Trick or Treat

Happy Sabbath

I call this trick or treat because I have a treat.  I've been blessed this week with something wonderful, but satan also came with a trick immediately after, gotta tell you about it all. 

It’s been a busy and eventful week and I thank you for your prayers.

Sunday I visited my mom for mother’s day and brought her some lovely petunias.  Monday at work was productive and I got a lot done.  Tuesday was good.  My dad and mother helped me bring over a gazebo in the box to my house.  They put it in my shed and my dad talked to me about things I could do for a base to support it in when I’m ready to set it up.  Wednesday was good at work.  I worked hard, met deadlines and left an hour later than I had planned on.  I was on my way home researching options and decided to go for a cement stone paver for the base of my gazebo.  I saw a deal was still going on at Lowes for $1.00 per paver and I headed over and got 140 of them, saving over $95 in the process.  Lowes requires that you pick up your items in 24 hours so I spent the rest of the afternoon until 8:30pm driving back and forth (5 times) from the store to my house loading pavers and transferring them from wheel barrow to the back yard. I am thankful I only live about 8-10 minutes away drive so I didn’t have to do delivery which would have cost a minimum of $75.  I had put some pavers mistakenly down in the shape of a rectangle not remembering that I have a hexagon gazebo and will need to set that up first before laying down each paver which weighs 17lbs. 

I was tired and sure I would be sore by the next day.  I was also wired up and couldn’t sleep.  I think I slept for 2 hours and was up between the hours of 2am or 3am and thinking of how much debt I am in.  I went online looking for employment and came upon a recruitment opportunity after almost giving up.  I completed the forms, took an assessment, and scheduled an interview for later Thursday morning (my schedule was perfect because I would be done by 2pm with my main job).  I dressed in what my son called “church clothes” and headed to what I thought was an interview trying not to stress out and when I arrived, it was 10-11 other people meeting in the same room.  Some people didn’t complete all the processes so they had to leave and would miss out on this opportunity.  I thank the Lord that I checked my emails and all links because I could have been one of those people turned away.  The 8 other people and myself were hired on the spot!

They are completing a background check and reviewing the results of my drug test.  Once I complete a virtual orientation which I get paid for, I can pick any shift I want.  The shift that was printed on my offer letter said Sunday and Monday 6pm to 11pm and that is perfect for me because I thought I saw something saying 9pm to 5am (which I could do, but that is really taxing on me).  I have worked overnight jobs before and purposely worked three jobs one summer just to see if I could do it and I did (fighting through delirium).

After I arrived back to pick up my son from my parents, I had it in mind to go to bed, but when I got home, I saw my lawn and thought it was the best time to attack so I set about cutting the entire lawn and picking up trash that blew over from who knows where down my hill. 

Friday came.  I had a good productive morning.  I returned and finished my service notes and picked up my son thinking he would be able to play in the back yard and perhaps ride his bike before it was expected to rain.  I told my son to go around the back while I opened the front door and back sliding glass door to the patio.  He was given a kite at school so I took it and tried to fly it in my work clothes (I had dressed very nice and feminine).  I then looked over at the pavers and decided I needed to move the 30 I laid out in a rectangle and pile them up so not to kill grass I didn’t intend.  I went inside, changed into my lawn clothes which consists of baggy cargos, a black hoodie with long sleeves, bean boots, and work gloves.  I was midway moving pavers when my neighbor came out from his house at the base of the hill and said hello.  I said hello back and continued stacking pavers, minding my business.  He said something and I couldn’t hear him so I thought he was asking about the pavers and I told him what they were for.  Then for some reason, he started walking out of his yard, into the yard next door (unoccupied property) and climbed over the fence towards me. 

I was so confused as to why he was coming over. 

I don’t know how to make a long story short, but I’ll try.  Guy came over, seemed to want to vent about a situation that was happening between him and one of his friends.  As he talked he showed more and more signs of mental instability and appeared to be under the influence of some drug.  It got worse as we walked around to the front of my property.  He talked about how he knew all my neighbors on my street and I was confused because he lives at the base of the hill in a cul-de-sac and has no access to my street (he would have to drive a long way around the neighborhood to get to my street so how does he know everyone over here so well?).  As we are in the front, my older neighbor from across the street who walks his dog came out with his dog and came up to us.  He knew this guy for years but after I talked to the older guy, the truth came out. 

As the neighbor behind me was talking about his strength and all the things he can do and how he has stayed out of trouble, the older neighbor whispered to me and told me that the cul-de-sac neighbor was trouble and I needed to stay away from him.  He told me that he was squatting in my house and the police know about him.  Old neighbor even claimed he had to beat him up once and if I needed his help to get the guy to leave me alone, he would help me. 

All this for going around the back to move some pavers!

