“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” ― C.S. Lewis

Dear sweet lady, Lana James, (1941-2017)

Good morning and welcome. It's so good to be able to greet each one on this Monday, November 27, 2017. We had ourselves a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with family, food, and fellowship, and I hope you were able to enjoy it as well. We are busy folks. My wife did her regular, unbelievable, over-the-top preparation of some of the best traditional dishes ever. She says I say that everytime, but, if it's the truth, well, so be it! Others brought wonderful dishes as well. Friday was a recovery day but it was also a preparation day as we made ourselves ready to participate in the homegoing service on Saturday for a dear lady. Sister Lana James, who was a kind and caring woman of God and it was our privilege to be a part of her service. She had very little family left, therefore, it was Church friends and other close friends who took care of her service. I suppose the Saturday after Thanksgiving is a big day for burials since services had likely been postponed that week. I noticed several of the tent canopies in place when we arrived at the cemetery and several services were in progress. Unless the Lord returns and we are caught up to meet Him in the air, it is a reminder that this is the destiny of us all. What we do with the time God has given to us is a choice that we make. May we all use our time to honor Him and help others like Sister Lana James did. Amen.

We had our regular busy day Sunday. It was my turn to teach and that's always a draining time for me. We had wonderful services in the Sunday morning worship time. We had a gathering Sunday evening to light the Church Christmas tree and to sing carols and to be reminded once again of the Reason for the Season. Long day, but, one where I didn't need to be rocked to sleep Sunday evening when I called bedtime earlier than even my early time. Now we begin to begin thinking about the 16 events coming up in support of the Santa Enterprise. Whew! We turned down a number of requests this year but this will be the busiest year we've ever attempted, therefore, I need to be as prepared as I can be. We kick off this coming Friday, December 1, where we will be doing most of the day in the studio making portraits and finishing with a three-hour stint at a large subdivision Christmas party in the evening for three hours. That subdivision venue is one of our busiest since several hundred kids are typically waiting when we arrive. On Saturday, it's back to the studio for a full day. On Sunday afternoon, we will be doing a Christmas party for a gated community. Are you winded yet? It should be fun!

We do ask everyone to be thinking about and praying for our middle son, Jimmy, as he is scheduled for knee replacement surgery next week. He has struggled with a lot of pain from an old motorcycle injury for several years now, and, this seems to be the best course of action to help him. You hear people say, well, it's always something. And, it is. That, my friend, is the fabric of life. We never know what a day will bring. The good news is, for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus, well, He knows, He cares, and He will see us through, to the end. We can't count on everything going okay all the time but we can count on Him. Amen! I remember how that Sister Lana used to fuss over her preparations for the feeding of the homeless that our teenagers at Church used to do on Wednesday evenings. She would work hard to separate all the different foods into plastic containers. Me? I thought to myself how most of those folks living under the overpass would likely be very happy just to get the food, even in a glob. Yet, she cared. She cared enough to try and make what she prepared in a special way. For them. She didn't have much recognition here in this life, but, I am convinced that she had plenty when her eyes closed in death and she awoke in the presence of her Lord. Leaving a good testimony is powerful folks. Something I need, you need, we all need to work on. Okay. We are back at it. Have a blessed day and may God provide for all our needs. Amen. ...More later.