News

Newsletter – August 2025

By Debbie Sorensen Founder Welcoming Words

Well hello there. The good news for today is, there are benefits to NOT double-dipping.

Perhaps you are wondering, what does double-dipping have to with good news?

To “double-dip” as a noun, describes what goes into mitigating an economic recession.

As a verb, an illicit income could be obtained when money is gathered from two sources that are connected and “double-dipped” for payment. 

We also hear of “double-dipping” at the chip and salsa bowl. A definite no-no.

Today, I encountered “doubling-dipping,” in regard to water.

Yesterday afternoon people on the south side of my city, were alerted to a potential contamination of municipal water. There was an over-pressurized hydrant potentially releasing contaminants into the public water system from an area mining operation. The message went viral. The stock of bottled water was quickly reduced to empty pallets in all markets and convenience stores.

The mining company issued press releases and social media posts to the community stating cases of water would be shipped in and distributed at two sites in the city. One at the mining company. The other at the Civic Center.

This morning I headed to the site nearest my home and pulled into the line. The whole process was laid out  in a spacious lot, with dozens of people, guiding vehicles through an organized maze. Before I knew it, my car door was opened and the case of water was placed in the back seat and I was on my way.

The next stop was Wal-mart. Once in the store, I went by the water aisle to see if it had been restocked. The shelves were empty. A clerk walked by me and stated, “Free water is being given out at the Civic Center.” I had not stopped there.

I headed to my car, pondering the opportunity for more water. However, a still, small voice in my heart said, “double-dipping.” Hmmmm. Now my conscience went to work. What if I took the last case of water and someone who really needed that water, went without? Another thought surfaced. Nobody would know…

Yet another thought emerged. What do I do in the smallest things in life that no one else will see? Does it matter or not? The still small voice said, “It does matter.”

When I seek to live my life as a reflection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I need to make sure I practice doing the right thing in the very smallest actions. Times will come when there are hard choices or a crisis, and I need to make a quick decision. If I have built a life of character and integrity by making good choices in small, ordinary activities, I will have a higher chance of making the right choice later on, in an important situation.

I left the parking lot and headed home, by-passing the Civic Center. After lunch I had fresh raspberries from my garden and two scoops of vanilla ice cream. It tasted mighty good. I thanked God for the still, small voice and no double-dipping.

Isaiah 30:21 “And your ears will hear a word behind you. ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or left.”

Contact: Debbie Sorensen at [email protected] or www.welcomingwords.net