I Can't Get No Satisfaction (Black Friday Shopping and Jesus)

I was very thankful to get the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with my parents.  They are entering their mid-seventies, but are still very active.  My mother was proud to tell me that she completely pulled out the floor in her guest bedroom, rebuilt floor joists, and put down flooring.  When I asked her why she didn't ask me or my brother for help, she said she wanted to prove that she could still do it.  So after seeing this side of my mother, I was sure that Black Friday shopping would be a piece of cake.  I was wrong.  Last Christmas, my mother woke me up before the crack of dawn to stand in the freezing cold and face Walmart fifty percent off Christmas items sale.  After waiting an hour, facing the high chance of a stampede of little old ladies with shopping carts, and running through half the store, I made it back to the Christmas section in time to see my mother put five or six boxes of Christmas ziploc baggies in her cart and proceed to tell me she had finished shopping and was ready to go.  What?!!!!  I asked if she wanted to look around, but she said all she needed was baggies.  I then told her next time I would gladly buy her baggies if I could just sleep in.  So imagine my trepidation as I once again faced shopping with my mother.  We ate our Thanksgiving meal together, piled into cars, and sped to the nearest mall.  My mother drove with purpose and a really heavy foot.  I saw a line wrapping around the J.C.Penny store and thought, "this is going to be a long day."  We noticed an eighty-year-old woman sitting in a wheel chair.  She had fallen, landed on her head, and was waiting for an ambulance while still in line.  These people were dedicated shoppers.  After waiting an hour, the doors opened, and people rushed in to get their coupons for being the first 200 in the store.  After that, chaos ensued.  I'm sure the shoppers were perfectly nice people if encountered outside of a sale, but in the store, it felt like one of my teenage son's video games- Modern Warfare: Shopping Edition.  I mean, come on, they're just towels!  But somehow, I found myself swept into the rush for towels and pillows.  I even mentioned to my husband that Walmart had the towels for cheaper when a woman cut me off and firmly corrected me.  The quality of these towels were much better than the quality of the Walmart towels.  I didn't even need towels, but now I felt like I must have these elusive towels.  It was like a fast paced card game.  The guy next to me grabbed a towel, then I grabbed a towel.  The lady with an armload of shirts grabbed a towel, then I grabbed a towel.  I conquered by gaining four new towels.  As I was rejoicing in the spoils of battle, I noticed my mother by the door empty-handed.  I asked if she was going to get anything.  She replied, "We're both tired.  I think your father and I are going to go home."  Arrrrrggghh!  As my parents left and I examined my towels, I began to think about Thanksgiving.  The point of Thanksgiving is being content and grateful for what you've been given.  As I got swept into the chaos of Black Friday, I felt the theme song of Black Friday should have been 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction'.  I have perfectly good towels, but these are better so I have to have them.  I have a phone, but this is a newer model.  At what point do we forget to be satisfied and grateful?  My husband's sermon today mentioned the last words of David Cassidy from the Partridge Family.  On his death bed, he said, "So much wasted time."  He had gained fame and money, but in the end, none of that mattered.  I'm beginning to understand my mother better.  When faced with the crowds and chaos, she didn't have to get a bigger television, a new phone, or the latest gadget.  She got baggies because that's all she needed.  Lord, help me focus on the needs and stop wasting time on meaningless pursuits.  Help me to have a heart that is satisfied simply because I have You!  As I left my mom's house and headed home, she sent me home with food in, can you guess?  You're right, a snowflake ziploc baggie.  High heeled warriors, have a great week finding comfort in the simple things- like ziploc baggies!