Before anything else, please know that I am changing this eNewsletter program. I’m sure there will be bugs. Please accept my apologies in advance. If you did not subscribe to this email it’s easy to unsubscribe below. Thank you for understanding. — Raoul

Tech Support for Betsy

My day started with Betsy, an elderly client who needed help with her email. She is pushing 90 years old and is still doing a little online business with her husband and she needed to find a job order in her pile of emails. Helping her to sort her email was not part of my “job description” but I’ve done this for her before and I knew no one else would give her the time of day. She said she had been searching for the email for days now which explained her exasperation.

On the phone I gave her step by step instructions — which she rushed and failed to do. Her impatient voice was cracking up and she was practically in tears. “I think I should hang up now. I’m not feeling well.” She said her cancer was getting worse. Her husband’s cancer was also getting worse. I prodded her to continue. She did.

In between waiting for her slow computer to finish a command, we inserted some small talk. “Why don’t you just stop working and enjoy life?” I pondered. She said work was therapeutic. It gave them a sense of purpose. Then we talked about her family and everything was fine and dandy. She knew her days were numbered and she said she was ready. How can she be ready when she’s not a “believer?” I’ve been concerned about her ever since we first talked about God. She must have encountered some hypocritical Christian somewhere down the road and has since been militant against God. In fact, our conversation got her all riled up (which wasn’t good for her heart) and she told me she didn’t want to ever talk about God again.

“I think I’m going to have a heart attack,” she blurted as frustration grew to more frustration. In my mind I’m thinking: “Great! The cops will find her limp body still cradling her phone. The cops will trace her last call and accuse me of murder. The newspaper headlines will read —‘SENIOR CITIZEN DIALS M FOR MURDER!‘ I go under the radar. The FBI plaster my mug shot in America’s Most Wanted List. And this all leads to a movie deal. All because I tried to help poor Betsy.”

Eventually, (with a calm voice) I strengthened her confidence, assured her that I wasn’t going to let go, showed her that I was the expert, and (miracles or miracles!) we found her precious email.

“You did it again, Raoul. Thank you.” She was all giddy and talkative. I couldn’t stop her excitement. I made her day. I felt good. I ended by asking her permission to pray for her. And she was okay with that.

Remember the old Beatles song “All the Lonely People”? Where do they all belong? My answer: they belong in our care … they belong in God’s care.

TGIF people!

Raoul

PARTING SHOTS

Thanks to Lee of Bakersfield, CA

Thanks to Maling of New Manila, Philippines

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

These I found

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

The post Insults appeared first on Traveling Archive.

True Value

They wanted a painting about chocolate so my original concept was to have a dark background with just Chesire-cat-like teeth in the middle but it was too simple so I put a little more of the face … then a little more of the hands, etc. and soon my visual prank evolved into a full-blown digital painting.  So it was a total surprise when I won first place for that painting at the La Habra Art Gallery last Saturday.

I’ve been learning a VALUE-able lesson. Two Mondays ago, I was asked to critique 3 paintings by Vincent Van Gogh in an article for Travelingboy.com [CLICK HERE]. That’s when I started thinking about the value of art.  Saturday,  I was surprised to win 1st place at the Art Gallery. Last Monday, a business friend asked me a special favor to do a caricature of his grand daughter … he paid me less than even the cost of the frame.

Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting while he was alive. His “worth” increased by the millions after death (now some think his value has been highly exaggerated). You see it wasn’t until someone influential said his paintings were any good that the crowd increased what they were willing to spend for his original brushstrokes.  [Which brings us to another phenomenon — printed photographic copies of his paintings don’t cost that much yet they deliver (practically) the same visual impact. Recently, while doing caricatures for a Halloween event, my original ink caricatures had less demand than my digital (multiply-able) renditions. Why is that?]

I’ve been praying for a friend who’s undergoing a depression. How does one measure one’s worth? By the hours he labors? By the many drops of blood, sweat and tears? How about a paycheck? Is a lawyer more valuable than a doctor? Is the president more inherently valuable than the citizen who elected him?

Is there no absolute true price for anything or anyone? Prices change according to economic times and according to the situation. It can be very depressing to believe that no one understands you or thinks you are important. However, one can always find comfort in our TRUE ABSOLUTE VALUE which is how God sees us. What God sees in us does not fluctuate. Look at the birds in the air. God values us more than the simple sparrows … more than any other animal or any painting or anything. Remember, even while we are/were such a mess … even at our worst, God sent us His son. If that doesn’t make you special, you’re listening to the wrong crowd.

A Van Gogh = Millions of dollars.
A chocolate painting = Cash reward and accolades.
A digital caricature = Less than the cost of a frame.
My worth under God’s eyes = Priceless.

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA for sharing this joke.

Don’s Puns

Funny Video

Giant Turkey

(Could have been shorter)
Sent by Tom of Pasadena, CA

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C.  who shared these:

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