BE HAPPY FOR ME

Last Christmas, my furnace broke in the middle of sub zero temps. I was without heat for 3 weeks. It was pure hell (without the heat). Because of my low income status and disability, I was able to turn to HEAP for help. They repaired it.

A few nights ago, it was getting cold inside and the dampness was going right through me. I decided to turn on my furnace to take the chill off. Yep, you guessed it!!!...no heat, it was down again. I managed to get through the night by using a little portable heater. I had called a "friend" to share this with and she proceeded to tell me she was going to turn on her furnace and she did. She then went onto to tell me how nice and warm and cozy SHE was. My first thoughts were "Nothing like kicking a person when she is down."

The next morning I called the department I had called before and was told it would take about 3 weeks to get it repaired or replaced. Years ago, when I was about 10 or 11, my grandmother taught me a lesson (another time another story): if you can't get help on the lower end, go to the top. So I found a supervisor at HEAP and explained my situtation and she acted upon it immediately My new furnace was installed yesterday.

I was relieved to have heat again and so relieved that I would not have to worry about my old furnace (over 40 years old) breaking down this winter again. I called my "friend" again to tell her of my good fortune. She acted like I had told her I had just found a penny on the ground...no enthusiasm, no excitement, and no signs of being happy for me. She jist poo-poo'ed it and went on to tell me what she had fixed for dinner. It is not like I just was given a hand-out. I worked for years and contributed into the system.

Why do some people seem to thrive on another's misfortunes and bad luck? Why can't a "friend" be happy for another friend when things are going well for them? Is it because in someone else's misfortunates, their lives seem better? Is it because they are so discontented in their own lives, that when someone else's life is going well, they feel jealous or feel threatened in some way? Is it because they want to feel superior? We all face hard times, mostly because it is all a part of life. It does not mean we are second class citizens or that others, in their good times, are better than us.

Whatever the reason, they are not really a friend......I had an email sent to me that, in part, went something like this, "When you are happy, I will laugh with you; when you are sad, I will lend you my shoulder; when you are in trouble, I will come to visit you in jail, etc" It is a humorous statement, but in essence it states that a friend will be there for you all the time...good times or bad times, that a friend will feel what you feel and will act accordingly, etc.

So in all this, I gained a furnace and peace of mind and lost a "friend" who would now be an acquaintance. My TRUE friends are those that share my happiness and sympathize my misfortunes and would never never laugh at me when I fall.



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What military distinction does Eisenhower hold?
Eisenhower was the only president to serve in both World War I & World War II.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What product told us that “It never rains, but it pours”?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?