Apology

Pictured to the left is the three weanlings. Two born on our farm and a gray filly I bought over the summer. The two in the picture on the right are Blaze and Celine. Blaze is the largest. He was born March 31 and Celine was born May 22.

I apologize for not posting a blog for several days. Since my brother Bob has been here we have down loaded so much on our Computers that we have exceeded the limit on my satelite connection for my broadband. I just got an upgrade today so we should be ok now. Don't ask me to explain any further because that is all I know about the subject. I just know that now it cost more to use my internet.

Something happened to me today that has never happened to me before. I think I am a very easy person to get along with but I can be pushed to the limit. Maybe today I have been.

Yesterday, I learned that my sister's home had been damaged by fire. I was worried about her. No one in the family had let me know. It was today before I learned just what had happened and that she and everyone else in the house are ok. There is a lot of damage because of smoke and the fire and she and her husband will not get to move back into the house for several months. I have been upset and concerned about her welfare since she is an invalid. It has really bothered me.

We have two dogs on the farm that hate each other. Lilly and Cassie have hated each other from the first time they saw each other. Lilly belongs to me and Cassie to Mike and Natalie. From time to time they get into a fight. I never know for sure just who starts the fight but yesterday I heard a growl deep in the throat of one of them and before I could get Lilly away, they were in a fight for their lives. Annie finally got Cassie but she had a death grip on Lilly's ear and so I swatted her with a stick and then Annie was able to get her put into the barn and locked in the feed room.

Cassie had teeth marks on her head where Lilly had gotten her. Lilly is ok. Cassie has been treated for wounds and she is ok. But what makes dogs and people fly into a rage that way? For the life of me, I can not understand what triggers an outburst.

I have dealt with many people in the public. I worked the window at the post office for 20 years and I seldom knew why a customer would come into the office upset over what seemed like a trivial matter to me. I did know that there was usually something deeper than what they complained about. I once told a new clerk in the office that had just had a nasty customer that perhaps their underwear was too tight or maybe their shoes hurt their feet and to not take it personally.

But that doesn't explain why Lilly and Cassie hate each other so much. I know neither one of them wears underwear or shoes. But they have had an instant dislike for each other from day one. I have at times tried to explain Lilly's dislike for Cassie as jealousy over me. And indeed at times when the trouble starts, Cassie is too close to me. But why did Cassie start the first fight they had? She really likes Tex, the other dog that Mike and Natalie own. She likes Erica, my other dog. She never had a problem with Holly. It is just Lilly.

So why do some people just naturally get along and others seem to be at odds from the first time they meet? I have met people that I like from the first minute I met them. I have met some that I feel uncomfortable around that seem to trouble my spirit. Later I find I have been right about them. Then I have met people I just didn't like from day one. Being a naturally polite person, I do try to withhold my feeling and just get along.

But back to what happened to me today that has never happened before. I bought parts from a local parts dealer for my bush hog. It is a Woods and had a lot of damage. Mike made a list of parts he would need to put it right. It cost almost $1100 in parts. When I got the parts, Mike said that they had ordered a part he did not have on the list. The part cost $356. But he said not take it back right yet. He wanted to make sure he didn't need it. Last week he told me to go ahead and take it back. So I did.

Bill bought a lot of parts from them and so have I since I moved back to the farm. I bought a lawn tractor from them because they were a company we had done business with before. I have always been satisfied and have never had an issue with them so I just naturally continued to do business with them. They had always been pleasant enough and I don't remember ever having an issue with them.

I called yesterday to find out what the status of my refund for the part was. The parts manager gave me some grief over the box it was in and said that maybe Woods wouldn't take the part back because the box was damaged. I thought that was a little silly because the box could actually be taped back and it was damaged when it came in.

This morning he called me and said Woods would take the part back but there would be a 20% restocking fee. I was shocked. I thought there would be a 15% fee but 20% seemed excessive. I said ok and hung up. Mike asked what they said and I repeated the conversation. He said, "Mom, that is really high and we didn't even order that part."

So I called them back. I asked about the fee. He raised his voice to me and starting talking loudly about the condition of the box. He then accused me of bringing a part back that had been rusted by sitting out in the rain. I ask him not to raise his voice to me. And I knew the part had been in Mike's workshop ever since I brought the parts home. At that time he got louder and said he wasn't shouting at me. I told him if that was the way he was going to treat a customer, I could go elsewhere. He then said his boss had told him if I didn't like it to tell me to take my business elsewhere. I could not believe I heard him right.

All I could think of to say was that their business must really be good if they could send customers away. I then told him I was getting really angry and I would be hanging up before I said something I really regretted. And that is what I did.

I am at a loss at what happened to me today. I truly have never had any words with them before. It was so unexpected to have someone in business to treat me that way. I could never understand why a clerk would treat a customer in such a rude manner.

I was often appalled at how one of our clerks at Prospect treated the customers. She was so rude and hateful to them. I did all I could to create goodwill in our customer base. I was often complimented on how pleasant I was to customers. This particular clerk complained that someone that tried to hit her in the parking lot. I thought it was maybe a guilty conscious over how she treated them.

Other things have happened this week that has made it unpleasant. It has all been a little much with the internet connection, my sister's fire, the rude parts manager etc.

But still I give God thanks and praise for his goodness to me. I know this too shall pass. The Bible tells us to give thanks and praise in all things. So tonight I am giving God thanks and praise for the good weather we have been having. How good Annie is to my horses. That Kathryn and her husband were not injured in the fire and that their house can be restored. I thank God for my brother who is here with me. He has been such a help and comfort. I thank God for my family. Each and every one of them. I love them all.

I pray for peace in our land. I pray God will raise up Christian leaders for our country. I pray for each member of my family and for peace in our family that we can love and respect one another. No matter what happens in the world, we are family. We love each other despite our differences on occassion. Each of us is unique. God made us that way.

I thank God for each of you who are readers of my humble blog. I didn't know if anyone would read my blog when I first started. I thank you for your encouragement. I am sorry I have let you down for this many days. But I am sure each of you were able to go on with your lives just the same as if I had been writing a blog every day.

God bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards,

Mary

Bad times are only "a little something extra" in your life. Persevere and work through the trouble because tucked into every bad circumsstance is a pilon, a magical pocket of beauty or love that is waiting for you, if only you have the eyes to see it.

Nancy Minor

From "Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul"

And now abideth faith, hope, charity (Love) these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love).

1 Corinthians 13: 13