November 28 – “Black Friday”

Black Friday.  When did they start calling the day after Thanksgiving that?  I don't remember it from when I was a kid.  The only Black Fridays I remember came two days before Easter and when the Ball High Tornadoes football team got beat really bad.  Was it created bay the retail world to describe their hope to be "in the black" financially?  That sure seems to be their intent for the day.   We had done a lot of our Christmas shopping early this year.  Way back before the flood.  And we had it all store on the floor of our closet.  The floor that was under five feet of water.  And at the risk of revealing too much in case we can find replacements, none of it floated.  So our Christmas shopping plans have been curtailed for this year.  We are cutting way back.  Still don't know how much we'll need for the house.  But everybody will get something.  It's Christmas.   When we got back from Bay City the other night, all the "Big Kids" sat around the table (that would be Kel, Nathan, Christina, April, Chris, and me).  We divvied up the huge pile of newspaper ads and did some pre-shopping shopping.  Kel pointed out a printer.  Nathan made sure everybody saw the X-box and Wii.  Christina found several things for boys.  April seemed to gravitate to the girlie baby things.  Chris oohed and aahed with the girls.  I wondered if power tools were on sale anywhere.   So … today we decided to put our sore big toe into the teeming waters of Galveston's WalMart – and Home Depot.  The Home Depot part was easy.  We even saw a few people we know, so we talked for awhile.  But WalMart was another story.  They started their big sale at 5:30 a.m.  We weren't there.  Our arrival time was more in the area of 9:00.  It was still a mad house.  Especially in the electronics section.  I heard they were selling Wii's.  Sorry Nathan, not today.    One of the things on our list was on sale for $10, but only until 11:00 (again, a clue!).  Since we realized that at 10:50, we raced for the nearest register – electronics.  The clerk rang up our purchases, and when she got to the aforementioned item, it came up $22 and something.  Chris immediately challenged the price.  She even showed her the sales circular we found (which was in Spanish, but the picture was the same.  And the number still read $10).  She didn't argue.  But she also couldn't change the price without authorization from one of those ever popular "CSM's".  It took about five minutes for one to get to us.  The clerk kept calling – probably every minute or so.  The line was growing fast.  Finally three CSM's came at once.  The guy who looked at the item said, "This isn't even a $22 item on regular days."  The price was adjusted and we headed out of there.    We did manage to find something for the little guys on our list.  The big people will have to wait.  There are more stores and there may be a tomorrow.  It won't be Black Friday then.  Maybe we'll be more successful.  We'll see.    Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."   Father, Christmas is about giving, isn't it?  Even if we have to endure a Black Friday to get there.  Or a Flood.  Thank you for giving us salvation.  And a new life every day.  Amen.