You will be glad to know that the man who fell into the upholstery machine is now fully recovered.

Yes Virginia, there is such a thing as a blogger, and yes, they do exist in a world called bloggerland. I do welcome you once again on this Wednesday, April 11, 2012. If you haven't noticed, I will be frank about how that the mental plumbing has been somewhat clogged this week. You thought what? It pretty much was that way all the time. That would be a reasonable observation but there are some times when getting my thoughts together turns into quite a challenge. Don't get me wrong. I love doing these daily visits. I enjoy sharing. But, that doesn't mean the flow of thoughts and ideas are always easy for me to produce. Maybe it's an age related issue? It could be but I did read this week where a famous author has produced a brand new novel to be published by one of the leading publishing companies. So? He just happens to be 99 years young! That should be encouraging to someone, maybe even me. I know the little kids still do show and tell to get them used to talking in front of others. I suppose my daily visit is in someways like that. I bring something up that is on my mind and then I talk about it. I cannot remember me ever doing that in the school where I grew up. Maybe that's why I have trouble some days getting it all together. See. If you wait long enough an excuse will typically show up and then you can become a victim instead of blaming yourself. That really will not work for me. It comes down to me having to face the music. I bet you have used that idiom before. I wonder how many folks know where it comes from. It's dated from the early 1800's and the best guess is that it came from the stage fright inherent when a performer had to face the audience and at the same time, they had to face the orchestra, thus, he or she, had to face the music. It began to be used as a metaphor for taking personal responsibility for your actions and outcomes. Taking personal responsibility? Wow! What a novel concept and one that we could even still use today. Or, could we?

Here's some things that Lyndon Johnson reportedly said about Gerald Ford, "He's so dumb he can't walk and chew gum at the same time." "He's a nice fellow but he spent too much time playing football without a helmet." Both of these men went on to become Presidents of our nation but President Ford never shook the notion that he was some clumsy bumbling misfit. It became a parody of the man and he did contribute some to that impression when he slipped walking down airplane stairways, or hit someone with a golf ball, or many other unintentional missteps. President Ford may have been a runaway hit on America's Funniest Videos had that show been around back then. Just so you know, he was a tremendous athlete and remained very active and energetic throughout his entire life. But sometimes those snap judgments stick. I'm thinking of someone right now who often blames her blonde hair when she has a memory lapse. Wonder where that came from? I can picture a person who has always been told they are clumsy and guess what, they have tended to drop things throughout their lifetime. As for the can't walk and chew gum at the same time figure of speech, I work on things like that. I try to do things left handed on some days just to trick that right side left side thing going on upstairs. I do my unlocking of all our buildings with a flashlight, keys, and a hot cup of Community, just to juggle all of these with the goal of not spilling any of the coffee. Mess up a flashlight. No problem. Break a key. No big deal. Spill the Community. Now you have a disaster on your hands.

Feel free to discuss these stunning concepts among yourselves. You probably already heard the one about the fellow who went into the bank to see about a loan. The lady told him the loan arranger was out to lunch. The man told her he would be glad to speak with Tonto. You think that's bad. What about the dog that ate nothing but garlic? His bark was much worse than his bite. Even worse. What about the fellow who stole a truck load of prunes. He has been on the run for over a month now. What? You still want more. The last one. I promise. It was very sad that the chicken dating service had to go out of business. They could not make hens meet. I shared those with you so that you will gain a new appreciation for the other stuff I write. As bad as it might be, it could be worse. We've all learned to frame much of what happens with the 'it could be worse' analysis. I suppose that helps us to cope. And, most of the time, it really could be worse. The good news is that we who have trusted Christ have an assurance that regardless of what happens, the huge, the in-between, or even the seemingly insignificant, He is with us, every step of the way. With that perspective and the knowledge that because He lives I can face tomorrow, we can also, with great confidence, face today and all that it brings to us. Amen. And, if we are fortunate, we will not end up like the scientist who crossed an alligator with a parrot. After biting off his arm, this is what he heard, "Who's a pretty boy now?" Enough!     ....More later.