FAITH :: Going to try Friday posting

 Hello again...

I've been working out the details of my "Christmas season" - which starts in JULY - and so far I will be working on a FRIDAY post here and a PATREON post on Mondays.  That's for now.

This month is all an experiment, but I want to try to find a good flow for all my tasks and efforts. Regular posting is important, so I need to get back to that commitment.

You may remember I am working on a NOTEBOOK plan to keep things organized.  It's been a long week of getting those spaces organized, changed, workable.  I will be improving my posts as I get my topics figured out. 

How to share my faith is what matters most to me... finding the topics that really matter is important to me... and getting my writing better is also important to me.  I hope this will be good path to those goals.

My notebooks will help me collect the things I want to share here.

Until next Friday...  Deb

FAITH :: Checking In and Sharing What's New

Hello, again...  My blogging efforts are really in sad shape.  I'm not sure what will happen with them, but we can find out together.  :-)

I have been working on how to get everything done, what to focus on first, and the path to the future.  It is an ongoing battle in my life.  I decided to try PROJECT  WEEKS and see if that gets my listings up and sales going.

The plan is to focus on one crafting project a week... like one week of art, one week of resins, one week of polymer clays, etc.  Then I can list what looks like it is worth buying!  :-)  

In the listing process, I am still trying to make PATREON my first priority.  My Patrons the special people in my life.  They will have access to Patreon-only options and products.  So I will have to work out how to achieve that.

My ETSY shop will be for other items.

My EBAY shop will be focused on AUCTION items and some BUY IT NOW options... I think finding my ART pricing there will be a starter action.  How does anyone know what their work is worth?!?  I have no idea!  I think it's a hit-or-miss target.

PAYPAL has an option to list things on social media and other spaces, so that will be a new option to try out.  I think that will be great.  I assume the fees will be PayPal only, but who knows...  I will try to remember to let you know.

BLOGGING is finding its place.  This will be my JOURNAL spot, maybe... maybe for spiritual issues, maybe just my walk with GOD and life.  I am debating what to do with the PUBLIC posting option at Patreon until I get my Patron spots filled... it may become my first place journal.

All this matters because my income seems to be having problems getting bigger.  :-)  I have PRAYED about it!  A long time.  A long, long, long, long time.  I don't see any reason it should have these problems for such a long time, so maybe GOD needs to step in.  I hope He does -- and soon!

July starts my Christmas season... prepping and giving.  

Spreading my Christmas giving over six months has made it a lot easier on my budget.  I tend to give to the same groups each year, so some just get their (small) donation from me a bit early.  Their computers don't know I only give once a year, so I get barraged with more requests the rest of the year.  I'm working on that problem, too.  :-)

Filling up my Christmas inventory started the Project Weeks effort.  I keep getting sidetracked with all the day-to-day battles and never get to making the things I want to sell for income.  I hope my Project Weeks will change that issue.

Keep watching my online spaces.  I am working on a LOT of new designs and ideas.  It will be great to share them with you later.

In Christ,  Deborah Martin

https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan

https://etsy.com/shop/work2gather

https://ebay.com/usr/work2gather

FAITH :: It's been too long... a short update

 I plan to get to my posting activities so many days...then it gets late and I go to sleep.  I was just doing that when I noticed the date on my last post.  Where did the whole month of MAY go!!  I don't know.  It's already heading into the 7th of JUNE.

I decided to send out a few words before my end of day.

Right now my big quest is to do weekly shopping according to a budget.  It's a lot harder than I thought it would be.  Getting to the store when I need to seems to be part of the problem.  The other big issue is how to replace my food staples along with the weekly fresh produce goal.  

This month I created a budget tracker to help me get a visual look at the boundaries for this effort.  I had to revise it after starting to fill in the details of the process, but it looks like a way to sort out the money issues.  We'll know after this month.

I'm already way over my first week's budget because I did my main shopping at a different store, then went to my regular shopping place for refilling my cupboards.  If I can keep to the budget I worked out today, I will make it through OK.  Next month I will have it figured out better, for all four weeks.

