What goes around...
Last night, I saw karma at work.
My mother has been told that the account she runs will be shut down in 30 days, because the business arrangement just hasn't been working out. This puts her out of work three weeks before Christmas, and because of her ongoing dental work, she won't be able to apply elsewhere until the new year. She won't be able to take over my job, as I think has been her plan, because we have a new regional manager, and he said absolutely not.
I don't wish ill on her, but I find it interesting that she was given 30 days' notice. It has a nice synchronicity. I guess she'll miss my rent check a whole lot more now.
I spoke with my father last night. The biological one. He'd heard that I'm looking for a place in his area. He offered me a room in his house free of charge, but I know in my heart that's a bad idea. He offered to ask around, since he does a lot of electrician work for developers in the area who might know of cheap digs.
I think the most shocking thing was that he started to cry and apologized for not being more there for me. I didn't know exactly what to say-- I've never heard anything like that before, at least not so emotionally. I think I kind of froze. He told me that he was proud of me, and has been ever since the day he first saw me in the hospital. He told me that the custody case when I was twelve was never my fault, that my mother is quite unbalanced, and he 'took the ball and ran with it.' I think that there was something cleansing in hearing that, even if it wasn't from my mother.
I did speak with my Aunt Linda, mostly to find out what they're doing for Thanksgiving. This is the very Catholic Aunt Linda, who asked me if she could ask me something, and if I didn't want to answer, I wouldn't have to. Inwardly, I groaned.
"Chris, this has been on my heart for some time now, and I want you to know that I love you and pray for you. Are you into Wicca?"
So. We had the Broom Closet conversation. I made it as un-scary as I could possibly make it for her without being misleading. I likened candle magic to lighting candles to the saints and explained that my spiritual belief is that God/Divinity is all around us, in nature as well as in us as people and in Deity as an external force. She asked me about Jesus, and I told her that I think he was Divinity on Earth, sent to teach. However, because we're all different, God tries to reach us in different ways, and that's why Christianity isn't for me.
She was doing that "I'm kind of disturbed, but I love you, so I'm hearing you out" thing, but agreed that if God is like a wagon-wheel, all the spokes lead to the center, so maybe it's okay as long as God is in my heart. In response, I acknowledged that I don't think her faith is wrong, as long as it's right for her. I also had to explain that no, Paganism is not about demons, and no, I'm not being tempted by Satan. She seemed skeptical, but she knows I've got a good head, so I think that helped.
Oi. I am so so sick right now. My head feels like an over-full balloon, and I didn't sleep well at all last night. I'm at the queasy nasal-drip nausea stage. But! On the plus side, Mike and I are going to see Ben Folds and the BSO orchestra on Saturday. You're jealous, aren't you!
My mother has been told that the account she runs will be shut down in 30 days, because the business arrangement just hasn't been working out. This puts her out of work three weeks before Christmas, and because of her ongoing dental work, she won't be able to apply elsewhere until the new year. She won't be able to take over my job, as I think has been her plan, because we have a new regional manager, and he said absolutely not.
I don't wish ill on her, but I find it interesting that she was given 30 days' notice. It has a nice synchronicity. I guess she'll miss my rent check a whole lot more now.
I spoke with my father last night. The biological one. He'd heard that I'm looking for a place in his area. He offered me a room in his house free of charge, but I know in my heart that's a bad idea. He offered to ask around, since he does a lot of electrician work for developers in the area who might know of cheap digs.
I think the most shocking thing was that he started to cry and apologized for not being more there for me. I didn't know exactly what to say-- I've never heard anything like that before, at least not so emotionally. I think I kind of froze. He told me that he was proud of me, and has been ever since the day he first saw me in the hospital. He told me that the custody case when I was twelve was never my fault, that my mother is quite unbalanced, and he 'took the ball and ran with it.' I think that there was something cleansing in hearing that, even if it wasn't from my mother.
I did speak with my Aunt Linda, mostly to find out what they're doing for Thanksgiving. This is the very Catholic Aunt Linda, who asked me if she could ask me something, and if I didn't want to answer, I wouldn't have to. Inwardly, I groaned.
"Chris, this has been on my heart for some time now, and I want you to know that I love you and pray for you. Are you into Wicca?"
So. We had the Broom Closet conversation. I made it as un-scary as I could possibly make it for her without being misleading. I likened candle magic to lighting candles to the saints and explained that my spiritual belief is that God/Divinity is all around us, in nature as well as in us as people and in Deity as an external force. She asked me about Jesus, and I told her that I think he was Divinity on Earth, sent to teach. However, because we're all different, God tries to reach us in different ways, and that's why Christianity isn't for me.
She was doing that "I'm kind of disturbed, but I love you, so I'm hearing you out" thing, but agreed that if God is like a wagon-wheel, all the spokes lead to the center, so maybe it's okay as long as God is in my heart. In response, I acknowledged that I don't think her faith is wrong, as long as it's right for her. I also had to explain that no, Paganism is not about demons, and no, I'm not being tempted by Satan. She seemed skeptical, but she knows I've got a good head, so I think that helped.
Oi. I am so so sick right now. My head feels like an over-full balloon, and I didn't sleep well at all last night. I'm at the queasy nasal-drip nausea stage. But! On the plus side, Mike and I are going to see Ben Folds and the BSO orchestra on Saturday. You're jealous, aren't you!