SPECIAL GIFTS FOR SPECIAL PEOPLE

I have been what many may refer to a “a friend in need”. I don’t have my own car yet and so I have needed many lifts to many places. Most of my destinations are not far from where I am and “en route” but I really have been a needy person. The people who have been helping me A LOT are really wonderful people. They are real friends to me and I wanted to let them know that what they have been doing for me means SO much to me. I don’t actually have words to say how much they have meant to me.

You see, I hate having to ask for a lift anywhere and I always feel like such a burden and a schlep and real “friend in need is a friend in deed” (please read that with a very whiny nasal voice for the full effect.) type of person. And these people have helped me out happily and lovingly every. single. time. without so much a sigh, or rolling their eyes or a complaint or anything.

Now, the thing is, I really want to thank these people, and I was wracking my brain as to what I could do that would be special and really show my appreciation of the people who have blessed me more than they will ever realise.

I want to get them something that will last and always remind them of the wonderful gift of friendship they brought into my life. Something meaningful and worthy of such people. I mean flowers are nice – but they just don’t say enough. A vase is lasting – but it just doesn’t say “thank you” quite the way I need it to. And anything else also just seems too, I dunno – BELEEEAGH!!!! Know what I mean? It’s just not personal enough…

Then I had a BRAINWAVE!! I recently restrung my pearls that Happy got for me about 10 years ago. And when I had finished I had a few left. Four, to be exact. Now they are not very big – but they are the real thing and I have friend at church who makes jewelry! So for Sharlene I am going to have a pretty and simplistic pair of earrings made that look like this:

Only the pearls are white, and the earrings will be silver too.

And then for Ester I decided on a pretty pendant like this:

And the pearl of course is also white, also in silver…

I think they are very deserving of these gifts and I hope that they will know just how much their friendship has meant to me. And the pearls represent their friendship which is like a precious pearl to me.

I just can’t wait to actually give these to them. I am so excited I can almost burst!!

And then there is Joanne. She is a God send – literally. Whenever I need guidance or advice or just a chat Joanne has been there for me. She has such wisdom and sees things from such a new perspective and her advice is always good and helpful. And I am always reminded of the Proverb in the Bible that says “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”(Proverbs 25:11) So I will be getting her a small pendant made to something of this sort of design. And none of it will cost me very much because I have got the pearls and I have got the Gold for the apple pendant. And the silver used will be very little and won’t cost much at all. So, the gifts will be meaningful – which I want, and light on my pocket too – which is just a bonus I think.

A good way to say thank you – dontcha think?

Coca-Cola's Crappy Customer Care

Coca-Cola has got very bad to non existent customer care. I am not impressed with them at all. Last week Tuesday I bought a 2ℓ Coke from our local Spar and poured some for each of us. As I got to the very last sip of mine there was a beetle in it. Which I almost swallowed! I was disgusted and almost threw up. Now I know you may all be thinking that the bug could have fallen into my glass without me seeing it, but I doubt it. I took the glass out of the dishwasher and usually (from my experience) when a bug or insect falls into your drink it floats on the top – it doesn't sink…

So, I called up Coca-Cola on their Customer Care line and told them what had happened. I was told to keep the suspect bottle and they would send someone out to see me. That was last week Wednesday. I have not heard a single thing from them since then, so I called again today. The lady on the other end of the line simply said she would have to log the complaint again as she did do it last week too. And I must please keep the bottle.

What they will do with the bottle I don't know. It is half empty (no, not half full) and I certainly didn't keep the beetle. I was so grossed out when it happened that the last thing I though of was bagging it to keep as evidence.

Let's hope I will hear from them before this week is up. I am not overly hopeful, but I will wait and see what happens.

Should I be surprised though? This is South Africa after all – not the best country to expect good Customer Service now is it?