tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73145521659742467812024-03-13T22:13:27.056-05:00Saturdays With StevenSteven Wm. Pratt and his observations concerning Depression, Family, Genius, Politics, Sports, Technology, and Truth.Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-4079055598701837622023-10-23T08:37:00.004-05:002023-10-23T08:37:50.089-05:00He Remains Faithful<p> She said that she looked over her life, and that the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir song "He's been faithful"... That the song fit. In both her times close to the Lord and far from the Lord, the Lord had still been faithful to her.</p><p>And it was very encouraging to hear to say that, very encouraging to hear her happy.</p><p>-----</p><p>He's Been Faithful</p><p>Carol Cymbala / Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir </p><p><br /></p><p>In my moments of fear</p><p>Through every pain and every tear</p><p>There's a God who's been faithful to me</p><p>And when my strength was all gone</p><p>When my heart had no song</p><p>Still enough, He's proved faithful to me</p><p>And every word He has promised is true</p><p>And what I thought was impossible, I've seen my God do</p><p>He's been faithful, faithful to me</p><p>Looking back, His love and mercy I see (oh, I can see)</p><p>Though in my heart, I have questioned, even failed to believe</p><p>But He's been faithful</p><p>So faithful to me (to me)</p><p>And when my heart looked away</p><p>The many times, I could not pray</p><p>Still, my God, He was faithful to me</p><p>The days I spent so selfishly</p><p>Just reaching out for what pleased me</p><p>Even then, God was faithful to me</p><p>Every time that I'd come back to Him</p><p>He is waiting with open arms and I see once again</p><p>He's been faithful, faithful to me</p><p>God, You are so faithful</p><p>Looking back, His love and mercy I see</p><p>So that I can see</p><p>Though in my heart, I have questioned, even failed to believe</p><p>That He's been faithful, so faithful</p><p>Faithful, faithful</p><p>In my heart, I have questioned, I've even failed to believe</p><p>But He's been faithful, so faithful</p><p>In my heart, I have questioned, I have even failed to believe</p><p>But oh, He's been so faithful</p><p>So faithful to me</p><p>Oh God, You have always been faithful</p><p>Even when I failed to believe You, oh (faithful)</p><p>Faithful (faithful)</p><p>So faithful to me</p>Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-64179010020044454702023-09-16T08:37:00.001-05:002023-09-16T08:37:00.141-05:00Old People and their bad habit of dying<p> <span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I am Steven.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Son of Christine and William</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Grandson of Diann and Ed, Ruby and James</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Great grandson of Catherine and Elmer, Frances and Albert, Tsona and Peter, John and Allison.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An American mutt of Northwest European descent.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.....</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ten years ago today, my father died.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I posted a few years ago (http://romans-837.blogspot.com/2017/09/four-years-gone.html) a few thoughts about having lost him, and conversations I never got to have with him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And now there's more I wish I could talk to him about. The challenges, the grind, the things I've learned...</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I owe him so much and in some ways I'm so much like him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.....</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">January 4, 2038.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The day that I would be my dad's age. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And, with both his early passing and my wife's medical issues, the words of the Riverside Captain come to mind.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"And how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn't you say?"</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Google Sans"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">memento mori</span></p><br />Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-53421801994905667312022-04-09T08:37:00.001-05:002022-04-09T08:37:00.178-05:004-9-22 Brass<p> The 21st Anniversary.</p><p>The "Thank God she didn't die last year" Anniversary.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yeah. </p><p><br /></p><p>Very short version: Ivy almost died from COVID-19 last December. But she survived (Thank God) and she came home on New Year's Eve. It's been a long recovery, and she's got a long way to go.</p><p><br /></p><p>But today, we celebrate.