Fake Cartier
When you’re 53 and wear bi-focals, you use your camera to zoom in to read the fine print.
I found a box of costume jewelry and was sorting through it this morning. Lots of Sarah Coventry in the original boxes. An awesome find, my Grandma used to wear it. There it was - The Ring - shining gold, opalescent, kinda gaudy, but I saw a teeny tiny makers mark. Naturally, out came my phone, zoomed in and used Google AI to identify the mark.
C A R T I E R
Then the next line.
F A K E
Nada. Nothing. Worthless. For one second I thought we had finally found a treasure. One whole pause of hope.
Not for the status, or the brand. (Although I do love me some Chanel, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and such!)
Our heating and cooling system gave up the ghost on Monday. We live in Iowa. Middle of July. High dew points. Unbearable humidity. The paper starts curling in our house without an AC. It is over 90 outside. Our thermostat says it’s 80 in here. And the repair guy says $3-5K to install a new system.
For one second, I thought maybe, just maybe, we had found a blessing. Something we could use to fix our problem.
Or I should say PROBLEMS. The Farmer carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. The bills. The manure piling up. Cows poop a lot when it’s hot. A lot. The skid loader broke down, which he uses to clean pens and feed the cattle. Our son hit a deer with our newly restored pickup. Our daughter’s car got caught in a flashflood. Our dishwasher is on the fritz.
Now, we could stay stuck in the manure, or we could look for the blessings. Which, honestly, are very hard to see in the middle of this stinky mess.
Fake Cartier? Fond memories of the woman who wore it.
No AC? Staying cool in the room we could afford to buy the window AC for.
Vehicles? Totalled but fully covered.
Manure? Well, that’s just part of life. It’s a biproduct of living, isn’t it?
I am crying a little as I share this with you.
It is so hard to look for the blessings in the midst of chaos. BUT GOD - He is not a God of chaos, He is a God of Wonder and Order. AND, He always makes a way!
I know God will provide a way to keep us cool. He will send help. He protected our children in an accident and in a flash flood.
We have food. We have some of the best corn in the field we have ever seen. We trust Him for a bountiful harvest.
Focus on what we have, not what we have lost.
Yes, that must be the message today.
xoxo
Carolyn
P.S. What are your best tips for staying cool on a hot summer day? Besides, Bomb Pops, because I bought a ton of those!
