Wolves have bad breath.

Not literal wolves, although I imagine their breath is pretty funky, too. No, it's this damn figurative wolf. He's been at a lot of doors locally, and elsewhere. And while he hasn't been at my door yet, he keeps driving through my neighborhood real slowly, and leering.

It's wearing, especially here in Michigan. Some friends have lost jobs. Some have had to fire people, some have taken pay cuts. Some are in fear for their jobs, and the ones who aren't were unemployed already. Let's just say it's not a super time for a stay-at-home-mom with a six-year hole in her resume to decide to go back to work.

But my job-hunting woes? Mere piffle, I assure you. One friend has a soul-deadening job, which pays next to nothing and which she hates like root canal. But she's close to losing it, and she's frantic because she needs the money and the flexible hours to take care of her sick father and her little girl. I wish her story was the only one like that I knew. The wolf is at her door, so many doors all at the same time. He's a busy wolf, and hungry.

Add to the stress of the economy the cold weight of winter pressing down on us in the north, and things seem almost unbearable. The snow is barely shoveled, and it needs shoveling again. It's grainy snow, not even good for building a snowman or having a snowball fight, just for piling up and slogging through.

There are other problems, too, but I can't go into them. But it's enough to make a girl want to write a psalm. Not one of the praise-filled ones, one of the desperate ones, where the psalmist is beset by enemies and treachery and there's famine in the land. One where the psalmist cries out to God because all other kinds of crying have been profitless.

I'm one of the lucky ones, right now. But I can't help seeing the bad luck all around me and wondering--when is somebody going to slay this hideous, drooling wolf? 

Comments

[Alison]

Times are tough. I feel for everybody who is having a hard time right now--and that feeling of desperation, of not knowing where the money is going to come from, just SUCKS.

Can you use the word "sucks" in a psalm? 'Cause it's not very poetic, but it's how we feel. And what I love about the psalms is how raw and honest the writers were about how they feel.

[Kelly]

We're afraid, too. Hubby works for a company that's not doing well and hasn't for a long time and is directly invested in the retail market. I'm afraid that if he loses his job he'll have trouble finding another (he's been looking, on and off, for several years), we won't be able to sell our house (who's buying?!), and we'll end up being eaten by wolves (figuratively? literally?).

My biggest hope (aside from the lotto) is that with a new President will come a new optimism in the economy and rainbows will shoot out of my butt. (not really)

[Erika]

I am a college grad and I am currently working part-time at a bakery while searching, searching for something "real" to do... It's pretty soul-sucking. But I live in Florida so half my pay is in sunshine, and my kids and I are healthy (thank God) so I guess you take what you can get sometimes. I was actually wondering how things were going in your neighborhood, being in Michigan and all... I hope for the best for all your neighbors and friends and I am thankful that you and your family are OK for now.

[Missie]

Soup.

Soup fixes everything.

You must post soup recipes.

[san diego cosmetic dentist]

Halitosis, breath odor, mouth odor, foul breath, or most commonly bad breath are terms used to describe noticeably unpleasant odors exhaled in breathing – whether the smell is from an oral source or not. Halitosis has a significant impact – personally and socially on those who suffer from it or believe they do (halitophobia), and is estimated to be the third most frequent reason for seeking dental aid.

-heather-

[san diego cosmetic dentist]

Bad breath is one of the most worst smell for me,gosh! do anything to prevent this if you have a kind of this problem.

by: florence

[cosmetic dentistry beverly hills]

Bad breath is very common to those people whose not paying attention to their dental hygiene. It can easily be treated you need to maintain your dental hygiene and of course dental check up.

-fiona-