TEXAS STATE OPTICAL IN BAYTOWN, TEXAS

TEXAS STATE OPTICAL

   I got my eyes examined today.  But, let me begin at the beginning: I wanted to get my eyes examined, so I googled Texas State Optical in Baytown, Texas.  The listing appeared with Dr Hutto.  Good.  That is the one I have taken my children to for years.  I like Dr Hutto.

  I phoned Saturday to make an appointment for the eye exam.  The girl who answered the phone asked me for my insurance information.  Well, I was in the wash room doing laundry, instead of in front of my insurance card, so I told her I did not have it in front of me.  I just wanted to make the appointment.  She said I could call back when I had my insurance information.  So, I asked for clarification that I could not make an appointment for an eye exam unless I had insurance.  Well, no.  She said I could make the appointment for self-pay but they could not accept the insurance when I came in unless I called back early Monday with my insurance information.  I did not call to give insurance information.  I called to make an appointment to get my eyes examined.

   I finally made the appointment, got the laundry started, and called back to TSO with my insurance information.  Fine, I would see them on Monday.

   That should have been my first clue that the employees there take a lot for granted and are too inexperienced with dealing with the general public or too immature to ask questions.  It is all about herding them in and herding them out like cattle.  If you have to ask questions, you might have to put an effort into your job, right?
   So, I go in for the exam.  There is a bald skinny fellow running in and out of the rooms.  This is not the doctor who is posted on the internet, the one my children went to.
   I am called back into a room and put through the paces.  I was given a test before I was asked if I wanted to pay for it.  Did I mention I have insurance?  They performed a test on my eyes and then told me insurance did not cover it and asked after the fact if I wanted to pay for it.  Then I was told that they would dilate my eyes, which would reveal the same information that the machine would.
   No, I did not want to pay for an extra test to help them pay for their machine.  And no, I was not told when I made the appointment that I should have someone with me to drive me back where I came from since they would be rendering me blind with dilating my eyes.  It is a shame the girl did not say something when I made the appointment instead of worrying about the insurance.
   When I left the room, the girl made a comment that she was sure I would "complain" about her treatment of me on the phone.
   Really?  Complain?
   The rest of the exam was consistent with the initial activity.  Needless to say, I left without a pair of glasses and I will not recommend that anyone else go to TSO on Garth Road in Baytown, Texas.

   What are your thoughts?  Have you ever gone there or to another place to have your eyes examined and what was your experience?  Just leave a comment.

You are also invited to visit Oma at http://omaswisdom.blogspot.com and http://omaspolitics.blogspot.com.

KROGER: WALMART WANNABE

KROGER:  WALMART WANNABE

   We have been going through a remodeling at the local Kroger.  In fact, we have been doing the same thing at WalMart.  They are getting ready for all the holidays coming, I get that.

   My problem is not so much that there is a lot of remodeling going on.  My problem is in the meat department.  I stopped at Kroger on the way home tonight for some ground chuck to make meat loaf for my S.O.  We had discussed the menu for tonight earlier in the day.  Meat loaf is his favorite entree.  So, I had to buy ground meat.  I also didn't want to be there all day.  My goal was to get home before dark.

   I walked straight to the meat department.  They had  packages of ground chuck for an outrageous price.  I forget, now, how much they were; something like $5.00/lb.  The other choice was the chub like WalMart sells.  Well, the problem is that the packages were the same as WalMart, also.  They were pre-packaged with no dates on them, just a "sell by this day of the week".  I did not want to shop at WalMart, or I would have driven to WalMart.  I wanted to shop at a grocery store.

   So, there I was, fuming!  What to do?  Do I buy WalMart meat from Kroger, or go to WalMart and buy it there?  No, I will tell a manager that I am very unhappy.  The customer service desk is "closed due to re-modeling".  Well, isn't that just peachy?!?  No one should have an issue while Kroger is re-modeling, right?

   So, I walked back to the meat department and there was a guy who worked in that department.  Poor child, I knew it was not his fault and there was nothing he could do about it.  He just worked there....hourly employee, right?  This young man, Keith, stood there listening to my complaint in a very polite way.  His Mother must be very proud of him.  He did not just apologize or tell me it wasn't his fault.  No, this young man took on the task of actually listening to my concerns and identified why I was upset.  He suggested that I buy the "ground beef", which is ground there at the store.  He took the time to explain what is was.

   Not only did I buy three packages of it, I left with a smile on my face. And I got home before dark.  I don't know about you, but I saw a leader in this young man.  He turned the lemons into lemonade by listening and addressing my concerns.  Way to go, Keith.  Thank you.

What are your thoughts?  Don't you think Keith should get a promotion?

You are also invited to follow Oma at http://omaspolitics.blogspot.com and http://omaswisdom.blogspot.com. 

