SMART Bus

 SMART BUS

Tuesday, December 30, 2025 and I was out and about getting something to eat at McDonald's, using the rest of a gift card that had been given to me. 

After eating, I walked back over to the bus stop at Great Lakes Crossing to catch the 462 Fast bus over to the Meijer on Brown Road in Auburn Hills, MI to do the shopping that needed to be done.

As far as I can remember, everything was going smoothly that afternoon into the evening.

Got to Meijer.

While there, I thought I had hit the jackpot.

I found some shoes that fit these feet.  On top of that, I could afford them.  That was impressive to me.

After going through check out,  I checked to see when the next bus would be restarting the 462 Fast route to Detroit.  I had about twenty minutes according to the Transit app.

Yes, the weather was cold and a bit windy.

I was dressed warm enough.

I decided to head out to the bus stop.  The bus stop where the 462 Fast route restarts is on Brown Road in front of the Meijer gas station.

The bus drivers generally take their breaks at Meijer.  The bus usually gets parked just off of Brown Road in the end lot before Panda Express after the Meijer gas station.

Anyone walking to the bus stop can't miss seeing the bus parked there.

Waiting at the bus stop, I see the bus pull up to the stop light to pull out onto Brown Road....this IS NOT the light that allows the bus to pull up and start the 462 Fast route south to Detroit in front of the gas station...  This is the light after the bus stop.

That realization hits.  I start waving like a mad woman trying to get the driver's attention.  THAT DIDN'T WORK.  I watched the bus pull out onto Brown Road...go to the intersection of Brown Road and Joslyn Ave...and turn right.

At that point, it was approaching 7:00 pm, the temperatures were dropping, I was looking forward to getting back to the apartment at, what to me is, a decent time.  

I was thinking this can't be happening again.  Yes, I said, AGAIN!  

When you miss the bus OR the bus misses you...you have, at least, another 45 minute wait.  Then if that driver hasn't taken a break you've got probably an hour to wait for the next bus.

Not fun.  Then add things getting colder.  My brain was a whirl.

I called SMART.

The first dispatcher I spoke with tried to get a hold of the driver so they could come back and pick me up.  The driver wasn't responding.  I voiced my thoughts...why is the driver going to come back for one passenger and make every other pick up late...most likely for the rest of the night.

Some how...I don't know if it was me or the dispatcher...we got disconnected.

I called right back.  I was speaking with another dispatcher who was working on a solution.

After about 25 minutes on the phone with dispatch and another 15 minutes waiting, the next bus arrived.

The second dispatcher, also, assured me that within three (3) - five (5) business days someone from management would call me back regarding my complaint.

Yes, that was Tuesday, December 30, 2025 and it's now Thursday, January 15, 2026.  Without Thursday, January 1, 2026, that's eleven (11) business days....NO call yet!

SMART IS THAT HOW YOU TREAT YOUR CUSTOMERS!  I'm waiting to hear from you.

03/02/2020 - Monday - The Positive and the Negative

Another trust building exercise that works for me.

I've found for every positive feeling there is an opposite negative feeling.

The two are tied together by our choices.

One example is fear.

Fear to a certain extent can be good.

It's when that fear becomes overwhelming that it is a completely negative feeling.

In my journey through the wilderness, getting past the overwhelming feeling of fear was the hardest part.

It helps to remember that fear has an opposite right within it's own definition.

As defined by Merriam-Webster:

Definition of fear

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1a: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger

b(1): an instance of this emotion

(2): a state marked by this emotion

2: anxious concern : SOLICITUDE

3: profound reverence and awe especially toward God

4: reason for alarm : DANGER

fear

 verb

feared; fearing; fears

Definition of fear (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1: to be afraid of : expect with alarmfear the worst

2: to have a reverential awe offear God

3archaic : FRIGHTEN

4archaic : to feel fear in (oneself)

Did you see that highlighted definition?

To have reverential awe of.

Every time I had to face what I feared, awe of Father was waiting on the other side.

I just had to make the choice to move forward, no matter how overwhelming the fear was at the time.

While I was homeless, I had a friend ask me why I feared him.

I explained that I didn't fear him.

The fear was just in general an overwhelming feeling I had at every turn at that point.

Making the choice to move forward, no matter how much fear I felt, was the right choice.

To answer that question I sense you asking.

Yes, that fear has been replaced by awe.

An awe for Father.  The perfect parent.

The sense of awe just got bigger and more enveloping each time I overcame my fear...stepping out in faith.

Along with that sense of awe comes love, peace and joy in ever increasing amounts.

That's the positive side of fear.

Not fun...but well worth the choice to face my fear.

God wants to be your Father too.

