"What more could he need, this old man whose little leisure was divided between daytime gardening and night-time contemplation? Was not that narrow space with the sky its ceiling room enough for the worship of God in the most delicate of His works and in the most sublime? A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in – what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars." ~ Victor Hugo, quoted from his book, 'Les Misérables'

Good morning and welcome to today's version of Wednesday. This particular version lands on September 23, 2015. My niece over in Florida put up a photo on Facebook the other day where she had their front door open and she captioned it with a statement of how they were enjoying a beautiful fall morning. Fall morning? On that particular day we were expecting a high of 98 in our area. I thought Florida is where tons of people go to stay warm. Oh well. As far as I know you can't really move to any place where you are 100% safe from weather related threats or some other type of potential hazard. That's why it's important to stay in close contact with God since He is with us wherever we happen to be. I see folks on Facebook putting up their dream homes or maybe it's their vision of how it might be when all the kids are grown and gone. I see a lot of cottages in the mountains or beautiful homes with an ocean view. I can't argue much with those who dream since that became an acquired skill from my earliest days. Maybe it was because of all the tragedies our family faced or perhaps it was my overt fascination with travel to far flung places. Growing up, in my dreams, I was a frequent eyewitness to replays of historical events, battles, and other situations that interested me. I should have been granted some major frequent flier miles for the time travel I accomplished. I know. I've read extensively about this in terms of the psychology behind this type of dreaming. It can range from an vivid imagination up to and including a desire to escape. I hear some people who say they never dream. That would not be me. I wouldn't even know what that would be like. As a kid I could lay in my bed and listen to that long freight train about a half mile away as it rocked and rolled through our little town. I might just hop on board and tag along in my dreams. I could travel back in time or to a wonderful place far far away. What's that? You still think I need help? Thanks for your concern but don't worry, the conductor said we will be stopping in Paris in about thirty minutes.

I can hear the wife. "Where in the world did that come from?" And, that my friend is a really good question. If I could answer it correctly I am quite sure I would get to pass go and collect my $200. I typically tell her that she does not know the half of it. We all are a product of our upbringing, our experiences, and our reactions to them. We've been where we have been and we've seen what we have seen and we have dealt with it all in our own individual way. More importantly, we are blessed beyond measure if we have been made right with Creator God through our acceptance of His Sacrifice for our sins, none other than the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That really is the only reality that makes sense out of our sojourn here. I'm still the same person in the first paragraph. You don't turn off those after-hours dream escapades because you got yourself all grown up. However, I have been changed by the power of God, therefore, I now know more about my purpose, about how to evaluate the things that happen in my life, and how to live based on thus says the Word of the Lord. I recently watched the Shogun TV series from 1980. I've seen it several times. It was broken into a week of 3 hour segments. It depicts life in Japan during the 1600's. Confession time: Ever since I watched it I have been visiting Japan during that same time period. In my dreams. At night. Sorry. Old habits are hard to break especially when you don't even try.

What can I say? Authentically portrayed period pieces appeal to me. In fact, I seek out those that are deemed to be the most authentic. Maybe Paw Paw Mac was right again. He used to say that at times I reminded him of a crayfish. He said they walk backwards because they don't care where they are going, just interested in where they have been. Now you know why I've never put myself on one of those shrink couches. I don't want to be responsible for someone becoming so confused they leave their profession. You do know I am joking. Those people provide a valuable service and they have helped many along the way. What's that? Maybe I could become a study project? I actually don't think I have much to contribute because at the end of the day I like Popeye, "I yam what I yam!" And, thankfully, that includes my identity in Christ. I'm not wrestling with whether I am dysfunctional or not because my way of seeing it says we all are. Some maybe a tad more than others. One thing is certain. We all are loved by God and we all need His Son if we are to live eternally with Him. The other stuff. Well, it is what it is, and while I am talking about it let me ask you a question. You wouldn't know a good person who could sharpen my imaginary Samurai sword, do you? Just kidding. (Message me.) Take care and may God bless us all is my prayer. Amen. ....More later.