</p><p><br /></p>Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-37092042437810264922021-04-12T08:37:00.004-05:002021-04-12T08:37:00.212-05:00Twenty One<div><b>My Girl</b></div><div><b>Elvie Shane</b></div><div><br /></div><div>[Verse 1]</div><div>She ain't got my smile, that don't bother me a bit</div><div>She's got somebody else's eyes I'm seeing myself in</div><div>I'm holding on to every moment, God knows I've missed a few</div><div>The day we met I knew I had some catching up to do</div><div><br /></div><div>[Chorus]</div><div>She ain't my blood, ain't got my name</div><div>But if she did, I'd feel the same</div><div>I wasn't there for her first steps</div><div>But I ain't missed a ball game yet</div><div>And that ain't ever gonna change</div><div>I could never walk away</div><div>Yeah, she's my girl and that's my choice</div><div>She ain't my blood but she's my, she's my girl</div><div><br /></div><div>[Verse 2]</div><div>It hit me like a train, the first time she called me dad</div><div>In a three stick figure crayon picture with all of us holding hands</div><div>Her mama said, "I understand if it's too soon for this"</div><div>I didn't let her finish, I took it to the kitchen and I stuck it on the fridge, yeah</div><div><br /></div><div>[Chorus]</div><div>She ain't my blood, ain't got my name</div><div>But if she did, I'd feel the same</div><div>I wasn't there for her first steps</div><div>But I ain't missed a ball game yet</div><div>And that ain't ever gonna change</div><div>I could never walk away</div><div>Yeah, she's my girl and that's my choice</div><div>She ain't my blood but she's my, she's my girl</div><div><br /></div><div>[Bridge]</div><div>She's Saturday morning cartoons</div><div>She's "Hey, can I sleep in your room?"</div><div>She's bigger than the plans I had</div><div>She's making me a better man</div><div><br /></div><div>[Chorus]</div><div>She ain't my blood, ain't got my name</div><div>But if she did, I'd feel the same</div><div>I wasn't there for her first steps</div><div>But I ain't missed a ball game yet</div><div>And that ain't ever gonna change</div><div>I could never walk away</div><div>Yeah, she's my girl and that's my choice</div><div>She ain't my blood but she's my, she's my girl</div><div>she's my, she's my girl</div>Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-89832047510456578532020-09-21T21:06:00.002-05:002020-09-21T21:06:42.606-05:00or, Beagle to Doghouse, things are going great<p><b>Truth Be Told</b></p><p><i>Matthew West</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Lie number one: You're supposed to have it all together</p><p>And when they ask how you're doin', just smile and tell them, "Never better"</p><p>Lie number two: Everybody's life is perfect except yours</p><p>So keep your messes and your wounds and your secrets safe with you behind closed doors</p><p><br /></p><p>But truth be told</p><p>The truth is rarely told, no...</p><p><br /></p><p>I say, "I'm fine, yeah, I'm fine, oh, I'm fine, hey, I'm fine"</p><p>But I'm not, I'm broken</p><p>And when it's out of control I say it's under control</p><p>But it's not and You know it</p><p>I don't know why it's so hard to admit it</p><p>When bein' honest is the only way to fix it</p><p>There's no failure, no fall</p><p>There's no sin You don't already know</p><p>So let the truth be told</p><p><br /></p><p>There's a sign on the door, says, "Come as you are" but I doubt it</p><p>'Cause if we lived like that was true, every Sunday mornin' pew would be crowded</p><p>But didn't You say church should look more like a hospital?</p><p>A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred, and the prodigals, like me</p><p><br /></p><p>But truth be told, the truth is rarely told</p><p>Oh, am I the only one who says...</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm fine, yeah, I'm fine, oh, I'm fine, hey, I'm fine"</p><p>But I'm not, I'm broken</p><p>And when it's out of control I say it's under control</p><p>But it's not and You know it</p><p>I don't know why it's so hard to admit it</p><p>When bein' honest is the only way to fix it</p><p>There's no failure, no fall</p><p>There's no sin You don't already know</p><p>So let the truth be told</p><p><br /></p><p>Can I really stand here unashamed</p><p>Knowin' that Your love for me won't change?</p><p>Oh God, if that's really true</p><p>Then let the truth be told</p><p><br /></p><p>I say, "I'm fine, yeah, I'm fine, oh, I'm fine, hey, I'm fine"</p><p>But I'm not, I'm broken</p><p>And when it's out of control I say it's under control</p><p>But it's not and You know it</p><p>I don't know why it's so hard to admit it</p><p>When bein' honest is the only way to fix it</p><p>There's no failure, no fall</p><p>There's no sin You don't already know</p><p>Yeah, I know</p><p>There's no failure, no fall</p><p>There's no sin You don't already know</p><p>So let the truth be told</p>Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-46546413131749649092020-09-21T21:00:00.001-05:002020-09-21T21:00:13.589-05:00Back to Back on Sirius 63, or<p><b>Save My Life</b></p><p><i>Sidewalk Prophets</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Tell me what I need to hear</p><p>Tell me that I’m not forgotten</p><p>Show me there’s a God</p><p>Who can be more than all I’ve ever wanted</p><p>‘Cause right now I need a little hope</p><p>I need to know that I’m not alone</p><p>Maybe God is calling you tonight</p><p>To tell me something</p><p>That might save my life</p><div><br /></div>Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-74316445755919930232020-04-20T08:37:00.000-05:002020-04-26T01:19:48.689-05:00I gotta make it, these people depend on meFight Song<br />
<br />
Rachel Platten<br />
<br />
<br />
Like a small boat<br />
On the ocean<br />
Sending big waves<br />
Into motion<br />
Like how a single word<br />
Can make a heart open<br />
I might only have one match<br />
But I can make an explosion<br />
<br />
And all those things I didn't say<br />
Wrecking balls inside my brain<br />
I will scream them loud tonight<br />
Can you hear my voice this time?<br />
<br />
This is my fight song<br />
Take back my life song<br />
Prove I'm alright song<br />
My power's turned on<br />
Starting right now I'll be strong<br />
I'll play my fight song<br />
And I don't really care if nobody else believes<br />
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me<br />
<br />
<u>Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep</u><br />
<u>Everybody's worried about me</u><br />
<u>In too deep</u><br />
<u>Say I'm in too deep (in too deep)</u><br />
<u>And it's been two years I miss my home</u><br />
