Here's my comical tale of woe:

Yesterday marked the last day of my work operating under its name, as it has been taken over by new owners. As such, quite a few things have changed... The general store layout has been completely ruined, my pay and number of hours were set to rise, I was going to score a mobile phone, and we had a new uniform. The new area manager, in his attempts to encompass the 'loving family' image of the new owners, organised an 'Official Uniform Presentation Ceremony', mainly because he's a tool (no pun intended).

Turns out it's an extremely casual BBQ, and the area manager didn't end up showing. Anyway, I'm not caring, I'm enjoying my free feed and a 'few' social drinks. I don't mind admitting that I'm partial to West Coast coolers (which is funny enough in itself), so I hooked in, them being free and all. 7 or 8 coolers later, they'd dried up... and I wasn't about to drink rancid VB. So naturally, I cracked open the bottle of Kahlúa that I had with me as a result of the previous nights partying (which by the way was the best night ever, so perhaps this is karma). To cut a long story short, I was completely off my guts, got told to stop dancing on the roof, etc etc. Me = drunk as a skunk.

It came time to leave. Being in no condition to drive, one of my friends offered me a lift to the place I was staying. I drunkenly obliged, but said I wanted to move my car out onto the street first, as it was in the carpark which is locked at night, and I wanted to drive home later. I can't remember exactly what he said, but he didn't end up letting me. Anyway, I'm drunk at my friends house... He had to pick up his sister from a nearby train station, so the plan was we'd get back to my work before they'd locked up, he'd drive my car back, and his sister would drive his car back. All was well, except when we got there, the gates were very much locked. Undeterred, I sized up the gutter and surrounding garden, decided 'she'll be right', and carefully drove my car through the garden inbetween the entrance and exit gates. We checked the garden afterwards, and there was minimal damage. In fact, I was pretty disappointed. Anyway, we carried on as planned, and that was the end of it. Or so I thought.

Cut to this morning. I wake up at 7am after 3 hours sleep, as my friend had to go to work. I pick up my Maccas breakfast, and head to work, intending to dump all my stuff there as usual, eat my no doubt toxic brekky in the lunchroom, then while away the day with a spot of shopping before work started. Upon walking in, I'm confronted by the store manager. He shall be reffered to as 'Mr Snrub'. "What time do you start?", bellowed Mr Snrub. I really had no decent response, so I just told him the truth; "4pm", then hastily nicked off.
Next thing I know, I'm called into his office. That's already pretty abnormal, since I was seemingly 8 hours early for work. Mr Snrub: "Do you know why you're here?" I had no clue. As far as I'd known, last night had been really fun, but was now in the past. After a bit more patronising banter, he tells me about my 'destroying the garden' (pfft), and somehow twists it into a reflection of my attitude towards the takeover. WTF? Also, I apparently had intentions of drink driving home (which is a 45 minute drive). Which, even if it were true, is of course entirely his business . I'm giving perfectly good explainations for everything, and he's making out as if I went out of my way to damage 'his' garden, and was involved in some government conspiracy to overthrow the company or something. Whatever. My favourite quote:

quote:

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Originally spoken by Mr Snrub:
Most people drive out through the gates, if we wanted you to drive through the garden we would have covered it in asphalt.

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quote:

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Originally retorted by E-102 Gamma:
The gates were locked.

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Fairly self-evident, since he locked them himself.

I explained that I needed my car, that the 'destruction' was unintentional, and that I'm quite happy to pay for any damage (since I know for a fact that it will amount to no more than $5 worth of pov plants). I'm told that I "won't be needed today", and that he'd "think about it" and I should "ring tomorrow to see if I'm needed at all". On my way out, I went to a really remote phone extension, entered the override code, rung a random 1900 number and left the phone off the hook.

Although I know that you feel that your Store Manager, "Mr Snub", was in the wrong, I would like to offer this story form his point of view -
Today marked the first day of my work operating under its new name, as it has been taken over by new owners. As such, quite a few things have changed... The general store layout has been completely renovated, the staff pay and number of hours were set to rise, some were going to score a mobile phone, and we had a new uniform. We wanted to show the staff the 'loving family' image of the new owners with an 'Official Uniform Presentation Ceremony', the area manager suggested. Personally, I though it was a bit over the top, but more of an excuse to get to know each other.

