87.5 hours

Greetings in the name of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. How is everyone doing? I pray that this blog finds you in good health and spirits. We took Micah to the Child Study Center in Oklahoma City, OK. on Tueday. We found out that his Autism is worse then we thought. We had thought (& hoped) that he had Asperger's which is a mild form of Autism. But, it turns out that he actually has Autism. The good news is that we walked out of the Child Study Center with lots of information & resources. I highly recomend the Child Study Center to anyone who needs their child evaluated.

Well, I have less then 5 days left at SERTCO. This comming Thursday will be my last day. Werner will then bus me to Dallas, TX over the weekend. I will start orientation that Monday. I can't beleive that it is coming up so fast. Part of me is excited to get back into the truck. I do like being a truck driver. It is the best job I ever had. But at the same time I hate being away from my wife and children.

Love,
The Oklahoma Tomcat
http://www.myspace.com/oktomcat
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Huge changes at the Jones Family

IS GOD PLEASED WHEN A PERSON DOESN'T USE THEIR GIFTS TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILY?   Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  How is everyone doing?  I pray that this post finds everyone in good health and spirits.  We are doing good here.  We had a barbecue and watched some fireworks on Independence day.  Today starts my two week vacation.  My plan is to get things ready around the house for a major change that our family is about to take and to spend time together.   I was going to take my vacation the first two weeks of August to visit my dad in New York who has cancer.  We realized that we were not going to do It because we are short on money.  This upset me a lot and it made me realize that we are no better off today then we were when I left truck driving two years ago.  In fact, we are worse off now.  We are living paycheck to paycheck and have been on government assistance for two years.  The way things are going, we are going to be on government assistance for the rest of our lives.  That isn't good.  Something is wrong.   For those who know me or follow me on blogger or the social networks that I am on, you know that I believe that the man must support his family.  He must be able to meet the needs of his family without being on long term assistance.  I do believe in getting temporary help when there are unexpected bills or when someone losses their job, but it is to be temporary.   Another thing is that I believe everyone is given a gifts by our Father in Heaven.  These are gifts we are given to glorify God and meet the needs of our family.  We are not glorifying God when we are depending on the government to meet our needs and being a burden on society.  You may have seen people who has a natural talent in drawing, singing, photography, ect.  These are just a few gifts that God gives people.  Other gifts that people are given are finances, business, typing, computer, cleaning, driving, yard work, and much more.  It is up to us to find out what our God given gifts are and to use them.   So, how do you know when you have found your God given gift?  Some may think that it is when you have found something that you enjoy.  That is wrong.  You may enjoy singing or acting but God gave you the gift to do missionary work.  You know that you have found your God given Gift when the work you are doing comes to you real easy with little or no training.  When you do a job and it just seems to come naturally and people complement you a lot for it.  But, remember who the true credit goes to when you are complemented.  Once this happens, you have found your God given gift and are now doing what God wants you to do.   In may of 2001 I started a new carrier in truck driving.  It was something that I wanted to do as a child.  The door was opened when I got some money from a settlement in Virginia.  So, I took that money, quit my job and went to the United States Truck Driving School in Tulsa, OK.  While in school, I found it easy to drive and back the truck.  I then drove for CRST and did real good.  I got lots of compliments from my supervisor advanced very quickly to Lead Driver and Driver Trainer.  There is no doubt that I was given the gift of driving trucks by God.   I left the road when my wife was pregnant with our son, Micah.  She was having complications so I came home to help her.  After Micah was born, I wanted to be home with my family.  So, I got a job at Sertco as a grounds keeper and janitor.  The plan was that we would get government help with food until we got our family farm up and we could grow and raise our own food.  Well, we started getting into a rut.  Need money to start a family farm and all of our money was going into other needs (medical bills, gas, vehicle maint., home repairs, ect.).  The crazy thing is that we live simple and don't have a lot of things.  No electricity, no TV, no car payments, and we own our house.  Yet, we are living paycheck to paycheck.  So, where is the problem?   Some may say, "Well, a lot of people are having problems.  It is the economy, I do not accept that.  Yes, the economy is bad.  But God paves the way for us during difficult times.  Also, if it was just the economy, then we would only need temporary help.  The way we are going, we will be needing help for the rest of our lives.   Some may think that the wife should work outside of the house to help out. I disagree in so many ways.  First of all, it is the responsibility of the husband to provide the needs of the family.  It is the responsibility of the wife to raise the children and use the resources that the husband provides responsibly.  Raising children is full time work alone.  Then of course there is many more things that a wife does around the house.  No, a wife should not have to work outside of the home.  If the family can not make it on the husbands pay without government help then the husband and wife needs to figure out what is wrong.  Remember that the husband doesn't need to make lots of money but he should be able to make enough to meet the NEEDS of the family.   My wife and I looked over our situation.  We have cut back a lot and there isn't much more we can cut back.  The little more that we could cut out will not make our situation much better.  Therefor, I must not be using the gifts that God has given me properly.  Looking back at the last two years, I do see that I don't have the gifts as a grounds keeper or a janitor.  I do enjoy working outside and in the yard but I don't do a great job.  I try real hard to do a great job, I want to do a great job, but I don't do a great job.  When I was truck driving I amazed people and got lots of complements and it wasn't that hard for me.  As a grounds keeper and janitor I try real hard to do a great job but don't get a lot of compliments.  So, grounds keeper and janitor isn't a gift that has been given to me and that is why my family is living paycheck to paycheck even after we cut back so much.  When you use the gifts God gave you, you will do real good and advance very fast.  It becomes a carrier where employers want you and are willing to pay you good for.   I filled out an on-line application that went to lots of trucking companies.  The next day I got over 30 companies contacting me and wanting me to drive for them.  I will start to call the companies today and find out which company will be the best one for me to drive for.  I will then give Sertco my two week notice when I return from vacation on the 20th of July.   This wasn't an easy decision to make.  I would much rather have a job where I will be home every night and on weekends.  But it comes down to what God wants, not what I want.  God wants me to use the gifts He gave me to glorify Him.  I am not glorifying Him by depending on the government to meet our needs and being a burden to society.   Well, I will end this blog but will keep you updated on my job change.  You can also follow me at: http://www.facebook.com/oktomcat http://twitter.com/oktomcat http://www.myspace.com/oktomcat http://theoklahomatomcat.blogspot.com/  I thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  Take care and God Bless.   Love, The Oklahoma Tomcat http://www.myspace.com/oktomcat

