A tiny little hole

After having my roof replaced a couple of weeks ago I did not expect any further problems with leaks. Last night as I entered my bathroom I saw that the floor was wet. I looked up and saw the ceiling was leaking again. No!!

I immediately contacted my roofer to let him know. In the meantime I had to again prop up the ceiling because I was afraid it would come down. I had no idea what was causing the problem, but I knew it would be taken care of.

This morning the roofer discovered it was being caused by a tiny hole in the roof. The sealant around a screw had not dried properly. When things dry out it will be fixed, which will allow them to replace the bathroom ceiling. The new ceiling was a planned job, the tiny hole in the roof, causing another leak, was not.

I am so happy that I have dependable people to take care of problems that come up. Living in a small town has its advantages!

A pack of lies

I just watched the Netflix movie, Abducted in Plain Sight. It is a true crime documentary about a child who was kidnapped twice by a trusted neighbor of the family. In watching the movie I was reminded how easy it is to be swept into the clutches of a practiced manipulator and to believe their lies.

I have never been kidnapped, but I have fallen victim to people like that. They can make you believe anything, any story they make up to hold you in their web of lies. I have in the past wondered just how people can fall for this kind of crap. Then I took a good look in my mirror and I found the answer.

The conclusion I have come to is: if you don't have a strong belief system of your own it is quite easy for this to happen. I believe it is also easy when one is desperate for love and attention. We were not all raised in a home that offered anything but basic needs. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to make up for that fact and learn to love ourselves.

So I am happy that I was led to watch this movie today. It answered some questions about my own life. It made sense of the fact that sometimes it is difficult to let people go even when it is clear they are leading us down the wrong path.  

Negative vibes

There are times in my life when the mere presence of someone causes so much negative energy I have to eliminate them. They actually don't have to do anything or say anything to warrant the removal. Their very being just drains my energy. I performed one of these exorcisms yesterday, eliminating a member of my writing group, who has been hanging on for no reason for months.

Oddly as soon as I did that members began writing on the current prompt. Apparently it was something that I needed to do. Perhaps the person's presence was a personal thing, causing negative energy to flow to the group. The whole thing had to do with my lack of respect for the person and the lies she tried to spread to the group.

This person has spent years making other people responsible for her problems. At one time she even had a go-fund-me account, which I fell for and donated to. She lives in her car and travels up and down the west coast finding "friends" to stay with. She has an income and I see no reason why she has chosen to live this way.

Today may be President's Day but I am celebrating dumping negative vibes day.

Stop it!

It has been twenty years since I stopped smoking and I have never been sorry I made that decision. It was a habit that I never even enjoyed. It took the place of a best friend for forty years.

Growing up with little self confidence, I needed something to hold on to when I graduated from high school and I choose a cigarette. What a stupid choice that was! After forty years I finally realized that a three inch tall piece of tobacco, wrapped in paper, did not have a mind of its own and could not possibly move to my mouth without my help. So I decided to kill my best friend.

With the help of a hypnotist the murder took place in one day, actually one hour.  There was no regret, but it did leave a hole in my life. Smoking had taken up way too much of my time and I needed to fill the gap with something positive.

I credit the hypnotist for giving me a slight push in the right direction. I remember him saying, "It's my job". He loaned me his copy of Richard Bach's, Illusions, the story of a reluctant messiah. A love affair with the author's writing style revealed a path that has lasted twenty years.

I believe anyone can stop an addiction.The person just needs to believe that they deserve to live a positive life.

Checking out the signs

Sometimes I believe my guides work overtime trying to give me guidance. Being born stubborn, I don't always listen to my intuition. The following experience is something that just happened and I am happy that it did.

Several weeks ago I sent an inquiry to the online magazine, Wheel of Life. A friend had encouraged me to contact the editor to see if she would accept me as a writer for the magazine. I sent a copy of my writing for her to consider. I heard nothing back, which I thought was a bit rude. A message from an unknown source kept telling me that I should contact her again and ask what happened. I did and she sent the reply, "This is the first time I have heard from you." She then suggested that I resend my original email. When I realized that something had happened beyond my control my opinion of the magazine and the editor changed.

Her response after reading what I had sent her was, "I think you would be a good fit. We are looking for personal stories." The deadline for the next issue had recently passed, but she extended the date and offered to allow me to submit an article for the upcoming issue. I told her I might have something that I had already written and began looking through my files so see what I could find.

Found it!

Awhile back I had written a little piece about my young grandson and a very special stuffed bear. I did not hesitate to send it to the editor, She read it, liked it and accepted it. I was excited! I just had to make some changes to the first paragraph. Later I was thinking about a Netflix series and I realized that a little stuffed bear was playing a part in the episodes I was currently watching. The series was filmed in Canada and guess where the magazine is published? Coincidence you say? I don't think so!

The signs are always there we just have to get used to checking them out!

A great choice

Today is the day my new roof will be finished. I am so happy I found Garcia Services in Grants,NM to do the work. I am also happy that I followed my intuition and had the work done now instead of waiting until spring, thus avoiding the rainy season. What I am most grateful for is the fact that I was able to pay for the work without having to borrow money and pay additional interest.

If you live in Cibola County and need home repairs the following link will lead you to the best in the area.

https://www.mercolocal.com/local-business/Garcias-Services/Latest-ads/Provides-Residential-and-Commercial-Remodeling-in-Grants-NM-Home-Building-and-Remodeling-Services

Checking out the past

For the last few days I have been watching the Netflix series, When Calls the Heart. It takes place in the early 1900s in a coal mining town in Western Canada. I am really enjoying the series so far.

It has not only educated me about what life was like back in those days in old west towns, but I have learned a lot about relationships in general. Lies can not only destroy relationships, but entire communities. The rich get rich and the poor get poorer is not just a saying. It can be true when dishonest people are in charge.

The other thing that is made abundantly clear in this series is how important communication is. Many episodes have ended with the characters not talking, which has led to miscommunication and hurt feelings. Sharing honest feelings is the only way to nurture affairs of the heart.

The creator of this series did a wonderful job of re-creating how life was in the old west and I am thoroughly enjoying watching the episodes. 

Being rich is

This morning I had to spice up the current prompt for my writing site, "Write On" because I could see that it was dragging a bit. The current prompt is, If I won a million dollars. So I asked the members what their idea of being rich is. Then I began thinking about that question myself.

I know now that I didn't grow up rich. At the time I didn't know we were considered poor. One of my clear memories as a child was of the phone ringing and my mother telling to answer it and tell the person she wasn't home. It was no doubt a bill collector. I also remember a time when my grandparents needed a new water heater. I was impressed that they paid cash for a new one. After I graduated from high school I wanted to buy a set of Winfield china, but I couldn't afford it on my small salary from Rhodes Department Store. I was only making ninety seven and a half cents an hour. So I asked my grandparents to co-sign for me. They did, I didn't miss a payment and when the china was legally mine, I thanked them for helping me.

There was a short period of time, after I married my second husband, that we were forced to be on Welfare and used food stamps because he couldn't find a job. I hated it! During that time I certainly didn't think I was rich. Far from it!

Then in 1999 my life changed and I was forced to depend on no one but myself. Today as I look around at my life I am grateful for what I have. I have a comfortable home, that I have furnished myself, a car that I paid cash for when it was new and like minded friends who care about me. I don't have a lot of money, but I pay cash for everything I need.

My idea of being rich is being comfortable with who I am and what I have accomplished this time around on this planet called earth.