It was a semi formal BBQ, but the area manager didn't end up coming, he was having a few problems at home. It was my responsibility basically to look after the place - to make sure everyhting ran smoothly. Thankfully everybody was enjoying the night and the social drinks.

One of the staff that worked with us hit the booze quite hard, beer after beer, even a Kahlúa we think. I still didn't worry too much as he seemed to be enjoying himself, yeah, let's just say a heck a lot! Last time I saw him he was on the roof!

Still the gathering started to come to a close, and from work I could tell this bloke was at times willing to push the limit, he kept telling us stories of how he liked to party hard. He certainly had a reputation for it. Anyway it was up to me to lock up, and best not to take any chances I made sure that his car was locked up, it's be safer that way everybody, and he'd thank me later anyway...

The next day I had to be back early to open up, but when I got to work I saw that we were down one car and there were skid marks on the garden. I went inside and called the police to report a theft, after all the kid left way before I locked the place up last night so he probably got a lift back home. Suffice to say I spent a busy morning - the police showed told and told them about the night. Especially how the chap who owned the car got pretty drunk.

Well the police said they would see what they could do, as it was still pretty early in the morning. Well time passed and a few of the other employees started to show up, and it was only after idle conversation that it became apparant that the kid actually drove the car back himself.

"****," I thought to myself, "what the hell am I going to tell the cops? They well know that everybody there was drunk, what are they going to when they find out it was him that took the car?"

As it turned out I didn't have much time to think, just ten minutes later the kid showed up with a Macca's breakfast, I walked up to him and asked him -

"What time do you start?"

He replied, "4pm." At that point it was pretty clear that the reason he was here so early was to cover up his tracks by fixing the garden. I needed to go back into the office to think about this.

The police would probably charge him if they found out that he took the car, and more so I would have no idea what action they would take against me for giving in a false report. I decided that I may as well call him in to see if I should take pity on him, and try to get him out of getting into more serious trouble with the police.

I asked him if he knew why he was here, he wasn't very forthcoming, so I basically started to focus on the garden and how normal people wouldn't drive through one - after all this is basically the reason why it appeared to be a theft, and why now I had to sort something out with the police.

He said something about paying for the damage of the garden, and how he needed the car. This of course didn't help the issue, and was the least of my concerns. So I sent him home. It really depends on what actions the police are going to take, before I can know if he's needed at all. Hopefully I'll get things sorted out and see him tomorrow.

Only then did I glance to the pabx phone, I thought to myself - "That line has certainly been busy...."

Note: Please excuse any errors, as I have a cold and my brain is fuzzed.

1. He keeps his job. - This can be achieved by careful thinking, perhaps by actually finding out if there was only a misunderstanding between the two. In any event cooperative behaviour does more good.
2. He looses his Job. This would be horrid. Especially if it turns out he can avoid it by doing what was listed in point 1.

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" give until it hurts.." - Mother Teresa

On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, "Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me." Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, "Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me." These will ask Him, "When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?" And Jesus will answer them, "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!" As we have gathered here to pray together, I think it will be beautiful if we begin with a prayer that expresses very well what Jesus wants us to do for the least.

St. Francis of Assisi understood very well these words of Jesus and His life is very well expressed by a prayer. And this prayer, which we say every day after Holy Communion, always surprises me very much, because it is very fitting for each one of us. And I always wonder whether 800 years ago when St. Francis lived, they had the same difficulties that we have today. I think that some of you already have this prayer of peace - so we will pray it together. Let us thank God for the opportunity He has given us today to have come here to pray together. We have come here especially to pray for peace, joy and love. We are reminded that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor. He had told us what is that good news when He said: "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you." He came not to give the peace of the world which is only that we don't bother each other. He came to give the peace of heart which comes from loving - from doing good to others. And God loved the world so much that He gave His son - it was a giving. God gave His son to the Virgin Mary, and what did she do with Him? As soon as Jesus came into Mary's life, immediately she went in haste to give that good news. And as she came into the house of her cousin, Elizabeth, Scripture tells us that the unborn child - the child in the womb of Elizabeth - leapt with joy. While still in the womb of Mary - Jesus brought peace to John the Baptist who leapt for joy in the womb of Elizabeth. The unborn was the first one to proclaim the coming of Christ. And as if that were not enough, as if it were not enough that God the Son should become one of us and bring peace and joy while still in the womb of Mary, Jesus also died on the Cross to show that greater love. He died for you and for me, and for the leper and for that man dying of hunger and that naked person lying in the street, no only of Calcutta, but of Africa, and everywhere.

