"We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops." (copied)

Hello and welcome to Friday's edition on this June 27, 2014. Congratulations are in order for our middle son Jimmy and his soon-to-be bride, Kim. They will be married tomorrow morning. Jimmy asked his elder brother Chris to officiate the wedding.  Jimmy's children, Jimmy Jr., Alesha, Amanda, and Alexander Benjamin will stand with their dad as he makes this transition to a new phase for him and for them. Our prayer is that God will be honored in the building of this new home and that He will bless as they make their journey forward together. Amen.

I have had a pretty busy week. You know what I'm talking about. 'Busier than a one toothed man competing in a corn-on-the-cobb eating contest.' We are a busy people. At least that's how we typically see ourselves. It has become an American status and reference, to be wrung out from being busy. However, studies show that we are actually not as busy as many of those who preceded us. Work hours on average or shorter. The way tasks are accomplished have changed dramatically, therefore, there's less actual labor involved in much of what we do. Some experts think it has become more of a state of mind as opposed to an accurate portrayal of our status. We probably all know that. Most of us don't work from first light to dark thirty. We don't wash our clothes by hand, chop wood, and do other things manually required to make it through each day. However, we mostly enjoy the thought that we are overstressed, overloaded, and yes, busier than a termite in a sawmill, flies on a dead body, a mosquito at a nudist beach, a one legged grasshopper in a jumping contest, and finally so busy that we are as exhausted as a centipede at a toe counting contest.

Much of our being so occupied comes from how we do what we do and the choices and priorities we make. Having a management background but no longer being in management can be a curse. I see so many things being done that could be less cumbersome and less time consuming. It gets me in trouble from time to time as I can't help but offer suggestions. It typically involves old fashioned thinking about stuff. To be honest there's not so much of that going on these days. I would likely benefit from focusing those same kinds of evaluations on the activities I pursue each day. But it's so much easier and so much more fun to find processes in need of improvement in the other folks' areas. That's why I've always considered myself to be a 'work in progress', probably with my own set of slow men working signs. I'll let you try to decode that one while I bid you a farewell for this week along with a hope that you will have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. Lord willing I will show up again on your electronic radar screen come next Monday, you know, as in an identified flying object,(IFO). Take care and may God bless each one. Amen.   ....More later.