But there's a fire burning in my bones<br />
Still believe<br />
Yeah, I still believe<br />
<br />Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-45748269074100218912020-04-18T08:37:00.001-05:002020-04-18T08:37:06.973-05:00Thousand yard stareI feel like I died a long time ago. The Steven of the 20s, the smart one, the successful one. I remember writing that I had no hope.<br />
<br />
And I feel like I died again two years ago, when I took two jobs.<br />
When I began rationalizing "I have to take care of the moneymaker." When I accepted that my contribution to the family was reduced to 💰, even if it was large amounts of money.<br />
<br />
And I died again during the holiday season, when my schedule didn't change - both jobs on my birthday (let's not talk about birthdays), both jobs on Christmas. It's not a holiday if I don't truly celebrate it, if I have to ration my waking hours for the evening and night of work.<br />
And once again, I hate the holiday season - the cheap fake Hallmark, the chase of the gift, and a terribly unsatisfying payoff.<br />
<br />
4/27/2019: " I am not worried about Atlas shrugging<br />
I'm worried that someday poor Atlas will just drop dead."<br />
<br />
5/6/2019: "Anyone else wonder how in the hell you got from where you were 15 years ago to where you are now?"<br />
<br />
7/19/2019: "Something has to change."<br />
<br />
8/27/2019: " I feel like I need to get back into the game. I don't know if there's room, and I don't know if I can make it work. But..."<br />
<br />
8/27/2019: "Trying to properly set my sleep schedule based on my totally screwed up work schedule sometimes goes sideways, and I'm awake when I need to be sleeping, and..."<br />
<br />
9/22/2019: "The problem with being a overworked isolated reticent introvert<br />
Is that you'd never be able to tell if I was giving you the silent treatment."<br />
<br />
1/1/2020: "Just busy giving life the ol' John Henry."<br />
(Yeah. Compared my life to the black folk hero who worked himself to death.)<br />
<br />
1/22/2020: "It 's easy when you're ¾ dead and numb on the inside."<br />
(And again and again)<br />
<br />
1/24/2020: "I have learned how much I can endure.<br />
I haven't yet learned how long I can endure it."<br />
(Ha!)<br />
<br />
2/12/2020: "So much work.<br />
There is no rest until death."Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-1497487611715448162020-04-18T08:37:00.000-05:002020-04-18T08:37:05.081-05:00PearlsIt's not that I have nothing to say.<br />
It's that I've learned - over and over again - that not everything I think is worth saying will be appreciated.<br />
And there's a difference between honest disagreement, pointing out flaws in an argument, and just making it clear that you should've just kept your month shut.<br />
<br />
Some people don't want to have their urban legends debunked.<br />
Some people will laugh at you when you tell them about the scariest day in your life.<br />
Some people will tell you that your describing the challenges is just listening to the enemy.<br />
<br />
Maybe I don't have nothing to say<br />
But there's very little left I'm willing to risk putting out there.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-36146186128991329382019-11-25T08:37:00.000-06:002019-11-25T08:37:04.732-06:00Dickens - the other oneWanted to get at least one #mondaymelody up before year's end.<br />
<br />
Found this one...<br />
<br />
<b>Styx</b><br />
<b>The Best of Times</b><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tonight's the night we'll make history, honey, you and I</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And I'll take any risk to tie back the hands of time</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And stay with you here tonight</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I know you feel these are the worst of times</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I do believe it's true</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">When people lock their doors and hide inside</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rumor has it it's the end of Paradise</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">But I know, if the world just passed us by</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Baby I know, you wouldn't have to cry</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The best of times are when I'm alone with you</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We'll take the best, forget the rest</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And someday we'll find these are the best of times</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">These are the best of times</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The headlines read 'these are the worst of times'</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I do believe it's true</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I feel so helpless like a boat against the tide</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I wish the summer winds could bring back Paradise</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">But I know, if the world turned upside down</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Baby, I know you'd always be around</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The best of times are when I'm alone with you</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We'll take the best, forget the rest</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And someday we'll find these are the best of times</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">These are the best of times</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And so my friends we'll say goodnight</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">For time has claimed it's prize</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">But tonight will always last</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">As long as we keep alive memories of Paradise...</span></i>Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-44589485847529024552019-07-20T08:37:00.000-05:002019-07-20T08:37:05.471-05:00Bland, boring, flexible.You keep changing what you like...<br />