The first week of the month is the main shopping time.  I need to replace a lot of things I used up.  I end up buying more than I need to.  SOOOOOOO, my plan is to spread that buying through all four weeks... in JULY.  :-)

Right now, I have to use all the fresh produce I bought because it was at a sale price and getting to a store is still a problem.  This is a serious budget issue.  I will be working on how to spread my food out over the month so I can make it to next month.

One good thing -- I finally figured out how to do the weeks of the month for my food budget.  I just have to go by the dates ::  1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28.  Going by the days of the week just didn't work.  Four weeks is the main part of the month.  That's the budget.  Four weeks.

Faith issues are a daily struggle.  I am looking for GOD's answers to the problems I face in my life, and how the larger Body of Christ is surviving those same problems.  We are facing so many hard choices, consequences to years of not seeing the battles or not doing anything about those battles, and increasing persecutions by the Enemy and those who are his soldiers.  Prophecy can't be stopped, but how do those of us who believe in GOD and are saved by Christ find the path to the future?  I'm not sure.  I keep seeking GOD's answers.

Let me know if you have found any of those answers.

Well, I need to end this now.  I will try to be better at sharing my life and thoughts with you this month and beyond.  I am looking for a workable pace, a schedule I can live with, and how to focus my activities on what matters most. 

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

http://work2gather.us

FAITH :: Still thinking about things...

 It is now MARCH !!! 

I didn't post much last month.  I was thinking about GOD and all the things attached to a life where He is the one we follow.  I was praying to Him for help, for guidance, for some kind of provisions for the work He has put in my heart and life to do, and trying to find the way through all these questions.  I am still praying and looking for His directions.

Today was a busy day going through my things because I bought ten more storage containers, small gasket boxes I like am slowly collecting.  Right now they are packing my books and my crafting supplies.  When I get to a permanent place, they will become my selling boxes and inventory storage.  That's part of the plan.  I want to do TWO crafting fairs at Christmas when I can reach that level of commitment... time, health, money, and local options.  Today, though, I am trying to make more easy-access options for my supplies.

Motivation seems to be a mountain to climb.

I am working on it.

Space to work is still a problem, and shipping... and photos.  I am beginning to find answers, so things will get better I hope.  My goal for this year is to increase my income... I would like to reach $5K a month and see what that is like.  :-)

I could get the equipment I want with that much.  I think it's the same old chicken and egg situation... what comes first, the chicken or the egg?  

I'm working on my technology options... for photos and uploading to listings. 

I have a small amount of money to invest in some equipment, or whatever.  I am trying to decide what the most important thing to get first is.  :-)  You know I am pretty slow about those kind of things... trying to spend wisely.  That's why I decided to buy the gasket boxes finally.

Faith is hard when the resources are low.

I guess that is why wealthy people forget about GOD, they think they don't need Him.

I have started my Prayer Journal again... and will try to catch up on the days I missed.  Prayers are good any time.  I'm sure it is good to keep praying even if I am late with my planned schedule.  :-)

I'm back to praying for my sons daily... it just seemed like they need prayer and I want to seek GOD for their souls.  The other five spots are a mix of National and Family and Friends and Public People.

I don't know what will happpen to my writing commitments yet.  I am still trying to figure out how to make PATREON the main effort.

I guess that will be it for tonight.

Pray for me, too -- if you can.

Thanks.  Deborah Martin

http://work2gather.us

STILL my favorite !!

FAITH :: CHANGES !!! Starting to think of 2021...

Sorry to be late again... Who can remember what was happening that made me forget to post here...  I remembered on Thursday, the old regular day.  Maybe I need to work on a new plan.  :-)

I have been thinking about 2021 goals and decided to change my PATREON page around.  I worked on that in the night hours from Saturday to Sunday... Make sure you check it out.  

https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan  

I am down to FOUR tiers... 

• For Everyone
• New Projects
• Art Prints
• Jewelry Design

I decided to eliminate CHRISTMAS from my Patreon projects, and then decided to make RECYCLING dormant for awhile... It takes a LOT of money and space to do Recycling projects... I will wait and see what happens.

I changed my Patreon page right away because I didn't want to risk anyone signing up for a tier that would be changed.

I am still praying for responses to my ONE MILLION supporters effort for this whole year.  So far, NONE.  ZERO.  NADA.  ZIP.  -- very discouraging.  That was my "start-up" money goal.

