Don't be overly excited, it's only me, myself, and I.

You thought I might be off on a time of R and R, didn't you? (That's rest and relaxation for those who may have not seen that written in that way for a while.) No. I'm here at the Company where God has blessed me to have a job. It's Monday, December 28, 2015 and I am happy to greet you once again. Our owner and my good friend and brother in Christ has typically shut down the Company until after the New Year's holiday. This year we are blessed with more work than we can shake a stick at. Many of these projects are on a short schedule. We consider this to be a tremendous blessing from the Lord. I am out and about and among many who do the same kind of work we do. So many of our fellow competitors are in the ditch, big time! They have laid off workers and some are basically holding on by the skin of their teeth, so to speak. Why? Price of oil Baby, price of oil! That's why I came in today. I want to help with this workload anyway that I can. We know not what the future will hold. We do know that if the oil crisis persists we will likely see some impact eventually on our business as well. But, we always thank God for His provisions. He alone is worthy of our praise.

We do need to thank God for His provisions. Even as I sit here I can see in my mind's eye a number of faces that have been devastated by the loss of their jobs. I've been there and done that so I know how that feels. Don't worry. The unemployment rate is 5% so they can probably find work really easy. Maybe. But, the feedback I hear doesn't show that to be the case. That is not how it typically goes. Especially if you are in the oil field related business. I remember the President talking how positive these lower oil prices will be for the economy in general. I told you then and I remind us all again that if they continue to fall there will be a payday someday. I don't know where those lines cross but I've been at it long enough to know they will cross and there will be a price to pay for rock bottom oil prices. Just little ole me and my own portfolio of experience. They have their number crunchers and I do my own. Pray for those in this situation. I am praying for them. Amen.

I did a Santa appearance at an upscale grocery store near the big mall in our area. There's a number of high rises around that area so they have quite a bit of foot traffic from those who live nearby. The parking there is about as impossible as anything you have ever seen. Mom and children are dropped off and they end up waiting a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes for dad to come after finding a parking spot. This is somewhat of an international hub as well. I had folks having their pictures made from France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain, China, and other places I'm sure I didn't pick up on. They love Santa no matter where they come from. I would say this store to a great extent caters to upper middle class and I noticed when I was leaving that a varmint of some kind had met its demise and was all laid up in one of the medium street islands where they have trees planted. The vultures were there but they appeared to be a little more sophisticated than their country cousins I typically see out on the rural roadways. They kind of pranced around. They may have had an accent but I didn't stay long enough to find out. Some of them looked like they had on tuxedos. The power of suggestion at work. Even the vultures in that area get the benefit of the doubt. I'm not making it up. I'm only reporting my observations. You will have to decide what to make of it. I'll let you think about that for a while. In the meantime I bid you farewell for now and I send along a prayer that God will watch over us all. Amen. ....More later.