Our Sisters serve these poor people in 105 countries throughout the world. Jesus insisted that we love one another as He loves each one of us. Jesus gave His life to love us and He tells us that we also have to give whatever it takes to do good to one another. And in the Gospel Jesus says very clearly: "Love as I have loved you." Jesus died on the Cross because that is what it took for Him to do good to us - to save us from our selfishness in sin. He gave up everything to do the Father's will - to show us that we too must be willing to give up everything to do God's will - to love one another as He loves each of us. If we are not willing to give whatever it takes to do good to one another, sin is still in us. That is why we too must give to each other until it hurts. It is not enough for us to say: "I love God," but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts.

Otherwise, there is not true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me. It hurt Jesus to love us. We have been created in His image for greater things, to love and to be loved. We must "put on Christ" as Scripture tells us. And so, we have been created to love as He loves us. Jesus makes Himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the unwanted one, and He says, "You did it to Me." On the last day He will say to those on His right, "whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me, and He will also say to those on His left, whatever you neglected to do for the least of these, you neglected to do it for Me." When He was dying on the Cross, Jesus said, "I thirst." Jesus is thirsting for our love, and this is the thirst of everyone, poor and rich alike. We all thirst for the love of others, that they go out of their way to avoid harming us and to do good to us. This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts.

I can never forget the experience I had in visiting a home where they kept all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them into an institution and forgotten them - maybe. I saw that in that home these old people had everything - good food, comfortable place, television, everything, but everyone was looking toward the door. And I did not see a single one with a smile on the face. I turned to Sister and I asked: "Why do these people who have every comfort here, why are they all looking toward the door? Why are they not smiling?" I am so used to seeing the smiles on our people, even the dying ones smile. And Sister said: "This is the way it is nearly everyday. They are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten." And see, this neglect to love brings spiritual poverty. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there? Are we willing to give until it hurts in order to be with our families, or do we put our own interests first?

These are the questions we must ask ourselves, especially as we begin this year of the family. We must remember that love begins at home and we must also remember that 'the future of humanity passes through the family.' I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given to drugs. And I tried to find out why. Why is it like that, when those in the West have so many more things than those in the East? And the answer was: 'Because there is no one in the family to receive them.' Our children depend on us for everything - their health, their nutrition, their security, their coming to know and love God. For all of this, they look to us with trust, hope and expectation. But often father and mother are so busy they have no time for their children, or perhaps they are not even married or have given up on their marriage. So their children go to the streets and get involved in drugs or other things. We are talking of love of the child, which is were love and peace must begin. These are the things that break peace.

But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts. By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And, by abortion, that father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. The father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.

Many people are very, very concerned with the children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about all the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions who are being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today - abortion which brings people to such blindness. And for this I appeal in India and I appeal everywhere - "Let us bring the child back." The child is God's gift to the family. Each child is created in the special image and likeness of God for greater things - to love and to be loved. In this year of the family we must bring the child back to the center of our care and concern. This is the only way that our world can survive because our children are the only hope for the future. As older people are called to God, only their children can take their places. But what does God say to us? He says: "Even if a mother could forget her child, I will not forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand." We are carved in the palm of His hand; that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God from conception and is called by God to love and loved, not only now in this life, but forever. God can never forget us.

