Sad Thanksgiving story

I greeted a coffee shop friend today with a casual remark about "How are you celebrating Thanksgiving?" But she wasn't feeling thankful. It turns out a trusted employee, a woman she’s known and been friends with for 25 years, was embezzling from her. Now they both have lawyers, and the woman has admitted to stealing about $100,000, but her employer suspects it’s much more. And as you may guess, losing the money hurts, but not as much as her feeling of grief and back stabbing over this woman whom she considered a friend. She said, “She smiled at me every day, clucked over my children, we did things together. What sort of psychopath does this?” A very sad holiday.

No Panera's this morning

High winds, sleet and snow from Sandy. I'm skipping the coffee shop this morning, but I'm guessing the bakers and clerks will be there.

"It's like a weirdly inverse chart, where the folks with secure government jobs, the ones with SUVs and more affluent addresses, get to stay home, bundle up and wait out the storm. And the folks working the minimum-wage jobs, who frequently rely on public transportation, have to find a way — any way — to make it to work." Washington Post

 

Parenting behavior

“What do you say!” she barked loudly to her small daughter who had just received her do-nut. “Thank you,” the little one meekly replied. I know I did that to my kids too back in the 1970s, which is probably why I noticed (could hear myself) but gosh, it grates on my old ears now. It kind of smacks of “Everyone look at me, I’m teaching my kid good manners (by being rude to her in public).”

The caregiver

He always thanks me for listening. It's 10 years this week since his wife had her stroke and he is the primary caregiver. He's in his late 80s and she is 10 years older. They have no children; no nieces and nephews to pick up the slack; they've outlived their siblings and most of their friends. He adores the home health woman who comes in to help--she always finds things to do, and he misses her when there is a substitute. It's easy to listen--he's so grateful.

Odd comment

Not sure about this one, or what he was reading. Two guys at Caribou both reading the paper (Columbus Dispatch). The one says to the other, "How in the world is someone raped in prison?" What? I don't want to do the search because of google cookies being deposited, but somewhere I read that most rape and violent sex crimes are against men, and done in prison.

The Labor Day Art Show in Upper Arlington

A woman sat down at my table at Panera's on Tremont Rd. "I'm looking for Northam Park, the art show," she said, and showed me the map for the exhibitors she had been given. Really bad map, without showing the school, library, senior center or church which border the park. So I pointed south, explained the traffic lights, where she'd see the school, the library, etc. Finally, I said, "I'll take you there." On our way out to our vans, parked next to each other, I asked her where she was from. Indianapolis.

Jeremiah 29:11 prayer

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I said this to myself as a prayer for a young woman I met in the coffee shop. I thought perhaps she was in high school, but she told me she was finished with college. “What field are you going into?” I asked. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ll probably start looking next week.” “So nothing you took in college really piqued your interest?” I said. “Not really, I sort of liked business administration so maybe I’ll work in an office.” College is usually 4, sometimes 5 years. If she started as the recession hit in 2007-2008 maybe she found it easier to borrow money than go to work? Or, maybe her parents are wealthy.