"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." - Oren Arnold, Author

Happy October 1st, and welcome, on this Tuesday, where some are counting down the days until Christmas 2013, some 84 days and ticking. Our Christmas season will begin in mid November with a two day Santa event at the Junior League Market Festival here in our area near the big mall. This means that by the end of this month we will have to begin preparing our costumes for the season. David Letterman told about the man out Christmas shopping who saw a fellow out of breath standing waiting for the bus. He mentioned to the fellow that his watch was running slow. The fellow responded, so was the guy who previously owned it. One comedian said he gave his kids packages containing batteries with a note that said: Toys not included. A lady went to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards. The postal clerk asked what denomination she would like. Stunned, she replied, "My good heavens, has it come to this? I suppose I will have 50 Methodist and 50 Episcopalian, if you please."

I am entitled to wax on prematurely as it relates to all things Christmas because as they say, "If the boots fit......", or something like that. Since it is October 1st, I suppose I can start the official countdown for my week of vacation scheduled to begin the 14th. People are funny. When they found out we were planning a week out of town they have acted like that's something I rarely do. They are very pleased but very surprised. I'm glad that me leaving makes them happy. Just kidding. I know what they are thinking. If anyone needs a trip out of town, it would be yours truly. See. I must really have them fooled. But, all kidding aside, I am thankful that so many of those close to us are very happy that we might be able to get away for a few days. I may be blogging from Branson but I will have to wait and see. Who knows? The only WiFi there may be for the farmers and hillbillies who watch RFD-TV. Wait a minute, I watch a lot on that channel myself. What does that make me? What's that you say? Inquiring minds don't really give a flip. Point well taken.

You will have to admit that I am willing to dialogue forth and back on any number of thoughts, ideas, and opinions, even if I have to make them up myself. That's what you call being tuned in and aligned with your audience. Or, that's what some might call it. Others might say it's mostly throwing up words onto the electronic page, often with very little thoughtful insight or analysis. I'm pretty easy. I like that one too. I count our visit each day to be a privilege. I occasionally bump into someone I've not seen in a while who brings up a blog I wrote many moons ago. They tell me that it brought back a memory or that it caused them to think or maybe they just had to laugh out loud. Now, I'm not all together sure what mind boggling or mind blowing is all about, but, I can tell you, that kind of stuff really humbles me. You might say I have been blogging all my life. Notebooks filled with penned observations, notes, and thoughts. Scribbled ideas. Now, all I have to do is to let my mind tiptoe through the keyboard as the bits and bytes get sent through the woods and over the hills, even to grandma's house I go. Have a great day and may God add His blessings to it. Amen.  ...More later.