You don't care about anything anymore...<br />
You are impossible to shop for at Christmas...<br />
<br />
And I'm trying to figure out how much of that is the Bland setting in with the Busy.<br />
<br />
I have been known to download apps on my phone, play them for a while, and once they get too hard or too addictive or too demanding, just delete them<br />
(Candy Crush, FIFA among others)<br />
<br />
Sports...see other blog.<br />
<br />
TV... while my FB feed was full of people looking forward to the next ep of Game of Boobs, I was trying to finish watching Star Trek: Deep Space 9. And now I'm picking from some of the better episodes of the original Star trek series. I have a TV in my bedroom, I never turn it on.<br />
I usually watch Netflix in the living room.<br />
There's a cable TV app for my cable provider where I can watch any of the channels we have, I never use it except when my wife wants me to figure out why it's not working.<br />
<br />
My wife is mad that there's so little I deeply care about. I'm trying to figure out how much of that is a safety mechanism, realizing how busy I am and how I have to be FLEXIBLE...<br />
<br />
That's the word of the decade. Flexible. Being able to find employment based on everyone else's needs.<br />
<br />
Night shift. Work from home. Not taking the job when it outsourced 37 miles away. Second shift. Grocery runs in the middle of delivery runs.<br />
<br />
I occasionally ask Ivy how she would feel if I got a six-figure job (which is more than we've ever made combined right now) where I had to be at my desk from 8 to 5, 30 to 50 miles away in the big city. To her that's a nightmare.<br />
<br />
Rambling, but I guess I'm thinking about both the bland and the flexible and how they relate, how I'm bent ten different ways like a pipe cleaner.<br />
<br />
I tried to imagine what I would do with a massive windfall. And after all the essentials, I drew a blank. Besides generic "success" / having enough for everyone else to do what they want...<br />
<br />
Except...I keep coming back to Julia Roberts' character with Eggs Benedict...Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-77847621204674251452019-07-13T08:37:00.000-05:002019-07-13T08:37:07.993-05:00Playing ball without meI think I've hit the point where I follow sports only to have intelligent conversation at the water cooler.<br />
<br />
The two biggest KC games in the last year: MLS Sporting KC conference final, second leg (11/29/18, L 2-3)<br />
NFL KC Chiefs conference final (1/20/19, L 31-37 OT)<br />
<br />
I drove to pick up my daughter during the first game.<br />
I watched the first half, then went to bed for the second half and overtime of the second game.<br />
<br />
(Yeah, I should probably turn in my fan card now)<br />
<br />
I'm already priced out of going to the stadium, buying jerseys and major merch (for the record, I have a SKC keychain... somewhere, and a Chiefs lanyard that I keep my keys on so I don't lock myself out of my car)<br />
<br />
Part of it is the irregular schedule. I've been working 50+ hours for 18 months now. I have to make choices.<br />
<br />
And part of it is ... (See other blog)<br />
<br />
I'm not shaming people who enjoy major league sports or go to the stadium or buy jerseys.<br />
<br />
I'm just saying that I don't fit.Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-21434322734641027192019-06-08T08:37:00.000-05:002019-06-08T08:37:00.554-05:00When I dream of old MissouriGot a letter in the mail.<br />
Alumni directory.<br />
<br />
I called to update my information.<br />
<br />
And then the questions started coming, what is your current career headline?<br />
<br />
(I could say customer service expert, which doesn't say much, or say computer programmer but I haven't done that in 8 years)<br />
<br />
837: Let's leave that blank<br />
<br />
What's your current occupation<br />
<br />
(Driving Chinese making $17 an hour and stocking overnight at Price Chopper...<br />
But do I want to put that in a college directory)<br />
<br />
Let's leave that one blank for now<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
well we have a beautiful directory with this perk that perk and the other perk, for a tax-deductible contribution of $25 and 2 easy payments of $169<br />
<br />
*click*<br />
<br />
Seriously, I think I could do quite well not thinking about my college degree.<br />
<br />
Everyone asks, why aren't you in the computer field... Life happens and some of my skills are in programming languages and tools that are two decades-old.<br />
<br />
I graduated summa cum laude from my college in the class of 2000, and now I'm making more doing two jobs and none of them require even a high school degree, than I ever did as a computer programmer working 40 hours a week with occasional business trips.<br />
<br />
I occasionally toyed with the idea of pointing out to the computer science math and physics department of my college that one of their alumni is a occasional contributor to a <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/?s=Steven+pratt" target="_blank">feature</a> on one of the world's most popular blogs. https://fivethirtyeight.com/?s=Steven+pratt<br />
<br />
But then there'd be conversations like the one at the top of this page to make me go, nah.<br />
<br />
The glory days are gone.<br />
<br />
