What's on my mind (1 Viewer)

[Krodwhodat]

Woke up with the weather this am and couldn't sleep so I grabbed my phone and looked at Facebook. On there last night an old army buddy was asking for prayers. He is an oilfield guy and lost his job this month, the month of Christmas. He had put some money away for times like this. He came home yesterday and his wife had packed up and cleaned out the bank account and left him with 2 young kids. It breaks my heart to think of what his life will be like over the next few months. And while he will eventually heal his kids will always struggle with this anxiety of what happened to their mom.
First let me say I am truly blessed, some may call it lucky and some may call it a hard worker. I may come off on here as an uncaring republican. My belief may be harsh to some but I can also be open minded and understanding. While some of you may not believe in a higher power I feel that for the first time I feel God directing me. I have always felt his presence but it's different today.
There is nothing more precious in life than our children and when I get into healthcare debates or welfare my frustration is with the adults. What always gets lost for me I guess is the children. I forgot the fear of the power getting turned off or bill collectors knocking at the door, the fear of holding on to my parents while sitting in charity hospital. Most of my childhood I lived in fear or embarrassment of who I was and who we were. I remember being 12 and living in a terrible neighborhood. My dad was working nights and the neighbors were drunk and banging on the windows of my house. I being the man on of the house was sitting on my parents bed with a loaded shotgun while my mom called the police and my brother and sister were crying. I don't wish that on any child. I think I have blocked out a lot of my childhood out of anxiety. I worked really hard and while I didn't have much I had 2 very loving parents who put us above everything else. They lost there pride a long time ago when asking church food or family for money. I remember my friends dad was a home builder and when my dad got laid off he went out to his sites and hauled lumber and picked up scrap wood for pennies without complaint. He would still find time to come home and throw the football with me. but they always had a strong work ethic and those are the two reasons that I have become successful. Loving parents with a strong work ethic.
I know this is quite the rant but my point is I'm going to start to become more understanding when it comes to social issues. Not all children are raised with parents like mine. If my dad had left or if they just didn't care I don't know who or what I would be. The only way to turn this state and country into the prosperous place it should be is to show our children the right way, to love one another, show compassion and to pick someone up when they are down. The only way to know success is to know failure and with out failure we wouldn't strive for success.
So I leave you with a Happy Holidays and tonight hug your loved ones, hell do it everyday because we are all truly blessed. If you are having a hard time we are always here. We should never struggle alone. Love thy neighbor.....

 

[SWJJ]

Nice sentiment. Sorry about your buddy.

I think Stephen covey says it best: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

for what it's worth i never once considered you uncaring
i don't agree with some of the conclusions you come to, but that's just 2 adults trying to navigate a very complex world

sorry about your friend
that just sucks tremendously (but at least he gets the kids)

 

[Overwatch]

I know what your buddy is going through, at least on the work end. Its scary to only know how to do a couple things in this world and then mid life have to learn to do another. I myself am going through career change #2 at 45 years old. It sucks. In the world we live in right now his best chance of finding anything decent is through a friend. Network, network, network, and then network some more. I had a similar experience with my ex wife, fortunately there were no little ones in our life, so that was a little easier.

 

[Deacon Blues]

So this woman not only left her kids, but left her husband with no money to feed them and keep the lights on. Wow.

She'll get hers.

 

[brandon8283]

Merry Christmas.

 

[superchuck500]

Thanks for the post Krod, it really is helping me stop for a minute and keep some perspective on everything, especially at this time of year.

 

[not2rich]

Thanks for the post Krod, it really is helping me stop for a minute and keep some perspective on everything, especially at this time of year.

lus-un2:

I'll also echo gmr's sentiment. I disagree with Krod on a lot, but he's always come across as a really good guy. I hope your friend gets through this time okay, but he is lucky to have you as a friend.

 

[insidejob]

I think Stephen covey says it best: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Or the Prayer of St. Francis...still, the same sentiment.

Best prayer of all, if you ask me, and it fits for people of all denominations and those of none at all.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

Lord, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life

I went to a seminar on the study and application of this prayer from a Buddhist perspective. Was rather...enlightening.

 

[Krodwhodat]

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

 

[RetroMcBananaFace]

Hopefully there is some legal action your friend can take against this horrible woman.

As for the rest I think a lot of us get caught up in an escalating cycle of argument and it's easy to forget that the person you're arguing with isn't really that much different. You may not even disagree that much but you end up getting pushed into more extreme points of argument because it takes on a life of itself. I've tried to think about that more lately. We all could use a little more understanding.

 

[Deacon Blues]

it's easy to forget that the person you're arguing with isn't really that much different.

Even guido?