To quote the famous late Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, aka Minnie Pearl, "Howdy, I'm Jest So Proud To Be Here!"

Yep. It's me. Again. Welcome to so many who cringe at the dreaded first workday of the week, Monday, October 14, 2019. We had such a great visit with the wife's brother and we were able to make it back in time to teach my class on Sunday. Thankful for traveling grace. (More about our visit with her brother later.) There are not really many days that I don't think about mom and dad. They were such iconic figures to our huge blended family. I never saw them leaving this life for the next as being tragic in any sense of the use of that word. It was more of a natural transition. Or, that's the way I saw it. Of course, we wanted them to stay as long as God would permit, but, we were so over-the-top blessed to have them for so many years, and, for that, we are overwhelmed with thankfulness. They both made their departure in the summer of 2017. Earlier in the year, I went over on a Saturday morning to see them. Mom was home recovering from her hip surgery. Dad was still going strong, at that time. The photo was taken on that Saturday morning. It's one I treasure. Their devotion to each other was legendary. That's what I think of when I look at that photo. Devotion. Through the good, the not so good, the bad, and, yes, even the most difficult of times, devotion. I do thank God for giving these two to us all. Amen and Amen.

Recently, we had the opportunity to babysit our little great grand Bella. She will soon be one year old. She weighs 24 pounds and she is one of the most precious little ones I've seen. Typically, in good spirits, but, always ready to move quickly and explore. Mr. Bentley has had some trouble adjusting to the reality that he is not the 'only' center of everyone's attention. We tried to remember when we last took care of one this young. It may have been all the way back to when another great grand, Madi, was an infant. She turned 10 this year. My point? Bella is a very active and while we so enjoyed her being with us, it was obvious we are not as physically functional as we were 10 years ago. The good news is how pleasant and sweet she is. She is a joy to be around. Having a baby to rock and to play with, well, it not only brought back sweet memories but, it also reminded us of God's blessings through the family. She was here only a short time, but, just how wonderful is it to have her crawl over to you and ask you to pick her up? That is a very short trip to Great Grand Poppy's heart. Very short indeed! Full disclosure demands that I give full credit to Great Grand MiMi who actually did the lion's share of caring for our little Bella.

One of the things I notice on Facebook is how many people continue to try and win a battle that was engaged in and concluded many years ago. This happens often in relationship matters where everyone has put everything behind them except for the fact they haven't. We all have our own baggage. I've shared enough about the tragedies we experienced as a family and many have said it is a wonder any of us survived. However, trying to score points on a game that was over a long time ago, well, that mostly hurts the person who is attempting to do it. I rather doubt it has little impact on the previous warring opponent. Sometimes, it is to convince everyone and the person doing the postings that the choices were right and just and now everything is hunky-dory. No one wondered, but, there is a continuous need to prove the point. This is one of those circular buzzsaws that has mostly new wounds as its result. People can post what they want to. Well, not really. If you say the wrong thing as interpreted by the social media chieftains, you can be quarantined, but, for the most part, people can share whatever it is they decide to share. My heart goes out to those who, so many years down the road, are still fighting unwinnable battles. Just a throwdown observation to close today's edition. Take care. Enjoy. Be thankful. Praise God. Be blessed. In Jesus Name, Amen. ....More later.