Happy 92nd Birthday to our beloved mom!

I did say yesterday that I would have a special announcement today. It is Tuesday, May 3, 2016, and I with great pride, honor, and love, present the world's greatest mom, on this, the 92nd anniversary of her birth. The wife and I have been up since the wee hours preparing a barbecue with all the trimmings to carry over to Louisiana to honor mom and dad on this, her special day. It's a one-day turnaround trip and we are so looking forward to being a part of her special day.

Ninety-two years ago today my mom was born. We as her large blended family rise up every day to thank God for her and the life He has given to her. The official dates for the time period in our nation called the Great Depression covered the years 1929-1939. This landed my mom as a child and then a teenager right in the midst of this most challenging and difficult time. She never forgot the deprivation and scarcity which caused her to always be diligent and frugal in her life. She knows the pain of loss, she's known wars and rumors of wars, she's said goodbye to two husbands, her parents, grandparents, her siblings, and three of her six children, and step children, and grandchildren. Yet, her faith has been a testimony that points not to herself but to the God who has been with her throughout her sojourn. God in a display of His wonderful grace saw to it that over 37 years ago she married again, to our dad, and he has been a genuine model of what it means to be a faithful and caring mate. She brought to this marriage her huge entourage and he brought his clan with him. We became a unique blended family and odd as it may seem, we became a loving blended family. I am privileged to visit with mom usually twice a day by telephone. She uses her computer to keep up with family on Facebook. I know her reaching 92 is a big deal in terms of longevity, but, for all of us, my two sisters and myself, her beloved step children, and all the in-laws that come with the deal, along with the grands, the greats, and the great greats, all of us, can only say, "Thanks be to God for His blessing to us through this remarkable woman." Happy Birthday Mom. We love you. Always, marilyn and al

May God be with us all. See you next time. Amen. ....More later.