Finding workspace has been an ongoing issue for me.  I bought some things this weekend to help me, and spent today moving stuff around to see if it would help.  I am seeing a LITTLE bit of empty but not enough.  There's still more to do, so it might work out.  I moved my crafting supplies to my desk space for easier access and a reminder for my brain.

"Out of sight, out of mind" isn't a made up saying... it is truth we have to deal with!

In my sorting activities I found a bunch of paperwork that applies to Working Together... history... memories.  I have it all separated and need to go through it this week.  The DECEMBER Membership Drive deadline is looming !!!  I have a lot to get done still.  PRAY for me.  Ask GOD to help me with the issues I face, and to provide what I have needed and prayed for all these many years.  Thanks.

This logo, mission statement, vision for the future of all Christians, has all the main themes and contact point for Working Together.

I created a visor with the web address on it.  I should have the only one... I can't decide if that is something to sell or not.  I am thinking more about stickers.  I love them, put them on my letters, and think they spread the word in places we can never reach.

With everything online these days, I am not sure what the best sharing method would be.  I suppose social media... but my accounts don't see to reach too far.

And there are other problems I don't have the ability to deal with right now.

These all bring up questions about GOD, about Faith, about our place in the Kingdom Plan, and who has more power - GOD or the Evil One.  Every day brings this battle.

9/11 was a turning point for America in my view, this election is also a huge event in our national path.  Even if TRUMP wins, it just kicks the can down to the next election... the morality of our nation is dying, and that is fulfilling Prophecy.  We need to decide what the best future is for ourselves as Christians, so we can protect it the best we can.

For the December Membership Drive I am trying to write a PDF that will explain my reasons for starting WT and why I think it matters.  I'm not sure how detailed I will be, because it really needs a whole book with chapters on each part of the whole vision, but I will do my best.  I have gone through many years of seeking GOD for the details, and struggled with so many obstacles.  I will try to share my view for now, in our time, because things have changed a lot since I first wrote my What If There Is NO Rapture?  piece.

I guess that is enough for tonight.

I will try to do better this week and get my post done... maybe early... maybe on THURSDAY, or maybe on another day.  :-) 

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

http://work2gather.us

and more...

I like to post this last as a PS reminder that we cannot be strong unless we gather and become ONE BODY in Christ.

Thursday update - Today's Battles : How they affect our future

Life has been a mixed event lately... I will try scheduling this post so I can make sure you are updated.  Not that my life is the thing to know about, but I am on a path to the future and still learning how to build this thing we call an "online presence."   :-)

I am in the middle of several project paths so I feel kind of out of sorts.  It's still moving forward, but slowly.  This week I have been trying to get my plan into an organized and printed list.  

I have been thinking a lot about GOD, and what He means to our daily lives... not the invisible parts, more about the things we can see, the way He moves in our individual lives, how we can say He is real and he still loves us even when we don't get the things we want from Him.  I often try to see what GOD looks like to the people who don't know them.  Our current problems and battles and wars are part of that thinking as well.

It makes everything else kind of "foggy" so I tend to operate on autopilot when things get really "deep" in my thinking time.  We are facing so many serious problems these days, with even greater issues ahead of us.  I get consumed by the place GOD and Christians hold in the history that is to come... especially when I include what GOD has already told us about in Bible Prophecy.

In the practical spaces of my life, I made it to the grocery store finally.  I was trying to live on what I already had for as long as I could, but it got really tough when I ran out of coffee, tea, and other options besides water to drink.  :-)  Wouldn't you know it, the one thing I forgot at the store was coffee.  It seems to be a pattern these days.  Still, we know that GOD works through the attacks of our enemies, and is always the main power.  So we need to ask ourselves, "Why?"   I think it is to show us what the world is becoming... and a part of what He is doing in the people who are our enemies.

• I've been working on my notebook system, been waiting on crafting supplies I ordered, been thinking about Christmas for me and Christmas selling online, and a lot more.  
• I got behind in my prayer journaling so I am still catching up with that.  
• I was so happy to find yeast at the store!!  I now wonder how they make it because it took so long to replace with the shopping restrictions we have had.  
• I was also so excited to see eggnog available... I grabbed it up!