Eventually the older neighbor excused himself and I was left with the cul-de-sac guy and my son.  Cul-de-sac guy was looking at all my windows and kept commenting on how good my windows are.  He had already seen what was inside my shed and I continued trying to walk him back to the fence he climbed over so he would leave.  He kept talking and talking and even said one time he picked up a guy and as he said this, he made a motion towards me and grabbed my leg as if he was going to pick me up but he let go and kept talking excitedly about his abilities as a man or what ever.

I think him watching me mow my lawn (it’s huge and that ain’t no lie), using a chainsaw, or perhaps moving the pavers (all 140 of them) triggered him and made him feel insecure in his manliness. 

Throughout the entire exchange, I learned that the woman I met a few months ago was not his wife, it is his sister.  He, his sister, and his mother live in this house behind me.  The first time I spoke to her and really introduced myself was after the report of someone burglarizing my neighbor’s home (the lovely Christian family with the two little girls next door).  They moved out in March or April and whenI introduced myself to cul-de-sac guy, I told him that the house was burglarized and he acted extremely surprised.  I felt it was a bit odd because he would always be outside sitting and facing our houses.  I felt like he would see anything and when I called the police the following day of the incident, I told them that he was usually out there and suggested that they go to his house and ask them if they have a camera.

Well going back to my back yard and the guy still talking my ear off and behaving erratically.  He is talking and next thing I know, I see the older neighbor come into my backyard with his dog.  All three of us are standing around and now the focus turns to strength (again I think he was triggered seeing me work and put him to shame as a man).  I kept bringing up that my son needs to do his homework and I need to make dinner.  He finally left the way he came and I stood in my backyard talking to the older neighbor who shared that he was a special education teacher and everything he knew about cul-de-sac guy.  I gave him my phone number as he and his wife (who I have met across the street from me) are usually always home and look out for their neighbors. 

I couldn’t get over the original condition of my house before I got in there and got to work.  I told cul-de-sac guy, I couldn’t believe the condition and how people could live like they were living in the house.  All the while, I had no idea he was squatting up in my house and likely was the person who caused the damage to the home in the first place.  

So that was my Friday.  I had a good day at church today.  I had told my parents about what happened and you know what my mother told me?  I am going to have to change my routine and she said the ONLY thing I need to change is to stop going to church on Saturday.  I asked her if I should change my routine on the days I head to the office and she said, “of course not”.  But see, Saturday, I always make the home appear like I’m home.  The days I go to the office, the curtains are drawn.  I leave lights on throughout the night in the kitchen, my son’s room, and sometimes the activity room.  If I start turning off lights in the middle of the night, anyone looking at my house is going to know something is up.  I leave at 5ish in the morning on Mondays and some Wednesdays so that doesn’t work. 

So for her to tell me to stop going to church is simply the enemy.  She’s done this before.  When I brought up that I needed to get a part time job, her automatic response was, well I’m going to have to sacrifice Saturdays and stop going to church and work those hours. 

There is so much other stuff going on, but I am going to rejoice in the blessings the Lord gave me.  I have a part time job and a flexible one at that.  Once all things clear, I can start as soon as June 2^nd.  I’m looking forward to it.  I don’t want to say too much about what it entails, the Lord was looking out for me because it is absolutely perfect.  Perfect.  God is perfect and has perfect timing and planning.  This is tailored to me and I know I can do it and the benefits along the way….it’s just perfect because God, periodt!

So with blessings, challenges come. Attacks come.  I am dealing with mowing induced seasonal allergies (I never had to deal with this before).  I have a neighbor who I have to figure out how to live around.  I want to enjoy my home, my neighborhood without having to worry about crime and my son being in danger.  The guy mentioned a friend of his was using heroin.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he uses the same stuff.  I read the news daily (end of Sabbath I look it over) and it’s too much madness going on.  When I had gotten off the phone with my parents yesterday telling them about the bizarre behavior of my neighbor, I passed my patio door to see him coming out of the unoccupied neigbor’s backyard again.  No reason for him to be there.  I have a church sister’s husband who is a cop doing a background check on the guy for any records because he was arrested for something (cul-de-sac guy implied and old neighbor said the police know him).  I have to be careful but I also have to be a Christian and be kind and do what Jesus would do.  That is what I am praying about. 

Before he left, he was happy that he was able to come over and talk to me because if not, he was thinking about going over to fight someone because of the drama that was unfolding in his life with his friend and some baby mama or something.  I don’t know what the guy was saying.  My mind was on how to get this guy out of my yard and get my son and I back in the house.  There are a lot of hurt people in this world, and they live in the hood and they also live in my gorgeous community (where I thought nothing could go wrong).  The leave it to Beaver days are gone, can’t trust people any more. 

So he is my new topic that I’m praying about.  Him and the new job.

With all the craziness and all the drama, God is still good and always will be.