Ask him to show you the truth.

He will.

I love you.  :-)  XOXOXO

02/06/2020 - Thursday - Slippery Slopes

Another lesson being put into practice.

You know that easy path...Someone says or does something that you know is not right. Instead of confronting it you let it slide, you keep letting it slide...it doesn't matter the reason...you just keep letting it slide.

It's a very slippery slope.

I've done that many times.

All it got me was a stress level that left me drowning.

Guess what?

If your a parent, the stress level doubles.

What example do your children follow?

I've found it's primarily their parents.  A combination of both.

They do this without understanding the why of the example.

What happens then?  Well, in my case, the child's stress level can get even higher and sooner.

I can say that from personal experience and from raising a child.

With each generation, the stress level just goes up.

That stress level, for me, was my distance from God.

How do you change that?

For me, the way to change that was to start questioning and changing my choices.

One of those changes was learning that avoiding confrontation, or going down that slippery slope, wasn't the easy path.

It is the hardest road full of potholes and boulders.

Confrontation was, at that time, loud, obnoxious and full of anger.

That is one type of confrontation.  It is ugly!  It makes all the parties involved feel worse about themselves.

Then there is another type of confrontation that I was not at all familiar with until I asked God to show me the truth.

This confrontation is full of love, seeking truth and supports all the parties involved in making positive, life-affirming choices.

The main difference between the two types of confrontation is the feelings and motives that drive them.

I found that once, I gave myself the space to learn from and resolve the negative feelings I had, I could start seeking to understand before speaking.

It's a change that has taken a long time. 

Each time, I've went through the process though, the time taken to get from the ugly to love is shorter.

It doesn't mean the other party or parties are going to agree or work with me.

It means I can speak up for myself, seek forgiveness if I've done wrong and no matter how that other party or parties respond I can love them and know that I have done what I can.

The results…

Instead of stressed, I know faith, hope, love, peace and joy. 

I'm setting a better example for my child and others.

I'm being true to who I am.

God and I get closer and closer.

It's not easy...It's worth the effort to overcome my personal and worldly burdens.

When Christ Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:30), he wasn't kidding.

Ask God...he is the perfect parent and he wants to have a personal relationship with you too.

I love you all.

:-)  XOXOXO

02/01/2020 - Saturday - Learning Self-Discipline as Simple as A,B,C

On Wednesday, 01/29/2020, I posted a status update on Facebook discussing looking for a job.

Yes, for right now I do need to find a job.

One of my dreams is a business called Independable. 

When running any business a certain amount of self-discipline is needed.

When you work for someone else, they determine your start time, your wage, your hours, your responsibilities...in affect, the employer is the disciplinarian...that is if you want to work for them.

Yes, working for someone else requires the self-discipline to follow that employers rules.

That much self-discipline I have.

To run a business and have success, I know you need to have more self-discipline.

An important part of having self-discipline, from what I've learned,  is the ability to set self aside.

Father shows us that through the example of his son, my big brother.

He took care of himself and his business.

Christ Jesus' business was reflecting Father and what Father would do for us if we should choose to follow his, Christ Jesus', example and become a part of something  much bigger than ourselves.

I made that choice.

Since making that choice, I have learned many of the parts that will help me to better reflect  my big brother and my Father.

The one part of self-discipline that is still missing is to be able to pull the pieces together and follow through on them with consistency, day in and day out as Christ Jesus did.

I know the pieces are all there and will fall into place when I learn this last lesson.

That last lesson is how to put a full day together with balance.

Like any skill, you have to build up your knowledge.

I'll give you an example.

I'm going to use my daughter, Kelsey, for this example.

Kelsey gets stuck, frustrated, just doesn't get what she's learning and feels that she should know it when things don't come quickly.

When this happens I have reminded her of skills that took a long time to build.  Like the ability to read.  You don't just open a book and know what all those words are and what they mean.  You learn to speak, you learn the alphabet, then the letter sounds, how to put them together, how to read a word, what the words mean, how the words are spelled, sentence structure, etc…

Then I will explain that these things don't happen overnight...they happen over years, a build up of your skills and continually adding to those skills….school.

To learn any one part it takes repetition to build the thinking and memory to become competent in that portion of the skill to be built.

Hmmm!  This sounds a lot like what I need to remember too.  To give myself a license to learn or a learners permit.

That's where I'm at right now….the pieces of the puzzle are all there...it's just this last piece.

This last piece to be specific, is having a daily plan and following it.

Father has given me a daily plan.

It's the following that's the hard part.

I let myself be distracted, influenced and otherwise led astray.

That is not the fault of others or things...that is immaturity, lack of discernment and not going to Father on my part.