<br />Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-31738339415886476202018-12-29T08:37:00.000-06:002018-12-29T08:37:03.451-06:00Just Another Day<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Anniversary (11)<br />
0000-0600<br />
1000-1300<br />
2200-0000</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanksgiving (0)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Birthday (7½)<br />
1600-2130<br />
2200-0000</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Christmas Eve (13½)<br />
0000-0600<br />
1100-1400<br />
1600-1730<br />
1830-2130</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Christmas Day (5)<br />
1600-2100</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">New Year's Eve (16½)<br />
0000-0600<br />
1100-1400<br />
1600-2130<br />
2200-0000</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">New Year's Day '19 (11½)<br />
0000-0600<br />
1600-2130</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Most of the time, people give a really weird look when you say "It's Just Another Day" but looking at the big days of 2018, I'm just continuing to march on the treadmill.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Two real days off in the second half of '18 - one sick day and one holiday.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
On the one hand, the one constant of this decade has been change... I'm on jobs 8 and 9 this decade. But on the other hand I don't see anything changing or any pressure being relieved from the situation.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Bill still come due and they got to be paid somehow.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Lord Jesus give me strength.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<br />Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-10220762503936230902018-04-23T08:37:00.000-05:002018-04-23T08:37:03.914-05:00My children's Eclipse skitIn honor of our church drama team and the play they just performed...<br />
<br />
MM # 114<br />
P.O.D.<br />
<i>Youth of the Nation</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Last day of the rest of my life<br />
I wish I would've known<br />
Cause I didn't kiss my mama goodbye<br />
<br />
I didn't tell her that I loved her and how much I care<br />
Or thank my pops for all the talks<br />
And all the wisdom he shared<br />
<br />
Unaware, I just did what I always do<br />
Everyday, the same routine<br />
Before I skate off to school<br />
<br />
But who knew that this day wasn't like the rest<br />
Instead of taking a test<br />
I took two to the chest<br />
<br />
Call me blind, but I didn't see it coming<br />
Everybody was running<br />
But I couldn't hear nothing<br />
<br />
Except gun blasts, it happened so fast<br />
I don't really know this kid<br />
Even though I sit by him in class<br />
<br />
Maybe this kid was reaching out for love<br />
Or maybe for a moment<br />
He forgot who he was<br />
Or maybe this kid just wanted to be hugged<br />
Whatever it was<br />
I know it's because<br />
<br />
[chorus:]<br />
We are, We are, the youth of the nation<br />
<br />
Little Suzy, she was only twelve<br />
She was given the world<br />
With every chance to excel<br />
<br />
Hang with the boys and hear the stories they tell<br />
She might act kind of proud<br />
But no respect for herself<br />
<br />
She finds love in all the wrong places<br />
The same situations<br />
Just different faces<br />
<br />
Changed up her pace since her daddy left her<br />
Too bad he never told her<br />
She deserved much better<br />
<br />
Johnny boy always played the fool<br />
He broke all the rules<br />
So you would think he was cool<br />
<br />
He was never really one of the guys<br />
No matter how hard he tried<br />
Often thought of suicide<br />
<br />
It's kind of hard when you ain't got no friends<br />
He put his life to an end<br />
They might remember him then<br />
<br />
You cross the line and there's no turning back<br />
Told the world how he felt<br />
With the sound of a gat<br />
<br />
[chorus]<br />
<br />
Who's to blame for the lives that tragedies claim<br />
No matter what you say<br />
It don't take away the pain<br />
<br />
That I feel inside, I'm tired of all the lies<br />
Don't nobody know why<br />
It's the blind leading the blind<br />
<br />
I guess that's the way the story goes<br />
Will it ever make sense<br />
Somebody's got to know<br />
<br />
There's got to be more to life than this<br />
There's got to be more to everything<br />
I thought exists<br />
<br />
<br />
[chorus]Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-41657544055710807822018-03-24T08:37:00.000-05:002018-03-24T08:37:21.159-05:00Abernathy<br />
<div dir="ltr">
Eight years, eleven months. Then nine more months.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
I've spent a quarter of my life, and half of my career working at the last building on the right, before one crosses the bridge over the Missouri River into Missouri from Leavenworth, KS.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
I worked as a simulation programmer on the third floor, then we moved to the first floor. Years later, I trained as a call center representative for a bank on the first floor, then made it back to the third floor.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
One of those jobs was my highest paying job. The other was my favorite job - and my shortest commute for a full time job.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
But, everything changes. The contract for the war game finally expired. The bank <a href="http://www.leavenworthtimes.com/article/20150711/news/150719923" target="_blank">outsourced</a> the call center to another company in Lawrence and St. Joseph.<br />
And now, the building has been sold.<br />
