Happy 17th Birthday!

Stef

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEFANI: Today we are pausing to recognize and celebrate our granddaughter Stefani's 17th birthday. This young lady has a mind of her own and she didn't just pick it up yesterday. Back in 1994 when I was doing consulting work and was gone a week and then home a week, I used to have her there with me the days I was at home. Little Miss strong will was this child but also a joy to be with and one that makes us so very proud. She is talking automobiles these days, you know like Corvettes, etc., but I would imagine she might have to settle for something a little less ambitious. Seventeen? We all say things like this, but it really does seem impossible. We are blessed to have this young woman as a part of our family and from her MiMi and Poppy we send her our love along with a prayer that God will bless and keep you. Have a great birthday and we will see you on Thursday for our big get together, Lord willing!

Here's some things that we are fairly sure of, it is Monday, at least based on the geographic coordinates here in our area, and it is also November 22, 2010, therefore,I bid you a hearty welcome to the 900th episode of your morning wake up call, where no one has any idea what to expect, including the keyboard clacker.  I would try to come up with something really profound to mark this occasion, but I've proven over the last 899 visits just how difficult that could be for me. I do enjoy throwing these things together and as I have often said, the truths I share from God's Word I can feel good about. The this, that, and the other which comprises so much of what I write, well, much of it originates based on the way I see things and that's why it is called The View From Here. It actually began as The View From My Pew but that ended up being too narrow for the many subjects I've touched on over the past three years. I've never gotten into any of the networking blogging circles that perhaps would  increase circulation because I've just not wanted to get into that aspect of marketing, where they put a link on their blog, and I put their link on mine. I have had some comments come in from a few folks who accidentally landed on my blog and thus far these have all been mostly positive. While 900 sounds like a sizable stack of stuff, you have to take into consideration how I've been gathering materials for over sixty years. As for the quality itself, I would nominate myself to at least be eligible for how Vice President Dan Quayle described it: "....what a waste it is to lose one's mind or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." Of course he was attempting to make reference to the famous slogan of the United Negro College Fund which simply stated: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Close, but no cigars. (At one time slot machines supposedly gave out cigars as prizes.) Either way, if the shoe fits, etc., etc., etc.

I am well aware that quantity and quality are distinctly different. I remember many years ago hearing a fellow talk about his wife shopping at one of the first big discount club stores. He said she brought home a can of deodorant  that was as large as a fire extinguisher and while he thought the price might be good he didn't much like it blowing the hair out from underneath his arms every time he used it. I had another friend that I rode with in a van pool for several years. He was always getting into one scheme after another. He signed up for one of those grocery service programs where they bring your groceries to your house each week. He was so excited about this new service and how it was going to save them oodles of time and money. I suppose what he didn't realize was the minimum that was required to be bought each week whether you wanted it or not. Within a few weeks he was overrun with things like corn flakes and other staples. He had to clean out his freezer to make room for stuff he really didn't want to begin with. My 900 blogs go all over the map and one might  make a lot of sense to one person while it really doesn't do much for someone else. That's okay because that's pretty much how it works with most everything. Right? I always come back to the truths I share from God and His Word because if you are breathing air on the planet and they are what God has to say, not of my own origination, then, you, I, and everyone need to hear it regardless of whether it makes us feel good or not.

I will tell you that I've had some good ones that got away from me. Maybe I was out on the road when the idea popped into my head but for whatever reason by the time I faced the blank page it had left me. That used to be a coming attraction but things of that sort seem to be more and more a feature of daily life. But, not to worry, because it is like the proverbial spilled milk, you just have to move on. Thanks so much to so many of you who scan these each day for your support over these past several years. I am always excited whenever someone finds something to smile about or they are encouraged a little in the life God has given to them. As far as my opinions, we all have them and they are very much our very own. I do try to be even handed in my political views because I realize there's enough shenanigans at work on all sides to keep one busy. However, we all have strongly held viewpoints that may cause us to not always agree. That's okay. We get to live in a country where that is still permissible. And, we are blessed. Think about it. You, me, anyone can sit down at a computer, sign up for a free service, and begin writing a daily blog to share with friends and loved ones. That's pretty amazing to me. So, thanks for the memories, and Lord willing, I will continue to keep at it. May God help us all to have a wonderful and blessed day. Amen.        ......More later.