I am starting to gain a mastering of this skill.

In measuring my life span, it's taken almost fourteen years or a long time, to learn the other lessons that build up to gaining the ability to do so.

That has been my time in the wilderness and conquering my worldliness.

It's not been easy.  It's been made easier knowing I have Father to guide me.

That's what makes all that I have been through worth going through.

Father's abundant love, grace and mercy.

For that I am truly grateful and on a daily basis affirm my continued commitment to Father and my journey to completion in him.

I will find the job that Father wants me to have and Independable will grow.

Father will never mislead you or me.  We call all learn, grow and mature in the hands of the perfect parent.  God wants and yearns to have a parent-child relationship with all of us.  It is our choice.

Ask him for yourself.

I love you all.  :-)  XOXOXO

10/19/19 - Saturday - The First Sin

For today let’s take a look at the first sin.

In Gen 2:16-17 God gave Adam a warning.  “You may freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If you eat of its fruit you will surely die.”

Let’s remember that Adam and Eve were new creations.  They had no idea what good or evil was.  They had no idea what it meant to die.

Along comes Satan, the serpent, as the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible puts it in Gen 3:1 the shrewdest of all the creatures God had created.

What does the word shrewdest tell us about the serpent?

• ·         Having or showing sharp powers of judgment; astute
• ·         Piercingly cold
• ·         Severe
• ·         Mischievous, Malicious
• ·         Origin from English is shrew (evil person or thing)
• ·         From Middle English – Evil in nature or character

Neither Adam nor Eve would be a match for the serpent.  Both of them were childlike and childish with no knowledge, experience, wisdom, maturity or adversity in their lives yet!

Listen to the serpent’s tone of voice throughout his conversation with Eve.

Gen 3:1 “Really?” he asked the women.  “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?”

The serpent from the very first word he speaks sounds skeptical and invites Eve to question what God has said.  Then the serpent exaggerates.

In Gen 3:2-3 Eve answers “Of course we may eat it.  It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat.  God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die.”

Eve responds by sounding knowledgeable and exaggerating herself.

Eve has already fallen into the serpent’s trap by trying to match the serpent’s tone of voice.

At the same time, Eve has added to God’s warning or word.

Remember.  Adam and Eve are the first humans.  They have no idea what death or to die is.

Onto Gen 3:4-6. “You won’t die!” the serpent hissed.  “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it.  You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.”

Remember.  Adam and Eve are the first humans.  They have no idea what good or evil is.

Gen 3:6.  The woman was convinced.  The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise!  So she ate some of the fruit.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her.  Then he ate it, too.

Remember.  Adam and Eve are the first humans.  They have no idea what wisdom is.

Eve made a bad choice.

Now it’s Adam’s turn.  Does Adam remember God’s warning or question Eve’s choice?  No he doesn’t.  He ate of the fruit.

If Only?

Both Eve and Adam had a choice to make.  Both Eve and Adam could have remembered God’s warning.

Once Eve made the wrong choice, Adam still could have remembered God’s warning.

Adam made the same bad choice.

Both had an individual choice to make and chose badly.

By the end of Gen 3 Adam and Eve have been kicked out of the garden of Eden and their relationship with God was broken.

This is a conversation with a HUGE aftermath.

In these first three chapters of Genesis what layers and truths are there to see?  What can we learn from them?

I see God’s relationship with Jesus.

Gen 1:26 “Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves…”

Gen 3:22 “The people have become as we are…”

I see small children in Adam and Eve.  As a parent and as a person, I know that it takes repetition to build memory and recall.

I see that without God’s guidance and a good example, Christ Jesus, to follow I would forever be like Adam and Eve…childish.

I see the blame game and “Not Me”.

I see that without the serpent, I cannot truly grow and mature.  The adversity that I have and will face because of his influence and my choices is a necessary part of my journey.

I see where God created me in his image.  God would not have created me without a purpose or a plan for my good.

I see where God created, therefore, I can create too.

I see myself in Adam and Eve.

Born with a childlike faith, becoming childish, trying to live outside a relationship with God, following the examples I saw around me without questioning, playing the blame game.

It’s taken thirteen years to see these things.  I continue to learn from God, my Father, the still quiet voice of his Holy Spirit, my big brother, Christ Jesus, and all those God surrounds me with…past, present and future.

Right now for me it’s a time of letting go of my worldliness and letting Father take his rightful place in my life…in control.  That’s where he has always been.  I needed to acknowledge that in all matters.

It’s not easy.  It’s made easier knowing that Father is right here within me lovingly guiding me forward one day at a time towards fulfilling his promises and plans for me.