And the new owners are going to convert the building into... <a href="http://www.leavenworthtimes.com/news/20180323/abnerthany-building-to-be-converted-into-apartments" target="_blank">Apartments</a>.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
It's yet another chapter closing, another landmark transforming. Nothing lasts forever.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Sigh.</div>
<br />Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-25359911518249530992018-03-05T08:37:00.000-06:002018-04-23T02:56:02.791-05:00Footprints on the moonRan another March Madness bracket style contest with my brother. This one finished in the top 5<br />
<br />
MM#113<br />
<br />
"I'll Be That"<br />
Jimmy Wayne<br />
<br />
Baby lay back<br />
Dream out loud<br />
Tell me the things you wish for<br />
And think about<br />
<br />
You ain't gonna scare me<br />
No I ain't gonna run<br />
Come on and whisper your fantasies to me<br />
One by one<br />
They may not be as crazy as you think<br />
<br />
[Chorus]<br />
The sun in the morning, kissing your skin<br />
A blanket of night that you're wrapped up in<br />
Your lover, that one best friend<br />
I'll be that, I'll be that<br />
The one that'll stand and fight for you<br />
A safe place you can run to<br />
The truth in the words I Do<br />
I'll be that to you<br />
<br />
I'll spend forever<br />
Here in your arms<br />
Learning your body language<br />
Til I know it by heart<br />
<br />
And I'll be beside you<br />
Whatever you face<br />
You see diamonds are made<br />
Between a rock and a hard place<br />
If you let me<br />
Baby I can be<br />
<br />
[Repeat Chorus]<br />
<br />
The sky's not the limit<br />
Cause there's footprints on the moon<br />
Just think how far my love would go for you<br />
<br />
[Repeat Chorus]<br />
<br />
I'll be that to you<br />
Lay back baby<br />
The sun in the morning, kissing your skin<br />
The blanket you're wrapped up in<br />
Oh I'll be that, I'll be that to youSteven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-44825743365130239592018-02-24T08:37:00.000-06:002018-02-24T08:38:26.308-06:00Double dutyI had a day circled on my calendar. The day I'd go from (job + seasonal part time job) to (job + once a week paper route)<br />
<br />
My full-time job is overnight stocker at a grocery store. It's the same one that my wife and daughter have worked at for several months.<br />
<br />
My part-time job is "costumed sign waver". That job is exactly what it says on the tin. And with the nature of the business, that job ends on-or-about April 17.<br />
<br />
But... There's car repairs. And bills I'm getting caught up on... Slowly.<br />
<br />
And *another* offer to be a sign waver. (Didn't see that coming)<br />
<br />
I'm not in a position where I can, like one republic says, be not counting dollars now I'm counting stars...<br />
I might take that offer.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure which bothers me most<br />
• I have a bachelor's degree in computer science and I'm stocking shelves and waving signs<br />
• I'm working 60-70 hours a week, which leaves little time with wife, children, or grandbaby<br />
• I'm working 60-70 hours a week, wife is working 50-55 hours a week, and I'm not swimming in money a la McDuck's Money BinSteven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-89946359229718863202018-02-21T08:37:00.000-06:002018-02-21T17:41:01.240-06:00O lamb of God, I comeIn honor of the great servant of God, Billy Graham.<br />
<br />
MM#112<br />
Just As I Am<br />
Traditional <br />
<br />
<i>1) Just as I am, without one plea</i><br />
<i>But that thy blood was shed for me</i><br />
<i>And that thou bidd’st me come to thee</i><br />
<i>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>2) Just as I am and waiting not</i><br />
<i>To rid my soul of one dark blot,</i><br />
<i>To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,</i><br />
<i>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>3) Just as I am, though tossed about</i><br />
<i>With many a conflict, many a doubt,</i><br />
<i>Fightings and fears within, without,</i><br />
<i>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>4) Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;</i><br />
<i>Sight, riches, healing of the mind,</i><br />
<i>Yea, all I need, in thee to find,</i><br />
<i>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>5) Just as I am, thou wilt receive,</i><br />
<i>Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;</i><br />
<i>Because thy promise I believe,</i><br />
<i>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>6) Just a I am; thy love unknown</i><br />
<i>Has broken every barrier down;</i><br />
<i>Now to be thine, yea, thine alone,</i><br />
<i>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.</i>Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-68411098022708889012018-02-19T08:37:00.000-06:002018-02-21T17:40:37.239-06:00Hi and byeThis song seemed to get a lot of play in the fall of 2000, even to the point where I heard someone playing it on the piano at a church getaway...<br />
<br />
<br />
Reminds me of being away from my girl and only seeing her now and again...<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>MM#111 </b><br />
<b>Richard Marx</b><br />
<b>Wherever You Go</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Oceans apart day after day</i><br />
<i>And I slowly go insane</i><br />
<i>I hear your voice on the line</i><br />
<i>But it doesn't stop the pain</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If I see you next to never</i><br />
<i>How can we say forever</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Wherever you go</i><br />
<i>Whatever you do</i><br />
<i>I will be right here waiting for you</i><br />