The beautiful gift God has given our congregation is to fight abortion by adoption. We have already, from our house in Calcutta, over 3,000 children in adoption. And I can't tell you what joy, what love, what peace those children have brought into those families. It has been a real gift of God for them and for us. I remember one of the little ones was very sick, so I sent for the father and the mother and I asked them: "Please give me back the sick child. I will give you a healthy one." And the father looked at me and said, "Mother Teresa, take my life first than take the child." So beautiful to see it--so much love, so much joy that little one has brought into that family. So pray for us that we continue this beautiful gift. And also I offer you--our Sisters are here--anybody who doesn't want the child, please give it to me. I want the child. I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption - by care of the mother and adoption for her baby. We have saved thousands of lives. We have sent word to the clinics, to the hospitals and police stations: "Please don't destroy the child; we will take the child." So we always have someone tell the mothers in trouble: "Come, we will take care of you, we will get a home for your child." And we have a tremendous demand from couples who cannot have a child - but I never give a child to a couple who have done something not to have a child. Jesus said, "Anyone who receives a child in my name, receives me." By adopting a child, these couples receive Jesus but, by aborting a child, a couple refuses to receive Jesus. Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child.

From our children's home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3000 children from abortion. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents and have grown up so full of love and joy. I know that couples have to plan their family and for that there is natural family planning. The way to plan the family is natural family planning, not contraception. In destroying the power of giving life, through contraception, a husband or wife is doing something to self. This turns the attention to self and so it destroys the gifts of love in him or her. In loving, the husband and wife must turn the attention to each other as happens in natural family planning, and not to self, as happens in contraception. Once that living love is destroyed by contraception, abortion follows very easily. I also know that there are great problems in the world - that many spouses do not love each other enough to practice natural family planning. We cannot solve all the problems in the world, but let us never bring in the worst problem of all, and that is to destroy love. And this is what happens when we tell people to practice contraception and abortion.

The poor are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things. Once one of them came to thank us for teaching her natural family planning and said: "You people who have practiced chastity, you are the best people to teach us natural family planning because it is nothing more than self-control out of love for each other." And what this poor person said is very true. These poor people maybe have nothing to eat, maybe they have not a home to live in, but they can still be great people when they are spiritually rich. When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread. But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out of society - that spiritual poverty is much harder to overcome. And abortion, which often follows from contraception, brings a people to be spiritually poor, and that is the worst poverty and the most difficult to overcome.

Those who are materially poor can be very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition. I told the Sisters: "You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one who looks worse." So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: "thank you" - and she died. I could not help but examine my conscience before her. And I asked: "What would I say if I were in her place?" And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said: "I am hungry, I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain," or something. But she gave me much more - she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face. Then there was the man we picked up from the drain, half eaten by worms and, after we had brought him to the home, he only said, "I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die as an angel, loved and cared for." Then, after we had removed all the worms from his body, all he said, with a big smile, was: "Sister, I am going home to God" - and he died.

It was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that without blaming anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel - this is the greatness of people who are spiritually rich even when they are materially poor. We are not social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of some people, but we must be contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we must bring that presence of God into your family, for the family that prays together, stays together. There is so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice, are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put into what we do. If we are contemplatives in the heart of the world with all its problems, these problems can never discourage us. We must always remember what God tells us in Scripture: "Even if a mother could forget the child in her womb" - something impossible, but even if she could forget - "I will never forget you." And so here I am talking with you. I want you to find the poor here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Be that good news to your own people first. And find out about your next-door neighbors. Do you know who they are?

I had the most extraordinary experience of love of neighbor with a Hindu family. A gentleman came to our house and said: "Mother Teresa, there is a family who have not eaten for so long. Do something." So I took some rice and went there immediately. And I saw the children - their eyes shining with hunger. I don't know if you have ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And the mother of the family took the rice I gave her and went out. When she came back, I asked her: "Where did you go? What did you do?" And she gave me a very simple answer: "They are hungry also." What struck me was that she knew - and who are they? A Muslim family - and she knew. I didn't bring any more rice that evening because I wanted them, Hindus and Muslims, to enjoy the joy of sharing. But there were those children, radiating joy, sharing the joy and peace with their mother because she had the love to give until it hurts.

And you see this is where love begins - at home in the family.

So, as the example of this family shows, God will never forget us and there is something you and I can always do. We can keep the joy of loving Jesus in our hearts, and share that joy with all we come in contact with. Let us make that one point - that no child will be unwanted, unloved, uncared for, or killed and thrown away. And give until it hurts - with a smile.