One last thing.  Without Father’s guidance through the Bible, I would not and could not know and continue to grow.

Having that personal relationship is what God wants.

I had to want it too.

Look at his relationship with Christ Jesus.  That’s the example to follow.

Ask Father to show you the truth.

He will.

10/12/19 - Saturday - Conquering Fear

In Matt 26:36-46 Jesus goes to the olive grove called Gethsemane to pray.

This is the only time in his earthly journey that the son of God shows fear. 

What was Jesus afraid of?

Jesus was afraid  of  feeling  God's wrath.

Jesus had never felt God's anger directed at him.

Jesus prayed three times that God would not ask him to do this one thing.

Jesus faced his fear  and did what his Father wanted him to do.

Through my journey to overcome my own worldliness and make it through my spiritual wilderness, I  have learned to overcome many things that I used to fear.

More than a few times it has taken being reminded of Christ Jesus' example to get me through my fears.

There is one last fear to overcome.

That is the fear of sharing what God, Christ  Jesus and  the Holy Spirit have taught me.

If I  am to be real from  the inside out  and play my role within the one true church,  I  have to overcome this fear.

Father tells me that if big brother,  Christ Jesus,  can overcome  his fear...I can too.

So let's start here...

Like any good book without  understanding the beginning  and the end you can't truly appreciate the whole story.

Where are you?

You  are in a beautiful place where all your needs are provided for...there is gorgeous plant life, all the animals you could ever want or love, there's never any bad weather,  always plenty to eat and drink.   To top it off you have the perfect partner.

Where are you?

God has shown me that I am in heaven.  In the story presented in Gen 1-3 it is called the garden of Eden.

What happened?

God created Adam and Eve in his image...Right?  God looked at everything he created.  He called it excellent.

What happened?

There was only one rule that God gave Adam and Eve.   They were not  to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Gen 2:17 "...if you eat of it's fruit,  you will surely die."  They ate of the fruit.

Why?

Let's look a little closer at Adam and Eve.

What didn't God give Adam and Eve?

When God's Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see more in the first three chapters of His living word the answer was....knowledge, experience,  wisdom and maturity.

Adam and Eve were the first humans.

They had no knowledge of good and evil.

They had no experience with good and evil.

They had no wisdom to discern between good and evil.

They had no maturity.

They were both childlike and childish having never faced any adversity.

They had no memory to call upon.

When I  understood what God was showing me,  it blew my mind and opened up the Bible in a whole new way.

That's where we all begin as babies.

Ask God to show you the truth.

Read it with him teaching you.

What do you think?

 

10/08/19 – Tuesday – Cantharidin Poisoning – Part 1

Has anyone ever heard of Blister Beetles?

Until September, 2009 I had not.

In late August, 2009, Kelsey and I went for a walk and to get a newspaper for Pop on a Sunday morning.

Let me back up just a bit.

There is some background information that needs to be shared.

At this point in time, I was still causing myself to stress out way too much due to my own immaturity and childishness.

Being able to look backwards is quite insightful.

Prior to the walk that day, I had gone to see my doctor.

The reason I went to the doctor was because I was retaining more water and my energy level was really low.  I was having a really hard time day to day.

The doctor gave me a prescription to help with the water retention.

I started taking the prescription on Tuesday of that week.

By Friday of the same week I stopped taking the prescription because I was getting worse.

I would get up for the day.  Then a couple hours later, I would be ready to go back to sleep.

To add to the mix, I was, now, feeling physically weak.

Now Kelsey and I go for the walk on Sunday.

Along the way, we stopped so I could pull some cat tails for at the house.

That was a mistake!

I was still physically weak.

While trying to pull the cat tail, I slid into the long grasses surrounding them.

Proceeding thinking no damage done and nothing was wrong, Kelsey and I continued our walk, picked some sweet peas, got the newspaper and went back to the house.

By the time we got home, I was so tired.

I laid down, went to sleep and didn’t wake up until the next day.

The first thing I remember after waking up was seeing Pop looking really scared.  I had never seen Pop scared.

The next thing I noticed was that my left shin was covered with orange-yellow blistering.

I didn’t know what had happened.

I called the doctor’s office.

Pop drove Kelsey and me down to the doctor’s office.

I left the doctor’s office with a prescription for allergy relief medication and a doctor who was shocked when I let her know how my body reacted to the medication that was meant to relieve the water retention.

The allergy relief medication was of no assistance in relieving any of the symptoms I was now feeling.

After that I went back to the doctor to try and figure out what was going on and get some relief.

Two to three weeks later Mom returned to the house after work.

Mom had been talking to her co-workers about what was going on.

One of those co-workers suggested that what was going on could have been caused by blister beetles.