<i>Whatever it takes</i><br />
<i>Or how my heart breaks</i><br />
<i>I will be right here waiting for you</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I took for granted, all the times</i><br />
<i>That I thought would last somehow</i><br />
<i>I hear the laughter, I taste the tears</i><br />
<i>But I can't get near you now</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Oh, can't you see it baby</i><br />
<i>You've got me going crazy</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Wherever you go</i><br />
<i>Whatever you do</i><br />
<i>I will be right here waiting for you</i><br />
<i>Whatever it takes</i><br />
<i>Or how my heart breaks</i><br />
<i>I will be right here waiting for you</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I wonder how we can survive</i><br />
<i>This romance</i><br />
<i>But in the end if I'm with you</i><br />
<i>I'll take the chance</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Oh, can't you see it baby</i><br />
<i>You've got me going crazy</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Wherever you go</i><br />
<i>Whatever you do</i><br />
<i>I will be right here waiting for you</i><br />
<i>Whatever it takes</i><br />
<i>Or how my heart breaks</i><br />
<i>I will be right here waiting for you</i><br />
<i>Waiting for you</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<br />
Happy #29, Mrs G.Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-28209368318734188952018-02-05T07:00:00.000-06:002018-02-05T07:00:50.011-06:00Since commuting to State Street
<div id="lyrics">
<b>MM#110 </b></div>
<div id="lyrics">
<b>Work Song</b></div>
<div id="lyrics">
<b>Corbin & Hammer </b></div>
<div id="lyrics">
</div>
<div id="lyrics">
Well it's Monday seven o'clock in the morning<br />
Drink my coffee hurry up got to got to got to get to work on time<br />
Hear the whistle whoop whoop whoop whoop<br />
And the train goin' down the track see you later hurry back<br />
Out of my way hey got to get to work on time<br />
Got to get to work on time<br />
I got to hustle oh my muscles gettin' big<br />
Ain't it hot hot sweatin' like a pig<br />
Got to hurry scurry got to get to work on time<br />
I got to go pack a lunch workin' overtime<br />
After taxes taxes barely make a dime<br />
Punch a clock can't talk got to get to work on time<br />
Got to get to work on time<br />
<br />
Friday I'll pick up my baby we'll go out on the town yeah<br />
Sunday drive in the country no one else around<br />
Well it's Monday seven o'clock...<br /> </div>
<div id="lyrics">
Hear the foreman get it movin' get the lead out<br />
Monday mornin' head hurts wish he wouldn't shout<br />
But yes sir yes boss got to get to work on time<br />
Hear the whistle whoop whoop...<br />
I got to hustle...<br />
Got to get to work on time got to get to work on time
</div>
Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-29410711479298899742018-02-03T08:37:00.000-06:002018-02-03T08:38:03.453-06:00Working my butt off.Apologies for having went silent on the blogs. But anywhere where I actually string together more than 20 words (besides the car driving home)...yeah, that's not happening.<br />
<br />
At the start of January, I had a temp job that had become part-time. That job ended early in January. I picked up a temp job as a "costumed sign waver" - the job I thought would be extra cash turned out to be my only job.<br />
<br />
So, the day after I first started waving a sign dressed up as an American landmark, I'm driving down to Ivy's job when I get this message.<br />
<br />
<b>2017-01-15 16:37 Wanna work 10p-6a</b><br />
<br />
What?!?!<br />
<br />
I'd worked 14 months as overnight stocker/janitorial at Wal-Mart already. And I was very glad to get out of there, away from overnight, and back to something local and days.<br />
<br />
However...an opening at the store my wife and daughter work at...<br />
The magic word might have been "permanent"<br />
<br />
Having an end date on your assignment sucks. Trust me.<br />
<br />
So...by now, the end of January, I'm working 70 hours a week.<br />
<br />
WORKING.<br />
<br />
None of this sit-on-my-butt stuff chatting with fellow contractors like I did supporting wargames in 05, 06, 08.<br />
<br />
None of this taking calls from shoppers like the week I put in 60 hours call-center-from-home.<br />
<br />
A 40 hour job of stocking and facing<br />
And (right now) a 30 hour job of dancing with a sign for a tax shop. (Yeah, that one).<br />
<br />
I'm burning calories like crazy!<br />
<br />
The one job is seasonal, and when tax day comes and goes, so will that job.<br />
<br />
But, for now, I'm hustling making the money.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I don't know how my Dad did it.Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-47798630406223994312018-01-01T08:37:00.000-06:002018-01-01T08:37:19.687-06:00Happy New Year<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
MM#100*<br />
<br />
Ten Thousand Reasons<br />
Matt Redman<br />
(slightly edited)<br />
<br />
The sun comes up<br />
It's a new year dawning<br />
It's time to sing Your song again<br />
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me<br />
Let me be singing when the evening comes<br />
<br />
Bless the Lord O my soul<br />
O my soul<br />
Worship His holy name<br />
Sing like never before<br />
O my soul<br />
oh<br />
I'll worship Your holy nameSteven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-61167099406216729222017-12-18T08:37:00.000-06:002017-12-18T08:37:42.716-06:00Two thousand years of wrong<table border="2"><tbody>
<tr><td><br />
<b>MM#108</b><br />
<b>It Came Upon A Midnight Clear</b><br />
<br />
It came upon the midnight clear,<br />
That glorious song of old,<br />
From angels bending near the earth,<br />