As you know, we have a number of homes here in the United States, where people need tender love and care. This is the joy of sharing. Come and share. We have the young people suffering with AIDS. They need that tender love and care. But such beautiful--I've never yet seen a young man or anybody displeased or angy or frightened, really going home to God. Such a beautiful smile, always. So let us pray that we have the gift of sharing the joy with others and giving until it hurts. Because I talk so much of giving with a smile, once a professor from the United States asked me: "Are you married?" And I said: "Yes, and I find it sometimes very difficult to smile at my spouse, Jesus, because He can be very demanding - sometimes." This is really something true. And this is where love comes in - when it is demanding, and yet we can give it with joy.

One of the most demanding things for me is travelling everywhere - and with publicity. I have said to Jesus that if I don't go to heaven for anything else, I will be going to heaven for all the travelling with all the publicity, because it has purified me and sacrificed me and made me really ready to go home to God. If we remember that God loves us, and that we can love others as He loves us, then America can become a sign of peace for the world. From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak - the unborn child - must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. Let us love one another as God loves each one of us.

And where does this love begin? In our own home. How does it begin? By praying together Prayer for us that we continue God's work with great love. The sisters, the brothers, and the fathers and the lay missionaries of Charity and co-workers: we are all one heart full of love, that we may bring that joy of love everywhere we go. And my prayer for you is that through this love for one another, for this peace and joy in the family, that you may grow in holiness. Holiness is not the luxury of the few; it is a simply duty, for you and for me, because Jesus has very clearly stated, "Be ye holy as my father in heaven is holy." So let us pray for each other that we grow in love for each other, and through this love become holy as Jesus wants us to be for he died out of love for us.

One day I met a lady who was dying of cancer in a most terrible condition. And I told her, I say, "You know, this terrible pain is only the kiss of Jesus--a sign that you have come so close to Jesus on the cross that he can kiss you." And she joined her hands together and said, "Mother Teresa, please tell Jesus to stop kissing me." So pray for us that we continue God's work with great love and I will pray for you, for all your families. And also I want to thank the families who have been so generous in giving their daughters to us to consecrate their life to Jesus by the vow of poverty, chastity, obedience, and by giving wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.

This is our fourth vow in our congregation. And we have a novitiate in San Francisco where we have many beautiful vocations who are wanting to give their whole life to Jesus in the service of the poorest of the poor. So once more I thank you for giving you children to God. And pray for us that we continue God's work with great love.

God bless you all !

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Extreme Sync - SGI Systems

1: I don't really feel Mr Snrub was fundamentally 'in the wrong' as such. I mean, he had to do or say something, or there'd be people driving through gardens left right and centre. It was the manner in which he implied I'd done it on purpose that pissed me off, that I'd actually set aside part of my evening to leave two pissy tyre marks on about 2 metres of garden. That and his blatant attempts to twist my own words against me.

2: With all due respect, you weren't at the BBQ. If indeed it was held for everyone to meet the new area manager, I question why he didn't show up. I certainly knew everyone else there already, I've worked with them for years.

3: I made it pretty clear that I find beer 'rancid'. And it wasn't 'a' Kahlúa, it was a bottle. I don't think Mr Snrub in particular was privvy to my roof antics.

4: He can't have 'made sure' my car was locked in there. It was in there, he had no way of moving it, he had to lock the place up. End of story. He certainly wasn't doing me a favour.

5: He didn't call the pigs, for crying out loud. In fact, he was the only person anal enough to notice the tracks without being told by me. And every single other person that works there had to drive past them. I'm pretty confident he didn't even notice until he saw my car was gone, and realised I must have gone via the garden. I'm tempted to post a photo to demonstrate how minimal the 'destruction' is.

6: He's got no business calling the police to report my car stolen, and at that point had no evidence to suggest I was drunk behind the wheel. Besides, all I did was clear the garden... my friend drove.

7: I can't even begin to imagine how someone 'fixes' a run over garden. More to the point, even he would know I'm not so stupid as to walk into the building, eat breakfast, then go back outside and 'fix' it.

8: The police can not charge me for anything unless Mr Snrub decides to attempt to do me for the pitiful garden damage, or trespassing. He wouldn't bother, it'd just mean more stuffing around for him.

9: What the hell is a 'pabx' phone?

I really hope he did think to himself "That line has certainly been busy...". That would make my day. No, my year.

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"Look, it's a giant talking egg!" - Sonic, in Sonic Adventure.