I spent almost all of my financial resources this month... I'm not use to being able to buy anything, so I always feel like I have been going crazy with my purchases.  Mostly all things I have wanted for some time, and there's a lot more to buy!  :-)   

• I am also getting my workspaces figured out for now.

Thinking about GOD and Life and our way of doing things in America, I have discovered some strange realities.  I don't know why they matter, but we often just assume many things so we don't really look into them more deeply.  I haven't finished this quest with GOD so I don't want to share everything yet.

I have also become a prayer advocate for some of our public personalities.  I think it may be a bigger issue than I would like it to be because I am in the senior citizen group and spend too much time online and don't have a good way to get around for other activities.  

Online is my "work" now, so I can't avoid all the contacts with posts and photos and times to wonder how these people I am seeking GOD for get into their life choices.  We all become the product of our choices, so the problems are different but we all have our battles.  I wonder why they do the things they do... and if they really understand the difference GOD makes in our lives when we are truly committed to Him.

Another thing that happened this week was at YouTube.  I somehow discovered songs I hadn't heard for years and added them to my MUSIC folder.  In the process of trying to find more that day, I listened to songs from the past... they reminded me why I only listen to Christian stations now... sermons and Klove... well, and now CDs as I build up a collection.

The themes of the Enemy's music are all about "love" - mostly sexual love. They are beautiful songs, but they don't lead you into what GOD's best is.  They lead to easy sex for men, desperate sex for women, and the consequences of sex outside of GOD's Plan... which is part of the reason ABORTION is such a battlefield.  There are so many consequences to sins we think are "harmless" but become lifetime effects.  Following GOD's way of life leads us to real and lasting happiness, sin will not.  We all want to find LOVE in our lives... and compromise our faith in moments of weakness.  People without faith don't even see the battle, they just pass through the attacks on their lives without the benefit of moral guidance.

So, I put them in my folder for now, but I am not sure that is a great idea.  I am seeking GOD about it and thinking about the damage they can cause... about the step that can become a crash in faith.  This is actually a very real test of faith, a choice that is typical of Satan's forces. When we repeatedly hear, see, think about anything, it becomes a part of our daily thought life.  Like choosing a friend.  These "friends" can ruin our lives.

I need to get going.

Think about the small choices you make every day... they lead you into your future, good and bad.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us

and more... 

Being the Body of Christ - TOGETHER !

I totally forgot it was Thursday.  I've been buy with other things and then got lost in the YouTube space.  Just an FYI... sorry about this growing habit that seems to be overtaking my life. I will try to do better with my schedule.

I picked a bunch of blackberries this morning, then had to wash and decide what to do with them.  I packed up 2 freezer containers (2-cup size) and put them in what I call the "big freezer" and then decided to add two of my small containers in my fridge freezer.  There was eight cups left so I decided to make a jam... or try to.  :-)   I ended up cooking it until it reached the "jelly" stage on my thermometer.  I put it in jars to freeze because I didn't have the energy to water bath them all (5).  I had about 3/4 cup of jam left, so I put that in the fridge.  I should have enough jam to last a long time!  (And blackberry harvesting has just begun!!  :-)



I am continuing my Prayer Journals.  My list of "Others" keeps growing.  Not sure where this will end up by the end of the year.  I mostly like this version of keeping a Prayer Journal for me... simple, limited, personal, focused... it helps me to think of what a day may hold for the person I pray for, and what my prayers for them might be.  I have started praying for some people to overcome my problems with them.  Prayer changes us as much as it changes others.  I am hoping to keep my Spirit from becoming hard and ungodly.  That will be something I find out by the end of the year also.

I don't recall if I shared that I wached the movie about Rich Mullins... Ragamuffin.  I think my most favorite song of his is MY DELIVERER.  I just found out tonight that it is on the record album of songs they found fully recorded (?) after his death... he had just made them.  It seems that My Deliverer is on that list!  I don't follow these things... and you can see how late I am in getting to movies and songs others have already known for years.  So, I checked the links attached to this discovery tonight and decided to buy the CD I found listed at eBay.  It is listed as in GOOD condition.  I hope it is.


