Part Two - Sunday Stealing

 I'm joining up with the Sunday Stealing crew for Part Two (questions continued from last week). The original questions asked "do you make new friends..." and I changed them a tad.

1. Do I make new friends easily? I make acquaintances easily. I think it takes a little longer to make a friend. Does that make sense?

2.Which podcasts do I like at the moment? I haven’t had time to listen to any podcasts recently due to studying but I do love the Mike Rowe “The Way I Heard It” podcast!!

3. One thing that immediately makes my day better is when someone says true words of affirmation to me. The kind of words that make me feel appreciated and like I’m actually making a difference.

4. What app do I use most? I look at the weather every day . . .and I check our bank balance almost every day. Lately, I also use the builder's app often.

5. The friend who would have my back no matter what is my friend, Phella. I have several other really wonderful friends who would, too, but she is the one I immediately thought about. When our house burned and I had emergency surgery, she (along with several others) was there for us. Our neighbors, Lu and Dave, were there every step of the way, too, along with basically our whole Sunday School class. I think I realized how many people do actually love us and we were and still are overwhelmed with that outpouring of love.

6. What is something I’ll never do again? My mom always said “never say never.” I hope I never have to have surgery again. I hope I never have another house fire. I hope I never hurt anyone again with my words.

7. Something I practice often would be . . .I don’t have a great answer. I practice teaching my Sunday school lesson meaning I read over it several times. I practice being a good friend (because practice makes us better so this should apply, right??).

8. What gives me an adrenaline rush? When our kids were in high school, I chaperoned all of their church youth choir tours and they were amazing. One year, we white water rafted down the Arkansas River in the snow melt (I have no idea if that is how you say it but the snow was melting and the water was moving fast and it was very cold). I was terrified but when it was over, I was so proud to have done it. That is the kind of thing that gives me an adrenaline rush. It is doing something I’m terrified of doing and then coming out successful on the other side. I’m not even sure that makes sense.

9. How well do I do in social situations? Well . . .I think I do ok in most social settings. I grew up in a very blue collar community. My daddy was an engineer for the L & N Railroad (he drove the train). I have been blessed as an adult to be surrounded by lots of people who DO know how to act in many different social situations and I’m good at watching and learning. Also, when I was 23 years old, I was promoted to the assistant to the area vice president of AT&T. I was the youngest person to ever hold that position at that time. My boss could be a tyrant BUT he taught me lots of things. I experienced country clubs and fancy restaurants and watched and listened and learned.

10. Am I a light sleeper or a deep sleeper? It depends. If there is a reason that I need to be a light sleeper (child in the house) I am. To be honest, I haven’t slept well since this past summer. We finally broke down and bought some melatonin and that has helped some.

11. Do I get stage fright? Yes. I have been teaching a large class on Sunday mornings for over 25 years. I still sweat profusely when I’m teaching. I’ve also done several “talks” – like at our women’s retreat or on an Emmaus walk. I’m always so nervous going in. This is where my faith comes in. I have to pray about it. Back to the earlier question . . .there is a little bit of an adrenaline rush immediately following.

12. Which family members am I closest to? Of course, I’m close to Mark and our kids. I’m also close with my sister, Becky, who lives in Houston. We are also blessed with great framily and we are very close with some of them.

13. How was my February? We traveled. We had covid. They are working on rebuilding our house. All in all, a good month.

14. What is my favorite candle scent? I don’t do scented anything. Please don’t give me scented gifts of any kind.

15. One book that I would recommend as a "must read'? I really loved American Dirt and it opened my eyes. Yesterday, I was also reminded of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and it was really good.