Raise the Steaks

I spotted the yellow highlighter when I rounded the corner.  I was leaning heavily on my shopping cart by that time, the carts’ primary role being that of life support as opposed to product transportation.  I dislike shopping; loathe it really, doesn’t matter if I’m shopping for clothing, cloves or Clorox.  I would sooner vomit than shop.  Which explains why I came around the corner and noticed a sign at hip level.  I was practically laid out on my cart hoping to die, knowing I had half the store to walk before I made it to the checkout, when it caught my attention.   

Studying the sign took a while, as I don’t frequent the fancy steak isle but I was fairly certain I was looking at a good deal … a really good deal … too good of a deal.  The sign couldn’t be right.  I tried squinting to see if the sign changed.  It didn’t.  I picked up a steak, studied it and returned it to the rack.  I picked it up again and put it in my cart.  Help was needed, so I set off in search of an employee.  I found one over in the cheese isle.  “Hi,” I ventured.  “Do you know anything about the products in this part of the store?”  “Which one?” He asked, stacking cheddar with an intimidating efficiency.  “Umm, tri-tip?  Could you come and have a look?  I’m having trouble understanding the sign."  “Sure!” He put on his best, I’m-here-to-help face and followed me round the corner.  I pointed, “That stuff, what do you make of that?”  
“Well it’s on sale.” He stated pointing to the yellow highlighter.  He was skilled in stating the obvious.  
“Agreed,” I declared.  Two can play at that game.  
He looked at me somewhat quizzically, “It says it’s…..$1.99 a pound.”    
“Right again!” I smiled sweetly.  “But do you think that sign is correct? It seems like an awfully good deal.”
“It does, doesn’t it? I should really grab some after work.”
“Yes, that seems prudent, but are you certain that price is right?”
“Well, sure.” He squinted at the sign, “Yep.  $1.99.  You’re good!”  And with that, he smiled, kind of bowed and scurried back to the cheese isle to deal with an unruly Gorgonzola.  

I picked up two more steaks and put them in my cart.  At this point I was feeling kind of silly.

Hindsight is a tricky thing.  It is easy to make mistakes when recounting stories but I’m certain at this point, I knew the sign was wrong.  I was being offered something that was too good to be true and I was looking for someone to agree with me.  No way was this store selling steaks at $1.99 a pound.  I took a picture of the sign and walked in the other direction.  

The next fellow I met was arranging cooked chickens.  “Hello!” I started anew.  “Could you help me with something?  You have a product on sale and I’m trying to figure out the price.”
He stood up quickly, “You bet! Where on the floor?”  Clearly, he was happy to take a break from the chickens.  He walked beside me and chatted on our way to the beef section.  When we arrived, I pointed.
“Those are on sale!” He informed me, pointing to the yellow highlighter.  
“Looks like,” I smiled.  
“Hey, that is a great price!” He squinted at the sign, “Wow, I should get some.”
Nodding patiently I bit my lip, “You would be a fool not too, do you think the sign is correct?”  
Mr. Cooked Chicken picked up a package and studied it.  “Well, I’m pretty sure, but you’re right, it seems like a great deal.  Take a picture when you go to the checkout and they will tell you.  $1.99 you got it.  You good?”  
“Ever so,” I replied.  “Thanks for your help.”  

I studied the steaks again.  I had a summer unfolding before me.  Maybe I needed some for the deep freeze.  I grabbed two more packages.  Now I was certain the price was wrong.  I was absolutely trying to buy something for the wrong price, taking advantage of their mistake.  The only problem was trying to find someone to agree with me.  I decided to try one more time.

The next employee that caught my eye looked deadly competent from 30 feet away.  Dressed in a coral shirt, carrying a walkie-talkie, she was striding through the store like she owned the place.  I altered my course to cut her off by the hummus.  “Excuse me,” I called.  She stopped immediately, pivoted on her heel and put on her customer service face, “Hi!  What can I do for you?”
“I need some help over by the steaks. There is something on sale but I think there might be a mistake.”
“Sure Hon, show me where.”  She fell in step and we power walked our way back to the steaks, where I was now feeling like a regular.  
“There.” I pointed.  “That sign says $1.99 a pound…..but that can’t be right can it?"
“Well they are on sale….”  She bent over the case and took a closer look.  She squinted.  “  Ohh noooo hooo noooo!  That is absolutely not correct!  Jerry!” she yelled at a fellow employee, “we need a new sign over here.”