For Body and spirit

For the spirit: Oak and Acorn By: Caitlyn Maguire We choose not to listen to the Others; the wounded, the dying, the elders, the Children or soldiers, or the "mentally ill," for they speak a louder truth that We have spent our lives denying, pushing aside, as not really significant given The facts, the logic, the lack of intellectual theory. They speak with the voice Of the prophets, soothsayers, the saints and the downtrodden, they are the voice Of God, and he is still crying in the wilderness of our hearts, gone still, and Cold. They see differently, they understand, they love and they forgive for they know. Sometimes, they are very sad, and their bones grow weary with the weight, their Hair grows long and their mouth droops, their feet are sodden, and legs weak, Ears grow dim, because their heart is growing larger, their spirit bolder, their Soul sharper, and they have grown beautiful, fleshy, golden, wings … but if you Turn your head away in shame, you will not hear. It is said, they speak too loud, ask too much, speak at all the wrong times, say It the wrong way, and don't agree with you. We save a tree, a dolphin, a rain Forest; yet these sacred ones walk with us, whispering an unshushable wisdom and Vision. We put them away, off to the side, in homes, in "special places" … "where they can be cared for," but we lose out, for life is not made to be easy. We are their brothers and sisters and if we push them away, we will miss life's Greatest treasures, we dishonor them and pass on the message that the trials and Initiations of illness, poverty, age, and specialty mean nothing, that to grow, Or suffer has no value, to have lived, worked hard, and loved much has no place In our culture or family. The message to our children is clear: stay young and Beautiful and avoid feeling pain. I do not think we will ever be whole, until we can hear these voices, until we Are them. For it is the time we give, an earthly dimension which is the value of our gift To others, a smile of knowing, the whisper of love in the caress of our Attention, the wee spirited thoughts of them that manifest the hours they feel Beloved, deep in their bones, they will know the honor of loves might. It is how We listen, without bias, without self, how we can know them, how they feel Understood, seen, and significant. It is our willingness to dance to their Fiddler, to see the mountain from the other side. So we too will learn what love Really is; a seed, a promise, made with each rising sun. For the Body: Muffins 5 c. Flour 5 tsp. Soda 2 tsp. Salt 2 tsp. Allspice 15 oz. Raisin bran 3 c. Sugar Mix above ingredients. Add: 1 c. Oil 1 qt. Buttermilk 2 tsp. Vanilla Mix well. Butter muffin tins well and fill 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.