Surprises

This one Christmas I remember I wanted a CD player. It was when they first became a mainstream item. Like early 1990's. I was in middle school, still listening to music on tape. A couple of my friends had portable disc players.
I was opening presents and my mom handed me a package that was flat and square, about 4 inches on each side. I though, YES! She is giving me the CD first as a teaser, then she will give me the CD player. I just KNEW it was a CD. But I didn't want her to know that I had guessed. So I continued, with a sly smile on my face, casually unwrapping the gift...

Life is funny. Life can kind of suck sometimes too. You never know what to expect, and its at those moments when you foolishly allow yourself to believe you've figured it out that the roof falls in on your head. The person you may have believed was out to get you, steps in and saves you in that crucial moment. The person you thought you could count on for anything turns out to be the greatest disappointment ever. I guess the only person in life you can really count on is yourself. I know I will always have my back. 

Childhood friends make vows to be "Best Friends Forever". But people grow up, and childhood things get put away.
The people who got me through college, who became like family, who I thought would always be just a phone call away seem farther and farther. But life takes you to places you may not expect and you have to make adjustments. Some promises just get broken.

Lovers who swore their hearts to me, quickly forgot their sweet pillow talk when times got tough.
Through it all, it's been God and me. From the day I was born to the day I die. He is the only real constant. I'm learning how truly foolish it is to put your trust in anyone but God. Not because people are bad, but because they are people.

...But back to my story. As you may guessed, I did not get a CD player for Christmas that year. When I opened the wrapping I found a box containing a round, metal belt holder to hang from the bar in my closet. I was a typical teenager and my mother had complained many times about me leaving my belts and purses scattered about. So she bought this, closet organizer I guess, to get my things off the floor. It just happened to have almost the exact same dimensions as a compact disc. Ironic, huh?

I still have that belt holder today.

That is all.