Tricked not treated!

Welcome to Wednesday's pre-Halloween special treat on this October 22, 2008. The greeting was actually a trick and not a treat but for those who are tuned in to the pre-holiday festivities, I thought you might enjoy that as a way of getting started today. Those who know us realize that we are big into Christmas and we love the Thanksgiving Day family get togethers. We celebrate Resurrection Sunday, called Easter, and we observe the 4th of July and other remembrance days. However, we are not big on Halloween. Growing up we always dressed up and went from door to door to fill our bags up with candy. Back in those days we had never heard about people putting poison, razorblades, or laxatives in children's candy. There are some folks who dress up their houses and yards like Halloween is one of the major happenings of the year. We all know there are some dark sides to this holiday but I believe most people do it just for the fun. For years we have had a children's alternative activity at our local Church and sad to say, that appears to be one of the few really safe choices in the world we live in. We all love seeing the little ones all dressed up in their special costumes as they express themselves into the character they choose. Back in the day it was much more difficult because we typically had to come up with stuff we already had along with some of mom's makeup to disfigure our appearance. Sitting here today I can't remember any mischief I got into on Halloween but that doesn't mean I didn't. I was certainly capable of such and by now I may have filtered out those recollections.

I will be cutting my blog a little short today. I have truly tried to not let this house situation get me down. But, I will confess taking 2 steps forward and 3 back in trying to get on with it does tend to wear one down. I am still committed to maintaining my testimony for the Lord but when dealing with the insurance folks it does get dicey at times. I have a ton of stuff to get together today as a follow-up to our initial estimates on the repairs. What was once described as a simple procedural process in getting additional funds appropriated has now become a major review activity. I know there's those who have said all along that's how it always works. But, even now, with all this additional coordination effort on my plate, I'm still not convinced that there will be any huge problems, it's just wearisome to have to deal with it via telephone tag, emails, and spits and sputters. Yesterday was one of those wearisome days but today is a brand new day with a brand new opportunity to make progress. God is going to get us where we need to go and He will work all these things out, in His own time, and if I cooperate with Him, it will all be done in a way that is pleasing to Him. That doesn't mean it will be easy and it doesn't mean it will not involve challenges to my stamina and my testimony. I've seen both already on a pretty regular basis. In the end, however, we are the ones who are blessed because we are working through issues and details that pertain to making sure we receive the coverage provided for in our policy. Every day I hear stories about folks who have no coverage and no where to go. Therefore, I need to be thanking God all along this journey for even our greatest challenges in our project pales in comparison to so many others. Pray for us that we will keep this in mind and I pray that you and yours will have a most excellent day! Amen. ....More later.