Lots of things going on, lots of things being prayed for.  Sometimes I don't know how to pray in GOD's Will, but I sure wish He would listen to my will.  It is hard to wait, to wonder if and when GOD will act on our behalf.  I think of all kinds of things that are in the Bible, and try to decide what applies and what doesn't.  The bottom line always goes back to the fact that it is GOD's decision, according to His bigger Plan, and I am like an employee that needs to do what the BOSS says.  We all know that can be a challenge.  Pray that my life will become all the things I have prayed for it to become, and that I will see GOD's provisions for those things I know He has created me to do... somehow.


The AUGUST BUDGET is in draft form, but I know that will get changed.  I am going to try my first ad "campaign" online.  :-)  Just to see how it works.  I need to make the post that I want to share.

My PATREON Challenge continues to be my main financial quest.  It would solve so many problems I face... just that small $5 from so many people.  It would be the start-up financing I could never find.

I am busying myself with getting my CHRISTMAS lists done... what to make, what I need in supplies and space, how to ship things, what to paint, what to charge, how to list what I have, and all those issues for raising money through online sales.

My goal and planning notebooks keep evolving, getting better, getting sorted into a flow that will work for me.

Pray that GOD will provide.
Many thanks for any prayers that you share on my behalf.
If you can spare $5, that would be even greater.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
and more...

Remember... we are the Body of Christ TOGETHER... we all need each other... for many things, now and in the End Times and before the Antichrist gets here.

Here I am!

I got busy with a Daymond John free webinar offer... it started at 11pm, just when I planned to be here.  I hope you don't mind.  It was on preparing the so important "elevator speech."  I have tried to figure that one out for years.  He has a nice free downloadable sheet to help.

So, what has been happening this week... a lot I think... but it is hard to quantify.

I started receiving my supplies, started working on some crafts, and have been working on my CHRISTMAS options.  It's getting there. 

If I can't find my paint for silk-screening I may have to try something like acrylics until I can get some.  I am excited to see how this works on real screens.  I have two premade screens - one of an elephant head, one of a dandelion.  One has thick spaces, the other fine lines.  Before I make my own screens, I need to figure out how these design options work in the finished product.

I got an email about bartering art for services. It reminded me of the option.  I browsed the article and did see that you have to make a receipt for taxes.  It is considered "income" for taxation purposes, and needs to be accounted for.  Barter is a great concept.  With the government's need to tax every penny it can, I would need cash to pay the taxes... I don't have that... BUT, it is an option to think about.

I am still in the process of receiving some of my supplies.  Many seem to come from CHINA, no matter where I order them.  Some must be warehoused here, but others take many weeks to get here (for free shipping -- the only other charge I noticed was $42 -- that would be a lot more than the order!)...  Someday, I would like to try a big order and see how that works.

I am looking for the details more these days... MADE IN THE USA. 

I had a horrific experience with a packaged cake mix this month... when I went to make it it was nothing like the cake mixes I use to make years ago... it was like slime... gel-like.  I made it, and will eat it, but I will never buy it again... and I will try to remember to read more labels.  This mix was made with GMO ingredients.  It was my first time actually seeing what that means.  I am thankful it was labeled... but I hope the company goes back to real ingredients. 

I made the cake because I have been wanting to try the CAKE POP thing.  I decided to not make them on a stick... and froze most of the scoops I made.  I have four to try covering with chocolate.  It is definitely a  S W E E T  treat!


I guess this has been a slow, thinking and praying kind of week.  I had to sleep much more than normal.  I have been planning the next several months... trying to get a path through it. 

I finally decided to commit my crafting roller machine (pasta maker) to polymer clays.  I will be getting that started this weekend I suppose.  You have to warm up the clay to get it to be pliable... I will try to keep it in my pocket and see if body warmth will help that process.  I don't know what shapes I want to make yet, but I need some flat pieces.  Eventually, I want to try to use various colors to make "art" on squares of polymer.  And I am going to try "glow in the dark" options.  :-)  I think that will be fun.

I have some shapes already baked and will be trying to get them finished... drilling, sanding, etc.

Next I need to figure out the packaging for the projects I am working on.


I guess there are so many things that are "in process" it is hard to share all the details. 

I have made a commitment with my Patreon CHALLENGE tier to review my activities on all ten of my tiers when I do my weekly updates.  This has proven to be a very difficult thing, but it is helping me focus on each of the tiers for my reporting duties... finding things to get me moving forward on all of them.


