So, picture this:
It's Christmas Eve and my daughter and I have managed to find two seats together in our church and they happen to be right up front. Not our favorite place to sit but what are you going to do? We were happy to find seats. While we were able to see everything that was going on on the altar, and were privileged to watch a little girl set the baby Jesus in the manger, we were also bothered by the conduct of a teenage girl who was sitting nearby.
This girl was sitting with her parents, siblings and niece. Prior to mass she was texting on her cellphone which was inappropriate enough, but did she have to begin videotaping the people in front of her while the mass was going on??? I ask you, why was this girl even in church that afternoon??? It was obvious that the solemnity of the occasion was totally lost on her. And...what was wrong with her parents, who were sitting right next to her, and didn't make sure she put her phone away for one hour to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child???
Backtrack a few months. I, again, walk into church and see a father and his son texting and playing games on their phones before mass starts. Isn't that time before mass for prayer, meditation, and reflection? What does playing on your cellphone have to do with prayer? Is it me or has society forgotten about appropriate phone usage?
A couple of years ago, my husband and I are at one of our favorite restaurants and a family we know comes in. We exchanged pleasantries then they sat down at a table nearby. Throughout the entire meal the daughter was so busy texting on her phone that she did not exchange one word of conversation with her parents and brother! Rude, disrespectful? Again, I ask, why didn't the parents tell her to put it away? Was it easier to let her be rude than deal with her moodiness if they confronted her?
I do recognize that there are times when the phone rings while shopping, dining, driving, or doing any assortment of activities. It happens to me frequently. Sometimes I answer and ask to call the person back, sometimes I carry on a brief conversation, and sometimes I let it go to voicemail and call the person back later. NEVER do I answer that phone in church, at the doctor's office, or while checking out at a store. And, NEVER do I text while driving.
It is up to each of us to weigh whether it is an appropriate time to answer that phone or if it can wait. Will answering upset the people we are with, will it show disrespect, will it disrupt the situation we are in? Not every call needs to be answered immediately. In fact, now that telemarketers have gotten a hold of our cell phone numbers, many don't ever have to be answered at all.
So, I'm hoping that my rant will bring enlightenment to those of us who use cellphones and get us thinking about being more aware of what is going around us and less focused on this mini-computer that seems to have taken over our lives.
*****************************************
New item!
Flexible Reversible Lap Style Fleece Beading Mats
I like to string the beads onto the yarn I am working with in the evening while I am watching TV. I found that I kept spilling the beads onto my lap so when I got up from the sofa there were more beads on the sofa and floor than on the yarn. Then I started putting a fleece blanket on my lap which is very comfortable in the winter but not in the summer. So, what to do? I came up with this beading mat design that uses fleece so the beads stay on the mat; the sides are raised so that if I shift my position the beads do not roll off, and the black and white sides allow me to change sides so that I can see the color of the beads easily.
It is a very valuable tool for my business and has made production of my products so much easier!
 |
| 10" X 12" reversible mat |
 |
| 12" X 20" reversible mat |
Check it out!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/174404420/reversible-flexible-lap-style-beading
Until next time...
Diane
No comments:
Post a Comment