“A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.” ~ Woodrow Wilson

Hello and welcome. It's Thursday, July 25, 2013, and I am sitting here doing my early morning thing, clicking and clacking on the computer keyboard. Some of you may have missed the NASCAR truck series race that ran on Wednesday evening. (Probably most of you.) I was able to see it only because we had chosen to cancel our Wednesday evening supper and Bible study at our local fellowship. We did that because of the many folks involved in this week's vacation Bible school. At any rate, the trucks raced on Wednesday evening. So what? They raced on dirt. That's right. A dirt track. Just like in the old days when NASCAR had its early beginnings. It was the first time one of the premier series had been on dirt since 1970. Many of the elite drivers who regularly race trucks have never raced on dirt. Some one-race-only drivers were actually brought in just because of their dirt experience. These are called ringers. I thought it was all pretty exciting with a whole lot of beating and banging along with a whole lot of racing sideways most of the night. It was different, but in many ways it was a tribute to the past and to those who paved (no pun intended) the way for the multi-billion dollar enterprise it has become today. That's something we all can appreciate.

My doctor's visit went well but it will be a few days until I get the full reports from my blood tests. They had allocated 40 minutes for this annual checkup. We might have visited for 15. I had my list to cover. He had his. I guess I could have invited him for a coffee break but he ran out when we finished about as fast as he had run in. I had done my duty by being on time which means getting there 30 minutes early. They called me right away. Therefore, my appointment was actually over before it was scheduled to start. This doctor is very personable but also very much focused on the business at hand. Not much idle chit chat with him. That's how the system works today and that suits me fine because I suppose I am built a little more for speed than comfort. In fact, I spent almost as much time finding a place to park as I did with the doctor. You more or less have to drive around until someone exits. That's another reason I prefer the first of the morning appointments where you only have to compete with mostly old early risers like myself.

Everyone has to choose what they are willing and not willing to do. The plan we have for medical coverage is through a local provider that emphasizes in a big way the need for a healthy lifestyle. Weight control. Proper nutrition. Exercise. This is almost like a mantra for them. However, when you visit their facilities, I dare say that a huge number of their smock wearing employees look like they could be on one of those extreme weight loss programs on TV. Also, some hang out in the outside area to smoke their cigarettes. I've also noticed this to be the case at other medical facilities as well. Again, I know we all have the freedom to choose and I'm not holding myself up as a poster child for doing things the right way, but, it just goes to show you that even where the theme is repeated all the time, folks still do what they are going to do. I'm not planning on making any citizen's arrests or anything like that but it does strike me as being an example of that nature we all share, you know, the human one. Having said all that, maybe I will try to share a few carrots with Rudolph. Or maybe not. Have a great day and may God bless us all is my prayer. Amen.     ....More later.