In the Faith department, I am continuing my PRAYER JOURNALING projects, and as they develop, I am expanding my person list.  Sometimes the needs weigh heavily on my soul.  We pray all the time, but seeing how GOD answers those prayers is not easy.


I guess that is enough for now.
May GOD be with all His People as we try to make it through this life into heaven.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
and more...

I'm baaaaaack... :-)

I finally got up somewhere after 1pm... still wanting to be in bed.  Not sure if the long time laying down was the habit that was hard to break, or if I really needed to stay in bed, but I got up and started thinking about food.

I'm not saying what happened to keep me in bed all day and night and morning... it seems to have gone away.  Hopefully, it will stay away.



It's almost 8pm now... time flies when you are busy with your bookkeeping!  haha

I was working on my June budget the other day, and I said about my TITHE... I need to figure out where I am at for the year!  So when I started working on my June budget again today, I remembered that!!!  It's a possible way of saving my low income dollars and still being right with GOD!

It's also a real example of what happens when incomes go down... 

I always say the TITHE is the first thing to go in most families... not sure why, but I assume it is the idea that we need to be "responsible" and provide for the kids first... good human excuse, right?  :-)  That's how it looks from human eyes.

The eyes of FAITH say that we better make sure we honor GOD's Tithe so we can depend on Him to take care of us.  He has PROMISED to do that!  If He doesn't, He becomes a liar.... and we know GOD is not a liar.

I think every church and ministry was talking about their lack of funds when the buildings got shut down.  We are going to need a "Plan B" soon. I don't know how things will change, but there are already long reports about what MIGHT happen in the coming months and years.

When you see things with the eyes of the world (and Satan), the events we encounter look very different than when you see them with the eyes of Faith... prophecy, sin, End Times.... all those parts of Faith. 

I think GOD is trying to show us some changes need to be made.

I've been praying for some things all my life, and it seems like GOD is powerless to provide them, to help me, to protect me, to take my life to the place I believe GOD wants it to be... sometimes I pray for GOD to glorify His Name with the actions I see needed. Other times I just plead for His interventions and hope that He will provide.  Faith is hard.

I keep trying to think of the stories in the Bible, how GOD works in them, what He actually does... I'm nothing in the span of time, but His Plans will be accomplished.  I have never been able to decide if I am one step toward them, or a resting place, or a pivot point... some kind of part of the way to our collective Christian future.

Without GOD providing a LOT OF MONEY, there is little I can do to start the changed I see needed... finding the right Christians to do the parts they know how to do... etc.  So, I just keep doing what I can and hope GOD finds the right hearts to see the needs we face.

I heard a report where major online conversation pieces are limiting Christian conversations... because they don't agree with the content, which is not objectionable in any way.  If the common household websites are all we have to choose from, what does it mean for the conversations of the future?  Not Truth, not debate, not freedom of speech... so how do we change this problem?

I have ideas... and I am sure the Christian Community will come up with others.  We have to decide.  Is this the time in history where we need to "come out and be separate" from the world?

So, I am working on my writing projects to ask these questions in a PDF or a Kindle Book (to see what happens) or an Etsy listing, which I know is biased against Christians... and maybe a print option to see if it can be shared.  

Our time in this world is closing.  Soon the world will have what it thinks it wants -- a world without good people, moral people, Christians and Jews, no GOD, no hope, no order, no spiritual enemy, no global charity, and more... they will have themselves, and will discover that evil is not very nice.

We need to start protecting the vulnerable among us...


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Well, I have a few extra dollars to use in JUNE... I am way over my "required" Tithe.  :-)   This is a rough month, but I am working through the issues and hoping for GOD's Help.

If you want to help me, you can donate to my "tip" account ::
https://paypal.me/work2gather 

If you want to help Working Together Inc, you can donate to its "tip" account ::  https://paypal.me/workingtogetherinc 

Otherwise, I continue my efforts to increase my sales listings at 

ETSY     https://etsy.com/shop/work2gather
and
EBAY     https://ebay.com/usr/work2gather

and my main prayer and financial goal ::
my Patreon page 

https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan


I hope to see your names at my selling spaces.
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
and more

11:30pm - running late again...

