http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/ en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:03:36 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/images/misc/rss.png http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/ http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4471-The-Debbie-Chronicles-(The-Circus-in-Which-We-Live)&goto=newpost Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:47:29 GMT “...it’s not that I can’t afford to pay, it’s that I won’t pay that amount!” — Quote by Beverly But...my comment fell on deaf ears, for my... “...it’s not that I can’t afford to pay, it’s that I won’t pay that amount!”
— Quote by Beverly

But...my comment fell on deaf ears, for my sister has Downs Syndrome and sometimes just can’t make the right connections. You see, I took her to the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, and during the time of intermission she wanted some Cotton Candy. The concession-sellers were up and down the aisles, hawking their wares, yelling ‘Cotton Candy!’, ‘Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade’, ‘Hot Popcorn!’ — but as he made his way towards us I was able to overhear what almost caused a riot!!! A man yelled back to the Cotton Candy seller ‘I’ll take 4’ — the seller then threw them up towards him and as he did, the man then pitched them to each of his four children who were gleeful — but their glee was short-lived when the father said ‘how much?’ and the seller yelled back “$48 dollars” — the father said ‘for 4 bags??? I’m not paying that!’ so he immediately started collecting the bags from his kids and pitching them back to the seller but the seller said he couldn’t return them because the kids had already removed the little paper-hat from the package.. but the father won- out;... the kids were whining; ‘Dad’ was no longer the hero!!! All of this too fell on deaf ears to my sister because as the Cotton Candy seller got near to us she said “I want a pink one” — and I said ‘no, I’m NOT paying $12 for a little bag of Cotton Candy’ — then you should have heard the whining!!! To placate her I said cheerfully ‘let’s go get an ice cream’ to which she replied ‘good idea, Sis!’ so as we got to the stand that was selling the ice cream, in front of us was a lady with three children who ordered three small dishes of ice cream for the kids — as he handed her the last one he said ‘that’ll be $15’ and the Mom said ‘I’m not paying $15 for that small of a dish of ice cream’ — so, she handed all three back to the seller, he pitched them in the trash, and said ‘next’ to us — I took a look at the little dishes and saw the minuscule amount of ice-cream (perhaps 1/3 of a scoop in each one for $5!!!) and I pulled my sis out of line and said “I’m not paying $5 for that!” — her response was “Fine! I’ll just starve myself!!!” — so back to our seats we went. When we got home she was telling my husband all about the circus, showing him the photo she had taken on the back of a fake lion ($17.00!!! for one Polaroid photo!) and it was then she proclaimed “my sister couldn’t afford to buy me any cotton candy or ice cream; I wish I took my money to help her out” — We both burst out laughing and as usual, my sis said ‘is that funny?’ and I said ‘yes, that’s really funny because that’s what you’ll be telling everyone at Sunday School tomorrow’ — but again my comment fell upon deaf ears that cannot understand the different between ‘can’t afford to pay’ versus ‘I won’t pay that amount!’ And so it goes...my life at the circus in which we live!

— “The Debbie Chronicles, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription to “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Family David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4471-The-Debbie-Chronicles-(The-Circus-in-Which-We-Live) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4457-The-Debbie-Chronicles-((No-trespassing!)&goto=newpost Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:21:21 GMT “If the sign says do not trespass, you are not supposed to trespass against those who have trespassed against you.” — Quote by Beverly’s sister who... “If the sign says do not trespass, you are not supposed to trespass against those who have trespassed against you.”
— Quote by Beverly’s sister who has Downs Syndrome, now age 55

So as we approached the beautifully land- scaped park with its huge pond, colorfully lit fountains, with geese and ducks to feed, my sister quickly walked ahead of me so she could get to the entrance first. As I caught up to her, I noticed an immediate change in her countenance and inquired what’s wrong? She then told me that the sign says “No trespass”...and I said, but look at all the people down there feeding the ducks...she then said ‘If the sign says do not trespass, then you are not supposed to trespass against those who have trespassed against you.’...I had to turn my head so she would not see me laughing...I then regained my composure and said ‘let’s go anyway!’ —and she said ‘no, sister, it’s not right cause the sign says it is closed from 7pm to 7am and it’s 8 o’clock. Earlier, at the restaurant, I had given her a little lesson about taking the ‘Sweet & Low” packets off of the table and putting them in her pockets. I told her we had plenty at home...she then said ‘but they are free’ and I said ‘no, the restaurant has to pay for them. When the bill came, she asked to see the ticket and as she read down the bill she said ‘see they are free, they are not on the ticket’ and then she proceeded to get more to stuff in her pocket. It’s good she knows right from wrong — but do I? Here I am chiding her about the sugar packets yet I’m more than willing for us to trespass on the property during the curfew hours and urging her to do the same! How crazy we humans are to be selective in our integrity. We are what we are when we think no one is looking. How often we say ‘it doesn’t matter’ when in fact it DOES matter and yet we choose to look the other say. Watch yourself for a few days and see just how important integrity is to you — if someone were to watch you for a week and record everything, would it show utmost integrity or something on which you need to work? It’s good sometimes to take stock of our lives and see how we’re doing... I’m glad my little sister gave me a wake-up call about my value system...I thought it was ‘par excellence’ until this incident. I’ve got some homework to do. (And if you wonder if we went on down to the waterline to see the ducks up close and personal, we did not, but not on account of MY values; it was because of HERS!)

— “The Debbie Chronicles, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription to “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Family David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4457-The-Debbie-Chronicles-((No-trespassing!)