Good afternoon.
Over the past three years, we’ve had three different trash
services (or was it four services) at our house. This company bought out that company, which
in turn was absorbed into a larger company, and so on.
I had paid for a year in advance with the company which was
absorbed by the larger one now serving us.
That year in advance ends November 1.
So far, the larger company has honored that advance payment. However, I am not interested in establishing
or continuing a relationship with software or an 800 number.
Phone calls to the company involve wait times of over an
hour. Prices have increased. The ability to speak to a live person, either
in person or on the phone, has diminished considerably. Furthermore, I do not wish to continue a
relationship that was established without my knowledge or consent.
But, I have a question.
Do I need to contact them to tell them I no longer want their
service? Or will they automatically
discontinue service on November 1? Will
they continue service automatically and bill me for it? Who knows…I certainly don’t.
I do know the new trash service will pick up where I desire
the other one to leave off. I can speak
to a live person at that service after just the second ring of the phone. She knows who I am. She has the information I need. I know we will have trash service after
November 1. As for the
conglomerate…well, I’m an old guy and just like to do business in a little more
personal manner than what is being offered.
By the way, English Rentals & Trash Service out of
Newton, Kansas is our new waste removal company beginning November 1. Stay tuned.
This might prove to be interesting.
It was only earlier this year that I became aware of a place
in Hazelton, Kansas…look that up in your Rand McNally atlas…the Freedom Gates
Boys Ranch. Freedom Gates is a fully
privately funded working ranch for troubled boys ages 11 to 18. They receive no finances from any government
agency. Nor do they charge families a
set fee. They are totally reliant on
donations. They serve boys and their
families…and they do it well and without fanfare.
The program is faith based.
School is private on the premises.
They are licensed by the state regarding housing standards, safety and
fire standards. But they are free to
develop their own program, their own curriculum, and their own way of doing
things.
Boys actively work the ranch. They have cattle, horses, gardens, field
crops, and all the rest that goes with ranches and ranching. The boys actively work those areas as their
age allows. They learn skills such as
welding, construction, fence building, working livestock, electrician, plumber
and other trades work.
They learn to work with and support each other. They develop not only work skills, but life
skills that will remain with them long after they depart the ranch.
In addition, they receive appropriate therapy along with
their families with the goal of eventual re-integration. If that is not a possibility, that young man
may stay at the ranch until he reaches adulthood, and may even stay at the
ranch longer than that, helping the younger boys, mentoring, and teaching. Quite the place for such a small community as
Hazelton, Kansas. Check it out.
The next days and weeks may well be “interesting” insofar as
how the various state and local governments navigate the uncertainty of the
federal government shutdown. Of course,
we're hearing the extremes of both sides of this debacle. One side is saying that people will go hungry
and without health care. The other side
is saying we can’t afford to continue down the debt spiral, and even now may be
beyond a point of no return.
On a local level…on a neighbor to neighbor level, how do we
as a church family react? Furthermore,
how do we proactively plan for a possible increase in hungry children and
families coming to our food pantry? How
do we navigate helping our neighbors get through the week or even the day? What about our members who are affected? Will they tell us of their need? And if they do, how do we respond
appropriately?
Depending on the length of the shutdown, we may see some
Social Security checks not come through.
We may see some Medicare payments not being made. We already are seeing SNAP and WIC benefits
being cut. Are we as a society…and more
particularly, are we as a church preparing for something that may directly
affect us in some basic-need way? It’s a
question we need to ask, and begin to formulate a response.
Standard Time begins Sunday morning, November 2. There is always a big discussion about this
time of year regarding whether or not to continue this Standard-to-Daylight and
Daylight-to-Standard time adjustment.
Some love the extra hour of daylight in the evenings. But that has to be tempered with the fact
that that hour was taken from the morning, making sunrise well after many
people are at work and kids are going to school. No extra hour of daylight magically appears
in the day. We rob Peter to pay Paul.
I don’t know if I like it or not. Yes, I like the hour in the evening in the
summer. But I don’t like getting up to
darkness or barely daylight in the morning as the days shorten.
Whatever is done or not done, not everyone will be
happy. There will always be factions on
both sides of the discussion, and many occupying the middle areas. That’s the way it usually is with most
things. We should know by now that we
can say our piece…our opinion…then let the chips fall where they may. If they are in our favor…good. If not, well, we live to fight another
battle.
Thanks for listening this week. Regardless of which side you’re on regarding
Daylight Saving time, remember the God who created time and daylight…and
created you.
Blessings,
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