I have been watching videos about retirement issues on YouTube tonight... several.  I think I started with titles about the Middle Class... struggling in some, having too many things in another.  It was very interesting, most were a bit dated, from the years following the housing crisis in 2008. 

We have a lot of problems in America, and I don't know if we have any way to solve them. Crisis seems to be the "opportunity" the government likes.

I don't know if I will be around for the crash of the Social Security program. I hope not.  What happens between now and the estimated time of bankruptcy is the real issue.  We never know what the future will hold.  Who knew we would have a global shutdown, which has become a death toll for business and jobs... increased the debt beyond reason so we are now looking at higher taxes again.

PBS News Hour, which I only watched in segments for today's report, talked about the increasing number of retail stores that are ending in bankruptcy or quitting the effort to stay open. I watched it twice, at least.  

In some of the other videos I watched on related topics, the loss of work with no hope for new employment was changing the dreams of many people.  I was struck by how many years some of the example stories worked for twenty, thirty, or more years before one day seeing their company go away.  One person had the company she worked for disappear twice (two jobs went away) and was looking for work again.

Millions of people... no work.  The older people, still needing to have income to meet their current expenses, could not find work. The devastation it had on families was included in the interviews.  Blaming someone was the answer for one family, and it was the dad without the big wages anymore. The kids not understanding what was happening, and fearing it would happen again.

It's strange how crises affect family dynamics.  It's the money that seems to create your value.  I don't think that is a good value system.  In families with addictions, the person who gets blamed for everything that happens is called the "scapegoat."  In crisis, I suppose that is how we seem to see the world... we need to find someone to blame. 

These financial issues are high on my list of things I'm thinking of these days. The debt, the stability of Social Security, life challenges, hopes for the future.  My life has always been poor, so it is always hard to see the effects of economic disasters on people who have always had large amounts of money to live on.

One woman had a salary near $100K each year... yet she had no savings for an emergency.  It was just spending money.  I think she went on food benefits, but I can't remember for sure, I know they went from a large (nice) house (a rental, not a mortgage!) to a basement apartment.  It is hard for me to even think about wasting that much money in their lives.  We think life will always be the same.  She said she planned to retire from the company that died.

I didn't learn any money lessons in my childhood, I had to learn them on my own.  I never had that much to budget so I don't know what I would have done if I did have a lot of money.... then.  Now I would be better able to deal with a large amount of money. 

When you have nothing, or just a little, and you see pictures of the lives others lead, what they have compared to what they need, it is a serious problem.  We are a consumer driven economy, and that is why our nation is falling apart.  The News Hour segment, or maybe it was another video on retail, said that our consumer spending is down by half and that the normal level of consumer spending as part of our economy was 70%...  Imagine if your monthly budget depended on what people spent... I guess that is why retail is being devastated right now.

What will replace those jobs?  I have no idea.  Food, shelter, and work-related necessities... those will need to survive.  Shelves and shelves of toys, clothes, and other things we consume will go away.

This might be a good thing.

Change is hard... it will be painful... but the President is right when he says we will get through this.  It will pass.  That is what life is.  We suffer through hard times and find a way to the future.  My personal saying on the process is something that helps me remember everything goes away, eventually. 

I have shared this before, but it is a good thing to share again.  I was watching a river one day, as a homeless person, and I realized that life is like a river... no matter what happens, it just keeps going.  Whether we like it or not, it just keeps going forward. 

I hope this won't be a long hardship.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
and more...

My Thursday Update on Friday... I missed the midnight deadline !

I spent hours doing my latest revisions and updates at my Patreon page and then it was midnight... really, it was on-the-dot midnight when I finished and went to make a post about it... either at Patreon or to Twitter, I can't remember.

It is now going on 1 am...

I really did make a quick decision between this post and doing my Patreon plans.  I never thought it would take so long.  Another lesson... I wouldn't be late with this if I had chosen it first.   :-)

So, what kind of things did I change at Patreon?

https://www.patreon.com/posts/35316193

Actually, I have been working on my planning pages this week -- as part of my get organized effort.  I ended up including the financial estimates for each project  so I could see if they would work, and I discovered I had way too much money in some project tiers.  In my revisions I went to a reasonable funding goal with the number of Patrons I would need to reach it.  Where I had hundreds of patrons wanted, I now have 25, 15, 40... small numbers, depending on the membership level.  I like it better -- IF I can find them.

