Lord willing and all that other stuff, I am back in the saddle again!

Good morning and welcome back, on this Monday, April 30, 2012. What's that? I am the one who has been away? Oh yeah. That would be correct. Today is back to work day for me and it's also our middle son's birthday. Jimmy has not had an easy time of it in his sojourn here. He has a severe Bipolar disorder that pretty much mucks up many of his days. But, he is blessed to have a wonderful group of kiddos who are very devoted to him. Jimmy Jr., Alesha, Amanda, and Alex keep things interesting when they are around and they do love their daddy. We can't fully understand all of the challenges he faces but as his parents we can only do what we can to help. We wish our Jimmy a happy birthday and that he would know and realize our love and the love that God has for him. No one ever said that we would all enjoy a fairy tale life but God has said that He would never leave us nor would He ever forsake us, and that's a promise we can count on. And, I start off my return to work by saying Amen to that. I do hope you all are well and I ask that maybe in recognition of our Jimmy's birthday that you would say a prayer for him. Thanks.

Last Saturday evening I was able to attend the 65th wedding anniversary celebration of my Aunt Elwanda and Uncle Waymon. Uncle Waymon is my mom's brother. They are the last two remaining siblings in their family that numbered eight children. I drove up to Athens, Texas for a most wonderful event. Their daughter Cindy had, along with her husband and children, put together a wonderful celebration of this noteworthy event. Long term marriages are a rarity in our world today. Here in our country, getting to a 50th wedding anniversary has only a 5% chance. The numbers, of course, go down from there. Only slightly more than 1% achieve 65 years together. Married in 1947, this couple has a life, not only of being together, but also of using their time and resources to influence and impact the lives of others. I should know. They did many things for me as I was a kid growing up and I can stand and say not only a word of thanks, but also add that in many ways I am who I am today because of the help I received from them and others. That's right. We are not lone strangers here and hopefully we all realize the support God provides to us through the efforts of others. It was a wonderful affair with 100 people, many that have known them for years and years, and of course my mom and dad were there, and that always makes it special for me. Congratulations to my Aunt and Uncle on their example to us all, and may God bless their demonstrated lives of service to others. Amen.

I can't say that I have hit the ground running this morning but I am at least falling forward, or at least I hope that is the direction I'm pointed towards. It is good to be back. I did brew up some extra extra strong Community this morning. That stuff they served at the hotel up in Athens had a label that said it was 100% Columbian. I'm not sure they were talking about the Columbian country, the Columbian Broadcasting System (CBS), or maybe some other something. But, one thing is certain, they were not talking about coffee and they certainly were not talking about Community. Okay. I will admit it. Confession is good. And, I do know that I am over the top when it comes to my coffee. And, I also will share that I perhaps went a little overboard this morning. I'm just glad I have my very beautiful hand painted granddaughter Lexie cup because I'm pretty sure one of those plastic deals might fold up like an accordion if any of this were to be poured into it. You do know it's strong when I say it's strong. But, the more you sip it, the better it tastes and it just seems to make everything better. In fact, I happen to be humming a tune and it's that good old song by John Denver, "Ain't it good to be back home again." He was right. It is. Welcome back to me and may God bless us all as we seek to honor Him this week with the life He has given to us. Amen.   ....More later.