What's a prayer?

For some, a prayer is an uttered plea.
For some, it's made on bended knee.
Some bow their heads and close their eyes;
Some plead upward toward the skies.

Fingers light candles with symbolic smoke,
Prayers are different for different folk.
God loves his children, every one.
He hears every prayer under the sun.

His answers too, come in different ways.
Some come with magnificent displays.
Some answers come as a call from a friend.
Sometimes, the answer that God does send
Is a feeling of warmth of tenderest peace
That couldn't be felt when upon my knees.

This I know, however I pray
God hears and understands my way
Of offering my prayer and asking from Him
My deepest desire when life seems most dim.

Do you love me?

I leaned over to say goodbye.
She clasped my hand and caught my eye.
"Do you love me?" She asked.
"Yes, I do", my little lass.
"How much?" was her reply.
I held her hand and dried my eye.

The Bud

Color just begins to appear;
The roses' blossoming is near.
Anticipation stirs the blood
As the flower emerges from the bud.

Will the flower reach full bloom
As aroma fills the room?
Will the bud be taken before it's season?
A premature end defies all reason!

Today we anxiously awaited word.
The slow ticking of the clock seemed absurd.
Each opened door brought a start
And I would nearly swallow my heart.

At last we saw a green clad smile
And we know we'd been given another while.
I'll drink in the fragrance while I may.
I'll enjoy the flower's beauty one more day.

I love you Aubrey,
Grandpa Vance

Vacation plans have changed

We had planned to go to South Dakota to be with our oldest daughter and her family for the Fourth of July. We are going to see them a bit earlier, and under different circumstances than we had anticipated. We are going to meet them at the Ronald McDonald House in Denver this evening. They are in the process of preparing for a major illness for our oldest Granddaughter.

We would really appreciate your prayers on her behalf.

Attitude

Earlier this week, my wife and I went to do some shopping at the local department store. I was headed for an experience that would teach me about attitude.

I had bought some some large plastic flower pots earlier in the week. When I got home with them, I discovered that although the drain tray was there on the pot I could see, the other two drain trays were absent. I was there in the garden department of the store and saw a clerk at the end of one of the rows. I asked here what I needed to do to get the trays that should have been there. The lady was rude and let me know in an unkind voice and curt answer that I would have to talk to someone in Gardening. I was already there. I tried to shrug off her bad attitude. I continued shopping.

I paid for five bags of mushroom compost. I was sent out into the the rain to get my merchandise only to find that there was only one bag of compost when I had paid for five. I returned to the cashier to resolve the situation. The cashier was abrupt and sent me to the customer service department to get my money back.

The conversation with the customer service representative started on a friendlier note. She expressed concern and asked to see my receipt. I had paid with a credit card. She told me that they would issue a credit to my card. I asked her how long it would take to process. Her answer was, "I don't use credit and I don't know how long it will take". I wasn't in the mood to receive that response. I considered it a slap in the face.

By the time I walked back out to my car in the rain, I was furious. I said to my wife, "I should talk to a manager." to which she responded, "Why don't you?"

I stomped back into the store and asked to speak with a store manager. He listened to my concern and assured me that it would be dealt with.

I thought that talking to the manager would make me feel better. It didn't. I felt that there were four people at fault. The first was the rude clerk. A courteous answer would not have been any more difficult than her rude response. The second person at fault was the curt cashier. A little kindness would have gone a long way. The third person at fault was the customer service representative with her impertinent answer. A simple, "I don't know" would have answered my question. The fourth person at fault was the demanding customer. I should not have reacted the way I did.

I have run through this situation in my mind a hundred times since it happened. How would you suggest that I should have handled this situation?