To touch their harps of gold:<br />
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,<br />
From heaven's all-gracious King."<br />
The world in solemn stillness lay,<br />
To hear the angels sing.<br />
<br />
Yet with the woes of sin and strife<br />
The world has suffered long;<br />
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled<br />
Two thousand years of wrong;<br />
And man, at war with man, hears not<br />
The love-song which they bring;<br />
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,<br />
And hear the angels sing.<br />
<br />
For lo!, the days are hastening on,<br />
By prophet bards foretold,<br />
When with the ever-circling years<br />
Comes round the age of gold<br />
When peace shall over all the earth<br />
Its ancient splendors fling,<br />
And the whole world give back the song<br />
Which now the angels sing.<br />
<br /></td>
<td><b>MM#109</b><br />
<b>Belleau Wood</b><br />
<b>Garth Brooks</b><br />
<br />
Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence<br />
Over Belleau Wood that night<br />
For a Christmas truce had been declared<br />
By both sides of the fight<br />
<br />
As we lay there in our trenches<br />
The silence broke in two<br />
By a German soldier singing<br />
A song that we all knew<br />
<br />
Though I did not know the language<br />
The song was "Silent Night"<br />
Then I heard my buddy whisper<br />
"All is calm and all is bright"<br />
<br />
Then the fear and doubt surrounded me<br />
Because I'd die if I was wrong<br />
But I stood up in my trench<br />
And I began to sing along<br />
<br />
Then across the frozen battlefield<br />
Another's voice joined in<br />
Until one by one each man became<br />
A singer of the hymn<br />
<br />
Then I thought that I was dreaming<br />
For right there in my sight<br />
Stood the German soldier<br />
'Neath the falling flakes of white<br />
<br />
And he raised his hand and smiled at me<br />
As if he seemed to say<br />
Here's hoping we both live to see us<br />
Find a better way<br />
<br />
Then the devil's clock struck midnight<br />
And the skies lit up again<br />
And the battlefield where heaven stood<br />
Was blown to hell again<br />
<br />
But for just one fleeting moment<br />
The answer seemed so clear<br />
Heaven's not beyond the clouds<br />
It's just beyond the fear<br />
<br />
No, heaven's not beyond the clouds<br />
It's for us, to find it, here
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Sometimes, there's a single phrase in a song that catches me - and not necessarily something obvious. From "Life has killed the dream" from "I dreamed a dream", MM #45; to "We became stepdads and soccer moms" in "Life Happened", MM#85. And perhaps the most notable in our family's history was "Who brings my chaos back into order", "This Is Amazing Grace", MM#96.<br />
<br />
Both of these songs have a line that I haven't forgotten. <br />
<br />
"Beneath the angel-strain have rolled / two thousand years of wrong"<br />
Living in A.D. 2017, over two thousand years since the Word of God became flesh...are things better...are we kinder to each other...has the command to love God and love our neighbor been better obeyed? In some ways...a little. But there's still so much distrust, so much fear of the other, so much scapegoating. <br />
<br />
"Then the devil's clock struck midnight"<br />
It's horrible how so often we can discard our shared humanity - in some cases our shared heritage or our shared faith. War is hell, even at times setting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Brothers" target="_blank">brother against brother</a>. Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7314552165974246781.post-65637164691318757812017-12-11T08:37:00.000-06:002017-12-11T08:37:03.509-06:00Xmas Dose of PerspectiveI've been sitting on this one for a long time, almost a year. (Not as long as For Annie, but it's stewed for a good while, like a crock-pot meal.)<br />
<br />
Irving Berlin wrote a song performed by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney called "Counting My Blessings (Instead of Sheep)"<br />
<br />
This song, along with many other songs performed by folks from earlier decades, was on a Christmas classics station, on rotation endlessly during the holiday season last year at Home Depot. So I heard it. A lot. Along with Marshmallow Christmas.<br />
<br />
Christmas is hard for me (see other blogs) in part because of the self-imposed pressure to do "enough" for Christmas, and being creative with a bankroll smaller than Jeff Bezos.<br />
<br />
I can't keep up with the Joneses. It's taken a lot of work, hustle and frugal living to get to probably the best financial position in our lives.<br />
<br />
But when I look at my small bankroll, I think back to when I had none (or even when I was badly overdrawn).<br />
It takes discipline, but remembering how far I've gotten (by the grace of God) is very helpful.<br />
<br />
Take it away, Bing.<br />
<hr />
<br />
#MM107<br />
"Count Your Blessings"<br />
Written by Irving Berlin<br />
Performed by Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney<br />
<br />
<br />
When I'm worried and I can't sleep<br />
I count my blessings instead of sheep<br />
And I fall asleep counting my blessings<br />
When my bankroll is getting small<br />
I think of when I had none at all<br />
And I fall asleep counting my blessings<br />
<br />
I think about a nursery and I picture curly
heads<br />
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds<br />
If you're worried and you can't sleep<br />
Just count your blessings instead of sheep<br />
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings
Steven Wm. Pratthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16499715606533437762noreply@blogger.com0