we were smart to set most of them aside to save for after dinner.

                                                Just baked "Oatmeal Raisin Cookies"

Dinner? I provided the dinner. The early lunch that I had started preparing for my angry male friend was much enjoyed by Mary and Tom. I had made pasta with grilled chicken and vegetables. Once it was heated up, I added some sauce to the meal while Mary grated some delicious cheese to put on top. We all enjoyed the meal and Mary said to me, "Your friends loss to a good cooked meal, is our gain." Tom agreed and even asked for seconds. How wonderful it was to be in the company of two devout Christian people who offered me such gracious hospitality. Mary even drove me to work and back the following day and insisted I stay another night. I did stay another night and it was so relaxing to sit in Mary and Tom's cozy house and just take it easy. In the evening we all sat near the wood burning stove and listened to some relaxing music while watching bits and pieces of the SuperBowl.

Mary, was my friend in need. A genuine friend who helped me calm down and encouraged me to stay away from Mr. Nameless. Later that day I checked my voicemail and was shocked that Mr. Nameless had left me 14 voice messages apologizing for his behavior and begging me to call him back. He even came to my work place the following day, asking for forgiveness. It's important to forgive, but I'l never forget the anger and pain he caused me. How grateful I am to my friend Mary and her husband Tom. Sometimes, life brings us some lemons, but we can turn those lemons into a refreshing lemonade, or better yet we can turn to the comforts of homemade cookies. Those cookies that Mary makes are made with love and kindness and they were especially extra nice when I was faced with anxiety.

Bad Moments Fly By When We Have A Caring Friend to Provide Precious Moments. I hope all of you have friends to turn to when you're in need of a friend. A genuine friend is a real blessing! Be Safe and Be Well! May abundant blessings shine upon your lives!

                                             Mary and Tom's Home, (It's like a Bed & Breakfast)

The Wallet

Do you own a wallet? Most people do because it's where they carry their driver's license, credit card, cash, and other important items. Imagine losing your wallet and frantically searching for it for hours and not finding it? That's what happened to me on Wednesday evening when I returned from work. I realized that I had misplaced my wallet when my friend invited me for dinner. Fortunately I didn't need my wallet since he was treating me to dinner but the next morning I had to go to work and still no sign of my wallet. I called the bus company BATA since I take the bus regularly. That was the last place that I had my wallet, on the #14 bus that departed my place of work at 5:55 pm.

I called BATA and no lost wallet was found. I left a message with the supervisor Zack and less than an honor later he called me to find out what bus I was on and about what time I was on that bus. Zack was so kind and helpful. I prayed and prayed for a miracle and my miracle occurred thirty minutes later when Zack called to tell me the good news that my wallet was found and that it would be waiting for me at the Hall Street bus station stop. Because I had no money, BATA arranged for a free ride to work since they knew my wallet was with them at the station and my bus pass was in the wallet. My boss felt sorry for me and gave me $8.00 to hold me over for the day since I wouldn't be getting my wallet until 5:30 pm.

How heartwarming to have had so many people reach out and help me out with my circumstance regarding my "Wallet." I hope none of you ever lose or misplace your wallet, because it's a very stressful situation. Always stay on guard because it only takes a spit second to get distracted and it that split second you can lose your valuable wallet.

I'm forever grateful for having my WALLET again and let's all be careful with our "Wallets" now and always!

Judy Garland and a Ham Sandwich at the "Drive In"

A cold winter night, relaxing on the couch and listening to an old time radio drama series called "Suspense" which was broadcast on CBS Radio from 1940-1962. I discovered this program on "You Tube" and now I'm hooked. The stories are haunting, mysterious, full of suspense and major stars appeared in many of the episodes....Lucille Ball, Joseph Cotten, Tony Curtis,Kirk Douglas, Olivia De Havilland, Alan Ladd, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, Lana Turner, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Vincent Price.....the list goes on.

One of my favorite episodes is "Drive-In" staring the one and only Judy Garland. I loved this particular episode so much that I listened to it three times. It's a rainy night and Mildred (Judy Garland) a server at a drive-in has one last customer to wait on. A male customer appears in his car close to midnight, ordering a coffee and ham sandwich and minutes later when Mildred comes to his car to give him his order she is shocked that something wet gets on her hands.....blood. The man claims he's a doctor and that he just handled an injured passenger in a serious car accident. Distraught that she will miss her last bus to Glendale, Mildred accepts a ride from the doctor to the bus stop only to learn that this doctor wants to kill Mildred. He passes the bus stop and drives her to a dangerous canyon and Mildred must do everything in her power to outsmart the crazy doctor and save herself from being murdered because the doctor fears that she will report him to the police. Incidentally, the maniac man is not a doctor, he has killed the doctor and disguised himself as the doctor. Years ago he had murdered his wife and now out of prison he has murdered again. The ending is great, in fact the whole story is amazing. 

So now I've made myself a ham sandwich, and I'm going to listen one more time to "Drive In" as I sip on some warm coffee. It's 12 degrees outside, cold and dreary, so why not spend several moments getting into suspense with a radio program that everyone should check out at least once. Sometimes doing something old fashioned can have a positive effect and decrease anxiety and stress. Since I love acting, I can listen to the best of Hollywood's performers and wish that someday before I die I'll get my lucky break and people can listen to me perform a role on a show like "SUSPENSE."

ADVICE: Lesson learned, listening to "Drive-In" is a valuable lesson on how dangerous it can be to accept a ride from a stranger. Fortunately, Mildred had a pepper shaker in her pocket and that's what saved her life. Here's to moments of SUSPENSE!