PRE-ARRANGED FUNERALS

PRE-ARRANGED FUNERALS

   Let me share what I know about pre-arranging for your final expenses.  Expenses.  No one wants to spend money on things that are necessary.  When was the last time you were looking forward to going through the stress of shopping for a new automobile?  What about groceries for dinner?  And then, there are taxes we have to deal with.  None of these things are things most of us look forward to.  Funerals are in that category, I'm afraid.

   However, that doesn't change facts.  Someone will make final arrangements for you.  Who are you going to saddle with that responsibility?  When we arm ourselves with facts, it changes the entire paradigm.  I am looking forward to impressing my loved ones with my funeral.  I care about my children, my S.O., my grand baby, my parents.  I want them to come away with nothing but good feelings, joy, happiness;  not stress and sadness and anger.

   Do you see the difference?  I have my information written down:  what to do, who to contact.  I have my final expenses taken care of.  They will not have to borrow money or wait for life insurance money or wonder if they made decisions I would have made.  Personally, if I would have made them, I SHOULD have made them.  I want them to be free to experience the moment and reflect on my life, not the mess I left them to deal with.

   The future may not be as far away as you may think.  Take the following story from KHOU for example:

"Mourners wearing yellow shirts gathered outside the school in the early morning hours to hold a memorial service for Shawn Williams, 16. Friends said yellow was the teen's favorite color.
Williams died and another teen was hospitalized in what police said was a shoplifting case that turned into a car chase. The two teens were innocent bystanders caught in the middle of the chaos."

   I feel sorry for the parents and the rest of his family.  There are two scenarios:  either the parents are free to grieve, or they have the emotional task of making final arrangements for him.  If they had made the arrangements for themselves, the child was probably covered with the same funeral that they made for themselves.  Some funeral homes cover dependents in the event of the unthinkable.

   Do you know that Joseph made final arrangements for his "bones" for such a time as when the Jewish people left Egypt?  "Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die.  But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'  And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, 'God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.'"  Genesis 50:  24-26   (NIV)

But now, there is no fear of death:  "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their FEAR of death."  Hebrews 2:  14, 15  (NIV)  Today, we should have wisdom, not fear.  Today, we should take care of our own responsibilities.

   So, leave a comment with your contact information and we will have a conversation to inform you and show you many benefits of pre-planning.  I want everyone to enjoy the freedom to celebrate a life lived, not have your sorrow compounded by being forced to make decisions during the worst day of your life.  No comments are posted without being screened, so your information will NOT be published.

   I am also directing my own funeral.  I have lived an exciting life.  There is a particular message I want my loved ones to hear, that I prefer to deliver myself.

   How about you?  Would you like to direct your own funeral?  Have you ever been to a funeral where the Minister did not know the deceased and couldn't even pronounce their name?  Let's change that.  Leave me a comment with your contact information.


   What are your thoughts?

You are also invited to follow Oma at http://omaspolitics.blogspot.com and http://omaswisdom.blogspot.com. 

A LOVE LETTER TO MY SISTER

LOVE LETTER TO MY SISTER

Good morning my Sister,

      Do you know how much I love you?  Let me count the ways....O.K., no poetry.  The fact is that you were my sister before I was born.  We have gone through life together.  When people look at me, they see you.  That makes you the best looking person I know!  Blah, hah, hah.  This is really hard to write you a serious letter, because we always inject humor...that is our relationship.

   Everything you are going through is what I am trying to fix.  I want only good things for you.  I want you to have joy.  Right now, I am struggling to retrieve mine.  What we once enjoyed has now soured.  I want your joy back so I can have mine.  I know that must sound selfish.  My point is that when you have 100, I have 50.  When you have 10,000, I have 5,000.  I want you to have so much joy and blessings, that I can enjoy at least half of it.

   So, knowing that you are going through the fire, I am experiencing it, also.  I can't laugh at the things we have always laughed at.  I constantly pray for your healing and wait.  The wait is excruciating.  I love you so much that I experience the pain.  When you struggle financially, I do, too.

   Let's talk about money.  You know some of my situation.  The problem is that I know some of yours.  When you put the word out that you are really struggling, I took it to heart.  I went straight to my Father and showed him my finances (as if He didn't know) and explained my bills.  He said for me to call your doctor and pay 100% of one of your treatments.  He knows about my procrastination, so He wants it done within the next 24 hours. 

   Then He brought the Centurion to my mind.  When the Centurion asked Jesus for a healing for his servant.  I believe that since I will do this for you, that the treatment will not be necessary.  Your healing will be manifested before you can receive the word that the treatment is paid.  With this, our joy will be restored.

   If I am willing to do this, how much more is my Father willing to do?  He loves you even more than I.

All my love always,

Your Sister