So Bad News Really Does Come In Threes
When it rains, it most certainly pours.
That can apply to just about anything, but especially to life in general. You just never know what's gonna come your way tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. Or even that you'll be around to see it.
This reality has hit me right square in the face over this past week. You know, I've always heard that bad news comes in threes. Now I've experienced it for myself with a chain of events that began last week and culminated today. Let me share them with you now.
BAD NEWS #1: Kevin
Last Monday, I received a telephone call from my mom who said my only full-blooded brother Kevin has been hospitalized and they found he has one artery to his heart that is completely clogged and two others that are 90 percent blocked. So many of you have been praying for Kevin as the doctors try to figure out what to do. He weighed too much (around 600 pounds) for one test, they cancelled another test last Thursday, and finally just discharged him from the hospital on Monday to see a specialist three hours away to conduct the tests. He needs emergency open-heart surgery according to the doctors, but they didn't want the liability of his death in case he didn't survive the surgery. He's only 39 years old. We're still in the hurry up and "wait" mode and may not know anything for sure for several weeks. Continue to pray for him and my family as we go through this difficult experience with Kevin. He needs a miracle at this point.
BAD NEWS #2: Our bathroom floor and roof
Just like every homeowner, Christine and I have had to deal with some issues around the house that needed to be attended to for the upkeep of our home. About a year or so ago, we noticed that we had several leaks in our ceiling that came every time it rained. When an inspector came out to the house, he discovered we had a shoddy roof job from the previous owner and he said we needed a new roof put on to the tune of about $5,000. Okay, fine. We paid someone to put a tarp on our roof while we started saving money to get that job done. We were getting close to having the money to pay for that repair when...
UH OH, what's that dip in our bathroom floor?
We noticed a couple of weeks ago that we had a leak around the toilet in the master bathroom. We called a plumber to come out to look at it and he gave us the disturbing news that the entire bathroom floor was so rotted out that the toilet was literally being held up by the pipes and that's it! EEEK! We called a home contractor to come out and he quoted us a price to repair the bathroom floor that basically depleted all of the savings we had designated for the roof repairs. The repair looks good and Christine was able to get some new tile floors out of it, but now we are back to square one with our savings account and the roof isn't getting any better in the meantime. Lord, keep the ice storms away this winter! :)
BAD NEWS #3: My job
As if news about my brother and the financial strain of paying for unexpected home repairs wasn't enough, the big one hit me this morning when after four and a half years of employment at my current job, I was told my services would no longer be needed. It wasn't a fancy job by any means, but it was my primary means for paying the bills. The company I worked for is in a transitionary period and the new boss they brought in just a couple of days ago apparently didn't like me for whatever reason. I guess these things happen, but now I'm without a full-time job. If only blogging full-time could make me money to support my family...HA, I'm dreaming of course! I have an interview with a temp agency on Thursday morning and have put in my resume with a company looking for a freelance writer. Cross your fingers for me and wish me luck! :)
So there's my WAH WAH WAH for the day. Sure, life could be worse--A LOT WORSE! And that's the perspective I have to take at this moment because I have been blessed with what I do have. Could I get upset and go wallow in my own self-pity party over a pizza? Sure. What about drowning my sorrows with a big hot fudge cake with vanilla ice cream on top? Yep.
But you know what? Those things are not worth it despite my current circumstances. These bad times are only temporary, but your weight and health are with you for the rest of your life. While I may think having those indulgences will make me feel better and that I NEED them to comfort me at this time, the truth is that I DON'T need them and they won't help me in the long run.
Keeping that frame of mind is what will keep me slim and sane even when life throws me a curve ball or two (or THREE!) like it has this past week. Don't ever let life cause your weight loss efforts to taper and you fall off the wagon. DON'T DO IT! You'll be glad you didn't when happier days come back on the horizon for you.
By the way, do you know anyone who could use a quirky freelance writer with a knack for healthy living? :D
That can apply to just about anything, but especially to life in general. You just never know what's gonna come your way tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. Or even that you'll be around to see it.
This reality has hit me right square in the face over this past week. You know, I've always heard that bad news comes in threes. Now I've experienced it for myself with a chain of events that began last week and culminated today. Let me share them with you now.
BAD NEWS #1: Kevin
Last Monday, I received a telephone call from my mom who said my only full-blooded brother Kevin has been hospitalized and they found he has one artery to his heart that is completely clogged and two others that are 90 percent blocked. So many of you have been praying for Kevin as the doctors try to figure out what to do. He weighed too much (around 600 pounds) for one test, they cancelled another test last Thursday, and finally just discharged him from the hospital on Monday to see a specialist three hours away to conduct the tests. He needs emergency open-heart surgery according to the doctors, but they didn't want the liability of his death in case he didn't survive the surgery. He's only 39 years old. We're still in the hurry up and "wait" mode and may not know anything for sure for several weeks. Continue to pray for him and my family as we go through this difficult experience with Kevin. He needs a miracle at this point.