My bubble finally burst, I looked at my cart now containing five, count them, five packages of tri-tip.  I am ashamed to say that though I had now spent a full 20 minutes trying to be talked out my illicit deal, I now attempted to claw it back.  “So is this a happy day for me?” I asked hopefully.
She looked in my cart.  “Your happy day? I’m sorry hon?”  She looked confused.
“Well you know, they were priced wrong...America…land of great deals…do I get these at the wrong price still?”  I looked at her hopefully, “You know,” I pointed to the sign stating $1.99 a pound.  “Is this a happy day for me?”

Surprisingly, she burst out laughing, grabbed the sign from the refrigerator case and signed it.  “Your happy day! “ She chortled.  “Yes Hon, it is!  Take it to the front and they will ring you through. You get the the sale price.  $1.99 a pound! Jerry!  Bring that over here.” She gave me a pat on the arm and was off to Jerry and on to reprinting a new sign.

  

I was pleased with my kill.  The hunt had produced results, but immediately I was struck with guilt and phoned a girlfriend to rationalize my behavior.  “Well Karen, if the supervisor gave you the deal she must have felt she okay about it!  You tried pretty hard in talking to 3 people.”  After promising my friend a steak dinner, I got off the phone and headed for the till.  I’m not going to pretend that I spent hours feeling guilty because I was really pleased with my deal.  But at the very bottom of it all, was the knowledge that I had taken advantage of another’s mistake.  I really blew it. Technically, there are consumer rules about these things but I’m not certain Jesus reads them.  He reads hearts instead.  

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.  James 4:17

What about you my friend?  Are failing like me, or are you still standing this week?  Any stakes being raised in your world, making you want to cut corners?  Perhaps you are being reduced to technicalities as you grapple with right and wrong.  I found myself facing a serious character flaw and would have done better obeying the Lord instead of running about getting advice from clueless yet well-intentioned helpers.   Life has a way of raising the stakes and simple failures can lead to complex consequences.  

God is faithful.  Always.

Praying for you this week,

xoxKaren

Tree Truth

Behold, the squirrel highway...

I like trees.  Did you know that yet?  

It isn’t uncommon for my family to be travelling in the car and for me to start screaming in delight as we pass a tree that is in some way fabulous.  They make me really happy.  Which is why, I never gave a second thought to the large tree that had become a squirrel highway behind my back yard.  I enjoyed the way the critters used it as a thoroughfare to get from my yard to the next.  I didn’t mind its precarious angle, it gave visual interest to my normal yet awesome back yard view.  That was until the last windstorm.   

The morning after the blustery event found me drinking a cup of tea while starting off in the distance.  Over the course of the morning, I noticed a few of my squirrel friends misjudging their launch onto the squirrel highway.  The usual grace with which they leapt onto the tree seemed sadly lacking.  As if they were expecting to run and land but instead fell a fraction of a second longer than expected.  There was more scrabbling than I remembered.  

Being a scientist at heart, I began theorizing.  Option A:  The squirrels were involved in a game of truth or dare and were making the jump to the fallen tree with their eyes closed.  Not outside the realm of possibility but unlikely considering their respect for workplace safety.  Option B:  The squirrels had been drinking during the storm and were still tipsy thus their balance was affected.  I thought this less likely as it was before noon.  All obvious possibilities eliminated I ventured outside.  One look up revealed the storm had caused a shift in the trees’ position.  It had slid slightly during the storm and the angle of its descent had increased.  It was a bit worrisome to be sure.  

All this explains how I met my lovely tree owning neighbor, who immediately saw the need for action.  Which was how, this weekend, I watched a tree crew take down the monster tree with winches and ropes and chainsaws, oh my.  

It was amazing.

Watching anyone perform a skill with mastery is a treat.  Doesn’t matter if it is making tortillas, cleaning windows, or scooping ice cream, there is a fascination involved in watching someone perform a task with excellence.   Watching these logger dudes was a brilliant example of taking a large job and breaking it into smaller tasks.  Have you ever had a large problem my friend?  The kind you can’t get your arms or mind around, that makes you wonder, “What am I supposed to do next?”  How I wish you could have watched these guys take down my neighbor’s tree my friend, it was such a life lesson.  

