coffee in my cup . . . .

it is tuesday, the week of preparation for so many things . . . .  a transition into a new (christian) year, preparation for advent and christmas, and of course, the hectic preparations for our united methodist women's christmas bazaar entitled 'angels among us' (saturday, 9-1:30).  all of this will be an awesome experience....really; not to be missed.

and, as i was driving to our church building this morning, i was reminded of what today is...actually, i was reminded what friday and monday were, and informed about what today is.  friday was 'black friday'.  monday was 'cyber monday', and today is 'giving tuesday'.  giving tuesday?  should i run out and purchase a hallmark card?  to whom would i send it?

so, let's unpack these particular days a bit...who in the world came up with the term black friday for the day after thanksgiving?  that term originated, i believe, as the historical day in 1929 when the stock market crashed.  doesn't it seem a bit odd to term the day after thanksgiving with such a negative term as we make preparations to celebrate the gift of new life?  it might be best not to get me started on how we lost thanksgiving this year, but, i really cannot resist commenting.

whose idea was it to open stores on thanksgiving anyway...camping out the week before so that we can save a bunch of money for door-busters that we do not absolutely need?!  good heavens; what has become of our priorities, the necessities of life, and sharing with others out of the abundance of our lives?!  not to mention what happened to employees of those stores who were forced to come in to work.  honestly, santa's elves did not show up to prepare the way for thanksgiving shoppers.

having made the decision not to shop on thanksgiving, i couldn't help stopping on my way home to view the 'christmas shopping extravaganza experience'.  i was curious in an 'i can't believe i'm doing this sort of way' -- i stopped at the super walmart just off the freeway in atwater, just to see what there was to see.  shopping began at 9 pm, i believe.  but i was driving by at 6:45 pm, and noticed the parking lot full of cars; no line to get in -- the store was already open!  and crowds of people with shopping carts, just waiting in the aisles, which were stuffed with covered items that said 'black friday' -- such an offensive term!  families were there for the duration, awaiting, not the anticipation of the light, but the magical hour of 9 pm.  i could not get out of that store fast enough!

and away from the stores i stayed this entire week-end!  and shopping on line on monday?  call me old fashioned, but i also missed the era of catalogue shopping.  i'm very tactile; i like to touch and review and see what i am purchasing.  granted, i miss a lot of deals, but i rarely have to return anything.  of course, i don't do much shopping.  the world economy, thank goodness, is not dependent on me!

however, i did offer my help to the economy on monday, by shopping at marshall's.  my travel coffee mug broke.  (thank you for your sympathy).  i have long felt that purchasing a beverage in disposable cups creates too much waste.  so i have several cups for the purpose of saving the environment -- mainly because i forget to bring mine when i decide to spontaneously want a beverage.

not knowing this to be 'giving tuesday', i am happy to report that i used my recycled-made coffee cup to purchase decaf coffee from a locally owned coffee shop this morning.  somehow, on a day like today, it makes sense to me to 'give back' to the environment -- and to future generations, a little less waste, and a little more support for locally owned.  and, by using my own cup, the price of my coffee was discounted; how awesome is that!  all in all a truly 'giving tuesday'!

it seems silly, i think, to be making such a fuss about all of this, as we begin preparations for christmas.  i need to be focusing on inviting the people with whom i am interacting, to focus their lives on welcoming hope, peace, love and joy into their lives, and in turn sharing those same ideals with others.  am i a little old fashioned?  am i longing for yester-year?  i may be a bit old-fashioned, but i believe i am not longing for 'the good old days'.  i believe each year we are offered an opportunity to re-establish our lives and our world with hope, with peace, with love, and with joy.  these are the items we cannot purchase and cannot be found on sale or on a clearance shelf.  they are things that we have; they are things we share.

if you feel the same, i invite you to start giving, today; not because it is 'giving tuesday', nor because you'll change the world overnight, but because the gift of new life begins with a change in our own life. i don't want to make myself crazy in this season, and i invite others to do the same.  maybe 'all is calm; all is bright' is simply an ideal.  but sitting with coffee in my cup this morning, i felt calm -- seems like a bright way to start my week . . . .