BAD NEWS #2: Our bathroom floor and roof
Just like every homeowner, Christine and I have had to deal with some issues around the house that needed to be attended to for the upkeep of our home. About a year or so ago, we noticed that we had several leaks in our ceiling that came every time it rained. When an inspector came out to the house, he discovered we had a shoddy roof job from the previous owner and he said we needed a new roof put on to the tune of about $5,000. Okay, fine. We paid someone to put a tarp on our roof while we started saving money to get that job done. We were getting close to having the money to pay for that repair when...
UH OH, what's that dip in our bathroom floor?
We noticed a couple of weeks ago that we had a leak around the toilet in the master bathroom. We called a plumber to come out to look at it and he gave us the disturbing news that the entire bathroom floor was so rotted out that the toilet was literally being held up by the pipes and that's it! EEEK! We called a home contractor to come out and he quoted us a price to repair the bathroom floor that basically depleted all of the savings we had designated for the roof repairs. The repair looks good and Christine was able to get some new tile floors out of it, but now we are back to square one with our savings account and the roof isn't getting any better in the meantime. Lord, keep the ice storms away this winter! :)
BAD NEWS #3: My job
As if news about my brother and the financial strain of paying for unexpected home repairs wasn't enough, the big one hit me this morning when after four and a half years of employment at my current job, I was told my services would no longer be needed. It wasn't a fancy job by any means, but it was my primary means for paying the bills. The company I worked for is in a transitionary period and the new boss they brought in just a couple of days ago apparently didn't like me for whatever reason. I guess these things happen, but now I'm without a full-time job. If only blogging full-time could make me money to support my family...HA, I'm dreaming of course! I have an interview with a temp agency on Thursday morning and have put in my resume with a company looking for a freelance writer. Cross your fingers for me and wish me luck! :)
So there's my WAH WAH WAH for the day. Sure, life could be worse--A LOT WORSE! And that's the perspective I have to take at this moment because I have been blessed with what I do have. Could I get upset and go wallow in my own self-pity party over a pizza? Sure. What about drowning my sorrows with a big hot fudge cake with vanilla ice cream on top? Yep.
But you know what? Those things are not worth it despite my current circumstances. These bad times are only temporary, but your weight and health are with you for the rest of your life. While I may think having those indulgences will make me feel better and that I NEED them to comfort me at this time, the truth is that I DON'T need them and they won't help me in the long run.
Keeping that frame of mind is what will keep me slim and sane even when life throws me a curve ball or two (or THREE!) like it has this past week. Don't ever let life cause your weight loss efforts to taper and you fall off the wagon. DON'T DO IT! You'll be glad you didn't when happier days come back on the horizon for you.
By the way, do you know anyone who could use a quirky freelance writer with a knack for healthy living? :D
Labels: bad news, low-carb, motivation, temptation
posted by Jimmy Moore at
10/11/2006 03:50:00 PM
9 Comments:
You're pretty funny, Gary, and I appreciate you trying to cheer me up. But here's the bad part: Christine doesn't work because of an eye disability and she's been trying to get disability payments for more than two years.
She's completely blind in one eye and has 20/200 vision in the other, but they don't think that qualifies her. That's another series of three that we dealt with before, but we're still feeling it.
I know something better will come, but it's the getting over that initial shock that's the most difficult part. At least I had the state of mind to call a temp agency within an hour. :)
Jimmy,
A qualified and motivated guy like you.... you won't stay unemployed for long!
I'm so sorry to hear about all these troubles, Jimmy.
All of your situations are in my continued prayers.
I think I get to keep my YMCA membership through the end of the year, although I never check in with them since they see me there every single day. :) We'll see about getting a membership in the new year WHEN I'm employed full-time and can afford to do it.
THANKS everyone for your concern. My interview with the temp agency went VERY well this morning. They were amazed by my writing and spelling proficiency skills and I told them I got a little practice in each day (HA!). Wish me luck!
Oh Jimmy, I'm so sorry to hear about your job. I've been through it more times than I wish to recall. Somehow, it's always turned out for the better, but it's just crap having to go through it. I'm glad your interview went well!
-David
I am glad that the interview with the temp agency went so well. Hopefully that means something might happen quick on it. I am truly sorry to hear about your brother. I know personally how much you wish you could change their behavior before something like this happens, but in the end you haveto leave it to God to work the miracles. My family and I will definitely be thinking of yours.
Hey, men can have PMS, too, Connie!
Pretty
Messed Up
System!
HA! THANKS and you hang in there, too!
I am so sorry about your troubles, please keep us informed about your brother. He is in my prayers.
I want to say congratulations on your winning Weight Loss Expert for Oct.,2006. Great honor, and you deserve it.
Also congrats on your one year anniversary of your book.
You are a hard man to keep up with, I've been out of town for a week and thought I'd never catch up, but I could not skip a single entry.
I do wish you would stay away from politics since we totally disagree. I do understand. We live under different circumstances and under different influences and in different parts of the country. Still since I do agree with you on diet and so much else, I will not give up reading your blog.
Good luck to you!!
rthwlks
THANKS rthwlks! I appreciate your faithfulness to my blog even when you disagree. And that's why I don't bring up politics very often unless it is relevant to the subject I am blogging about (and the one the other day was).
I appreciate your concern for my brother Kevin and he is getting treated next week with an angioplasty to try to clear his arteries. I'll let you know how that goes. Take care!
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