Happy Birthday to our Kyleigh!

It is Friday, March 16, 2011, and I pause to wish our granddaughter Kyleigh a very happy 17th birthday. She is the eldest of our youngest son's clan and she is already a very remarkable young woman. Smart, beautiful, and she has a clear commitment on doing what it takes to prepare herself for the future. We thank God for this child and look forward to all that He has planned for her life. Kyleigh has always been so respectful and sweet to us, her MiMi and Poppy. That's right. We do notice things like that. One person has said that children are the rainbow and grandchildren are the pot of gold. We've been blessed with a pot full of blessings in the grandchildren God has given to us. Have a wonderful birthday celebration Kyleigh. We love you, MiMi and Poppy.

If you are able to read this, well, after thanking God for the ability to do so and for those who taught you how to read, take a moment to enjoy the way in which reading works. We take it for granted but reading is a very complex process. Think about it. We look at a page filled with symbolic letters put together into words and they connect to our thought process and we are then able to grasp a communication based on our prior knowledge, our experiences, our attitude, and our particular situation in life. Pretty heady stuff. Language. Communication. Information. Word pictures. Mental images. I was fortunate to grow up in an environment where mastering reading was of the highest priority. It may still be that way. I certainly hope so. God gave us the gift of language and one of the most important aspects is our ability to read His Word and gain an understanding of that which He has revealed to us, about ourselves, life itself, and how we can know Him. That takes reading to a whole different level. I suppose I thought of this because our Wednesday evening Bible Study time is being spent in the tremendous text entitled Hebrews. Many people neglect this writing because to be perfectly honest, it is about as deep as it gets. At the same time, it is wonderful in its portrayal of God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and in so doing the writer was inspired to pen some of the most thrilling word pictures, examples, and symbolic images to unlock our understanding. Thank God for the ability to read. I may not grasp much of what this great writing is all about, but the little that connects, it just knocks me down. Amen and Amen.

What a week. It is Spring Break week for us. We've been blessed to have a variety of grand kids in and out, and some staying with us, this week. MiMi got lomesome to see her great grand so I called them up and invited them over on Monday evening. MiMi is still recovering from her heart stuff, forth and back, therefore, I have been trying to cater to her as best I can. They came over and we had a wonderful time of fellowship with our granddaughter Tiffany, her husband J.C., and of course, our little 2 year old bundle of Madelyn Joy. Another granddaughter, Stefani, tagged along as well. I'm not sure it was what the doctor ordered but it was what the MiMi requested. Little Madi ran around in her Great Grand MiMi's heels for a good while. We watched and with a sense of God's blessings we could recall that exact same thing, with only the color of shoes different, being done by her mom. Is that something, or what? Jimmy Jr. has been with us since last Friday. His brother Alex and sisters Alesha and Amanda came on Wednesday. Brittany and Stefani came Thursday evening to visit and spend the night. I told you about that pot of blessings, overflowing, and we thank God for each one along with the fact that when I have had all of the blessings I can take for one day, I am able to retire to my room, close the door, crank up a noisy fan, and allow others to continue to share. See. I am not a greedy person. We are blessed folks. We are blessed. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday and I will see you next time, Lord willing. Amen.    ....More later.