"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love." Washington Irving

You can stamp yesterday completed and get ready for a brand new Thursday, here on March the 13th, in the year of 2014. I tell you this missing airplane is certainly mysterious. That aircraft was nearly 250 feet long with a 200 foot wingspan. There were 228 folks on that flight and so far, nothing. No sign. No debris. Nothing. Everyday the plot thickens as yesterday's theories evaporate. (The great hope yesterday about a spotted image on Chinese satellite now appears to have not yielded any positive results according to news reports from this morning.) My heart goes out to the families. I read about one of the Americans on board. He is a 50 year old IBM executive. His family knows that he is likely gone but until they can find the plane, well, they are hoping against hope. Parents love their children. Folks are connected to their families. Those scenes from the airport in Beijing were heart wrenching. Those waiting on their loved ones are rightfully beside themselves. They are hurting. Sometimes we need to think about how that every person on the face of this earth carry some very common traits as being a part of the human family. Grief is one of those we all share in. They shed real tears just like we do. They need the One that the Apostle Paul called the God of all comfort, just like we do. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5) Amen.

I'm not only worn out but the adjustment knob on our cooling/heating unit here at the office is showing plenty of wear and tear. Put your winter clothes away. No. Get your winter clothes out. Repeat every other week. Let me see if I can help you understand this conundrum. On Tuesday we nearly hit 80 and as I sit here this morning we are back again to the 30's. Here's the deal. We've got the time change adjustment making its presence known and we have this yo yo weather pattern that even makes groundhogs everywhere want to run and hide. And as far as the switching of the clothes, that's no problem for me because I suppose other than the jackets, I'm pretty much of an all season fellow. In other words, I don't have any to switch out. The wife and I went to a viewing at the funeral home the other evening for a wonderful lady. She made an 84 year run here and was known for showing up wherever she went with an overflowing heart of love, sweetness, and encouragement. Now that's what I call a good testimony. Yet, even at that viewing, many of the folks milling around were talking about the weather. All I can say is that it must be an unusual situation we find ourselves in. Here's what I like to do. Leave the door open and turn the heat up. What? Report me to what agency? Come on now. I don't do it that often and it does make the hot, black Community taste even better!

I'll end today with some plausible answers to that most compelling question we've all had to deal with from time to time: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Kindergarten Teacher: To get to the other side. Plato: For the greater good. Aristotle: It is the nature of chickens to cross roads. Timothy Leary, (LSD guru): Because that's the only trip the establishment would let it take. Saddam Hussein: This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it. Ronald Reagan: I forget. Captain James T. Kirk: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.  Management Consulting Firm: Deregulation of the chicken's side of the road was threatening its dominant market position. The chicken was faced with significant challenges to create and develop the competencies required for the newly competitive market. Our firm, in a partnering relationship with the client, helped the chicken by rethinking its physical distribution strategy and implementation processes. Using the Poultry Integration Model (PIM), a system we developed, we helped the chicken use its skills, methodologies, knowledge, capital and experiences to align the chicken's processes and technology in support of its overall strategy within a Program Management framework. This helped the chicken to align its mission, vision, and core values. This was conducive towards the creation of a total business integration solution thereby helping the chicken to change to become more successful. Martin Luther King, Jr: I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question. Moses: And God came down from the Heavens, and He said unto the chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road.'' And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing. Richard M. Nixon: The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did NOT cross the road. Jerry Seinfeld: Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask, What the heck was this chicken doing walking around all over the place, anyway? Bill Gates: Microsoft's soon-to-be-released Chicken '98 will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Darwin: Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads. And finally, a drum roll would be appropriate: Hamlet: "To cross, or not to cross, that is the question: - Whether 'tis nobler in the mind, to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous side; Or to take arms against a road of troubles, And by crossing end them?" (Excerpted/Adapted from a funny piece written by David Madore in 1999, that I found out on the internet.) See you next time and may God bless each one. Amen.   ...More later.