"No matter how rich you become, how famous or powerful, when you die, the size of your funeral will still pretty much depend on the weather." ~ Michael Pritchard, Comedian

It's Wednesday, June 17, 2015. The wife is now back home and I appreciate those out there who prayed I would hold it together while she was away. We have several major news outlets located in our general vicinity. They compete for eyeballs, you know, as in eyewitness news. Tropical Storm Bill has been a rain maker and it is being called Mr. Bill by some as a reference to a little clay character that at one time had a recurring role on Saturday Night Live. These local radio and TV stations all have their own weather prediction equipment. They like to promote the particular system they use, as in, my radar is so much bigger and better, it makes yours look like it shouldn't even show up to play. Stuff like that. Yesterday I got up even earlier than normal. 3 a.m. I wanted to check the weather since the wife would be driving home later in the morning. All the local channels were already broadcasting live. They each had their own reporters scattered along the various points of entry that Mr. Bill might choose when he decided to come ashore. The main folks, the anchors, they were busy switching from one person to the other. The folks on the scene were looking for Mr. Bill. We had expected him to arrive much earlier. Therefore, they were looking for any and all signs of his landing. It was pretty funny in some ways. Because why? They really had no storm as of that particular time and they had no shots to show of them holding on to a tree or a sign to keep from being blown away. This doesn't diminish the ferocity of the rain event but it made for an amusing insight into the song they were all singing, "Looking for Bill in all the wrong places."

No. I am not making light of a serious weather event. When I show up each day I busy myself in making observations and turning them into comments and anecdotes. I then pass them on to those who read my daily episodes. That's what I do here. I would be the last person to poke fun at anyone dealing with flood waters. Yet, there is always a thread of humor in the unfolding of life itself. I just happened to have found it amusing how the field reporters were attempting to make their small talk more exciting than the next person. Yes. I am aware they are just doing their jobs and we are all glad that we have folks who do their best to help keep us informed. Their warnings were heeded by many people and we have row after row of empty grocery store shelves to prove it. And, the bottom line, as I see it: Even with every iota of technology under the sun, even with storm hunting airplanes, even with radar that can detect a mole on the backside of an ant 50 miles away, they just can't be sure exactly what will happen until it does. This reminds me that we should think about and look to He who does know. I thought of this one from the inspired song writer, "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God." (Psalm 20:7) 

Nearly all of us have a fairly short attention span. Our politicians depend on that being the case with the majority of their constituents. You might recall the IRS scandal where they were caught red-handed playing games to delay conservative groups from being able to gain non-profit status. They first said that all the emails from those in charge were lost. Gone. Evaporated. Never to be seen again. And, it was the fault of the Congress because if they had more money they would not have lost the emails. Well, the emails were later discovered not to be lost. They were found. Now they are undergoing scrutiny by the IRS before they can be released. Before, if they had them they would be glad to share them. Now they are in the process of reviewing them. Okay. Yes. I am being critical here. Your first guess was very much on target. But, here's the funny thing. Their current status update indicates that they want to make certain there are not duplicates. Duplicates? They didn't even have them before. They were lost forever. Now they are delayed because they are wanting to make sure they don't hand over any extra copies of the same email? You know the ones I am talking about. Those that were lost forever. If you can't see the frustrating irony in that, well, I don't think I can help you. I may have to refer you to a specialist. Okay. I think I qualify for the 'put a fork in it, it's done' category. At least for today. May God keep us all safe as we recognize Him as our hope each step of the way. Amen.  ....More later.