Appliance demons and temper fits...

I think I may be a bit of a spoiled, rotten brat.

There, I said it.

I just read that writers need to risk being vulnerable, risk telling the truth about themselves.

The whole ugly truth is, right about now, I'd like to lay on the floor

 and have a fist-pounding, leg-kicking temper fit.

My day was going great,

until the clothes dryer decided to quit.

Again.

There's some kind of car and appliance demon loose in our house the past few weeks attacking anything and everything.

It's a dog-gone money-sucking demon is what it is.

The dryer breaking down for the second time in two weeks is the straw the broke this camel's back.

I admit it,

I am a spoiled, rotten American, and while my beautiful Ghanaian friends are washing their clothes in a bucket and draping them over a scraggly bush to dry, I'm having a hissy fit about my clothes dryer.

And the truth is, I want you to feel sorry for me, too.

I want you to quit thinking about the poor who wash their clothes in a bucket,

and feel sorry that we've had one thing after another go wrong these past few weeks.

Misery loves company, you know.

Taxes.

That's what started it.

We owed so much more than we expected to.

Then our newish car needed a thousand dollars in repairs.

It's under warranty, except for the one thing that was wrong.

Of course.

Oh, and it needed new tires as well.

Can you say ca-ching?

Then both cars needed their tags renewed - bye bye to another three hundred dollars.

Then the dryer broke down.

One hundred and thirty dollars later we were back in business.

(until today)

And that was our April.

I was hoping May would be peaceful and break down free.

Not.

While the repairman was here, a mere nineteen days ago, we had him listen to our dishwasher that suddenly sounds like a jet engine.

Motor. going. out.

Not. worth. fixing.

Needless to say, I'm running the thing, even if we have to wear earplugs, until it dies.

To top it off, the other day my husband set a drippy bottle of after shave on top of my favorite dresser in my home office.

I'm not lying, I couldn't make something like this up, friends...

the after shave ate clear through the polyurethane down to the bare wood.

When I saw that, well, I was irritated to say the least.

I know things aren't as important as people.

But, in the heat of the moment, I temporarily forgot.

I apologized,  then kindly warned him that he might want to consider 

the dangers of putting something on his face that can strip furniture.

(Let's be real, I still want to cry when I see that after shave bottle shaped ring on my beautiful dresser.)

When I was a little girl, Mama would sew me beautiful frilly dresses for church.

I would whine because they were itchy.

Daddy would make her change me.

Just thinking about it makes me want to spank my younger self.

I was a tattle tale, too.

Maybe even given to exaggeration.

I know this because my little brother accidentally poked me in the eye with one of those umbrellas that has the six inch spike on the end.

(Just what is the purpose of those spikes?

Self defense?)

Anyway, the point is that my eye was bleeding.

Bleeding!

No one would believe me at first, 

because I was prone to tattling and exaggerating to get my little brother in trouble.

I guess I was a spoiled brat back then, too.

The truth is, I like life to go my way.

I don't want anything itchy or irritating to upset my apple cart.

And sometimes when it does,  I feel like acting up.

It's a darn good thing that I've learned that what I feel, 

doesn't have to make me act like a spoiled brat.

I might vent to God,

"and Your purpose in this is ???"

But, usually, I come back to what I know.

God is faithful.

He always provides.

We will make it through this rough patch.

While I am simply frustrated and irritated, others are going through real, life altering tragedy.

Acting spoiled rotten and selfish may relieve my emotions for a brief moment,

but it doesn't actually change my situation at all.

So, the appliance repairman is making another call to our house tomorrow.

Maybe, there's a reason Jesus wants him to come to our house for the second time in three weeks.

Maybe, I need to stop thinking about me for a bit and ponder and pray about that.

And then there's that scripture about in everything give thanks,

and the one about rejoice in the Lord always...

well, maybe I need to ponder and pray about that too.

still following,