"Joy is a spiritual element that gives vicissitudes unity and significance." ~ Helen Keller

Good morning and welcome. Running a wee bit late on this Monday, May 11, 2026, and, I do hope y'all are all doing well. I had a start of the day appointment with the Nephrologist, a kidney specialist, and I just returned here at the ole blogger ranch, at 9:30 a.m., Central Standard Time. The kidney specialist pretty much, and I use that in the broadest sense possible, said that I was in reasonably good shape for the shape I am in. I told you before how getting lab work with everything marked as abnormal makes one a little apprehensive, but, as she told me, those numbers are generated on a blanket basis and that's why we need someone like her to help personalize them for each individual. I'm reading between the lines a little but here's the crux of the matter: If I keep taking care of myself in terms of my diabetes I should be okay until I die in terms of kidney failure issues. Sorry if that is shocking but when you are a diabetic for over 20 years and you will soon be 80 years young, the facts are the facts. So, that's why I was running a little behind. I can say this about yesterday. We had a wonderful Lord's Day Service at our local assembly, Mims Baptist, Conroe, where we not only recognized Mothers Day but we heard a very clear message from God's Word delivered from our Pastor, the Doctor Jerry Chaddick. We also had great music from our choir where I was throwing in my ten cents worth and we had wonderful comradery and fellowship in our life group, or, some right remember it as Sunday School. We came home and while we expected to have our three boys show up to honor their mom, we ended up with a great surprise in some of the others who came. There's nothing like seeing family especially when some live a good distance away from us. This gathering made the wife of my youth over the top happy and it made a wonderful Mothers Day experience for us all. (The photo represents less than half of our entire clan and we look forward to a day soon when they all can gather, like, maybe my 80th coming up in August. Just a hint.) We thank God for His provisions. Amen.

 

There's a whole lot of 'despite' in my testimony because of the many times I have not been who God wanted me to be, however, His mercy is great and His forgiveness is real. The photo reflects another year for our boys, Chris, Jimmy, and Rodney, as they came to once again honor their mother. I have spent a fair amount of time trying to digest the meaning of the kind of husband I should be: "Husbands love your wives in the same way Christ loved His called out assembly, the Church, and He showed that sacrificial love by giving Himself up for His Church." That, of course, comes from the letter to the Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verse 5, but, I rendered it in my own amplified way in helping me better understand the application to me. I don't believe I took any liberties in putting the way I did but no matter how you slice it, hey, it's a huge responsibility that we husbands have and since the example involves the Cross, well, it's also a big deal. It is. It really is. I mention it because of the example our Lord set in His love and how we as husbands are called to strive to love our wives in the same way. Yikes. Can I get a witness? Yikes. That's not a Bible word but it really does hit me where I live. If we are going to demonstrate a Godly walk as a man, as a husband, and, as a dad, we are going to have to do it His way. We are. We really are. I still have a ways to go, but, when I do have my heart right and my head screwed on right, I work on doing my best to reflect that clarion call as stated in that verse. Okay. Time to say farewell for now and may God bless each one, real good. Amen.