The first noticeable characteristic of the crew was the amount of communication between members.  After talking their way through the entire procedure, the team would stop continually to check in with its members after each step.  They would offer suggestions and get direction and their conversation was always focused on the step in front of them.  A difficult maneuver was worked out two steps in advance, but always included turning off the chainsaws after the completion of each task to ensure everyone was in agreement. 

Have you surrounded yourself with counsel as you attempt to tackle the mountains in front of you my friend?  A woman I deeply admire shared with me one day, how she had managed to keep her husbands’ business running as she lost him to cancer.  “I ran all the business decisions through 3 people I asked to stand beside me during his illness,” she told me.  “I was completely consumed by grief, I knew I needed people to walk alongside me to check my thinking, if we weren’t in agreement, I didn’t proceed.”  Perhaps your circumstance is not as devastating as that of my friend, but are you making use of those who are not as emotionally invested as yourself? Are you getting any input other than your own?  

A second quality of the team was the way they remained flexible as they worked through their task.  Once or twice a problem arose and it seemed progress was at a standstill.  Inevitably, as it was discussed and answer would appear.  The leader of the team was not wed to his own ideas, he was willing to allow others to take responsibility for the next step if it kept everyone safe and met the goal.  In one case the leader put forth a suggestion and started to enact it, but then changed his mind and asked his team member to take over due to an unexpected shift in the trees weight.  He was willing to concede his idea was not as safe as his crew members’ and reworked the plan though it meant relinquishing control of the circumstance.  It is my observation that I do my best work when I keep my goal in mind, rather than my role.  I am more open to suggestions and more willing to work with others when I keep the overall aim in sight.  

The last thing I noticed about the crew was their desire to execute each step with excellence and how happy there were upon completion of a task.  Words of encouragement flowed freely and they seemed genuinely thankful when a small step went right.  I expect this has something to do with the high cost of mistakes when gravity is involved but it was interesting to watch a group of pagans behave in such a ridiculously positive manner.  I’m involved in tasks far more menial each week and I don’t think I’m near as positive with my team.  I roll my eyes a lot and am far more amazed when things go right than I am thankful.  I expect if I reinvest my energies in thankfulness I will gain more than I will for eye rolling, I need to remember that in the moment.  

And so I’m praying for us this week my friend, as we tackle the problems in front of us.  That we will be thankful, teachable, sober minded and that keep our eyes open on the goal.  That the dangerous slippery places will be brought low, as we trample them under our feet.

Thanking God for you,
xox Karen

Happy Mother's Day

God sees all the true Mother hearts He created, event the sneaky ones without children. 

For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.

Hebrews 6:10

Dear Friend,

Hello!  I've missed you!  Are you well?  Because it is mothers day I would like to write something profound, but frankly I'm frightened to post because I'm so stupid tired I shouldn't be at a computer.    Right now my entire house smells like bbq-ed pork, my kitchen sink is lost somewhere on the counter and i have over 7 loads of laundry sitting on various chairs throughout my domain.  I have two hours before I need to leave the house, before then I need to bleach my kitchen and make potato salad for 40.  Not sure about how I spend my time... 

This week has been filled with joy, mild hysteria and vats of tea.  I have been working all week on a school project, alongside many devoted mothers. Some of these ladies have children. Mothers day can be hard on those without born children and I wanted to state/shout/affirm that God sees all sacrifice, selflessness and service.  He knows and celebrates true motherhood regardless of how off kilter this day has become.  Some of you have aching hearts, oh hold on!  God sees your suffering.   I am praying for you, especially today.    

To my dear friends who are single mothers and widows, may I remind you that not having a husband does not diminish your role as a mother.  On the contrary, your solitude has forged your role in a fire that brings out its raw beauty. You are ridiculously amazing.  

Motherhood: could a word hold more hope, love and pain?  

Be kind today...be thankful...be sad...call someone you love ( your Mama if you can) and thank God for mothers.

Such an achey, wonderful broken day,

xoxKaren