I am also in the process of making lists of the actually things I am fundraising for.  I want to see how much money I must have to get the items I really need.  Then I will share the information with that tier.

The problem is huge... I am sharing with no one if I put the information into a private tier environment.  If I put my posts on the PUBLIC page, there is at least HOPE I might find someone to read it!  What to do.

My CHALLENGE posts are mostly moving to the private mailbox in April.


I am too tired to remember what I was going to write about (yesterday)… I may have to post another blog in the day hours.

I think that is a good idea.

I will see you later.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan

#My2020PatreonChallenge

30 JAN update - #My2020PatreonChallenge

Thursday already!  Time just goes too fast!

I have been busy making tracking aids for my CHALLENGE... and trying to get my record-keeping "flow" to go smoothly.  It hasn't been achieved yet.  :-)

This year I am using a "Back to School" composition book to keep my daily notes.  I seem to forget or I am too tired by the end of the day.  I have mostly recorded "notes" the next day or longer.  This is something that seems to be slow to change.  I use to keep track on my recycled scratch paper and then just staple each day and then store them with my monthly receipts and other records... in a zip-loc bag!  At the end of the year everything went into a cardboard box.  --  I am finding plastic storage boxes to keep my records in for long-term.  I like the "gasket" boxes.  (I am using those for my project supplies, too.)

New this year is finally organizing some of my recycled 3-ring notebooks as ongoing record options.  I have one for my monthly letters I write to friends and family.  It has taken awhile to get to the notebook format.  It was just easier to stack them as I wrote them.  Now I can actually look at the last letter I wrote to an individual person, if I want to.  --  I sorted my stack for last year and that was part of the extra motivation.  I also needed a notebook big enough.  I had to change all my notebook contents around to get to there.

I wanted to have one small notebook for current tracking, but that keeps getting too full.  I have one for all of 2020, but that is going to be too small.  -- This means I have to keep my eyes looking for just the right size of 3-ring binders to change to.

It is beginning to take shape.

Changing habits is always a blurry process.  You keep going back to what you use to do, remember you aren't going to do that anymore, and then work at doing the new thing you want to do.  This is true for all the changes in our lives, good and bad.  Repetition creates a habit.  What we repeat becomes what we do without thinking.

I have read different ideas on how long it takes to change a habit, and the 12-week one seems the most realistic... even then we can slip back into the old ways.  I guess after three months of really working on it, you have your mind focusing on the new pathway.

My design issues are in limbo right now.  I am going to create separate designs to use for different ongoing actions I need to post about.

I am getting my keywords organized.

I have been going through my email accounts, my computer files, my online sites, to see what needs to be changed.  I don't think January will be long enough, but I am thinking all of the "habit changing" might need until March.  The race is on to beat that deadline.  What would "beating the deadline" look like?  I don't know.  I will have to think about that.

Finding people to sign up is what I am trying to figure out.  I know my computer has problems, and my internet access... I often think my work is useless under all these "persecutions" -- but -- I also keep going for myself.  It is amazing the things you learn in these circumstances.  It will help me to build a better future for myself and the Body of Christ.

Did I share that I received my logo mug!  :-)  Sooooooo wonderful!

I'm going to be adding t-shirt designs to my selling sites and want to order one for myself... at least one, for now.  I am not sure which one I will end up with.  Keep checking my stores.  I mostly focus on Etsy right now, then I will add my listings to Ebay.

• Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/work2gather
• eBay - https://www.ebay.com/usr/work2gather

It will be a lot more fun to post small updates (like photos of what I am doing "right now") when I figure out the process.  I entered a post for my Facebook "Story" recently.  I was staring at the photo of my "Every abortion is one too many." t-shirt and decided to share what the details meant.  I don't really know what the purpose of the separate space is, but I am learning.

I think I need to activate my smartphone and get that learning process going.  :-)   -- It's all about the funds... how to fit the new bills into the budget.  Sales would help that process, but there seems to be a problem reaching Christians as my buyers.  Pray that GOD will bless me so I can move forward.

I guess I better get back to my work.

Until next post,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin