Those were the days!

I'm pretty sure that most folks will welcome today because it happens to be Friday and end of the work week for many, on this July 15, 2016. I was visiting with a bloke the other day and it turned out to be a very interesting conversation. (Sorry about the bloke reference but I have been watching a lot of reruns of PBS - BBC Masterpiece Theatre Mystery Episodes. Most of them are set in Great Britain. We love to watch those because we are on a first name basis with Chief Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis, his sidekick, who later became Chief Inspector and had his own series, Miss Marple, Endeavor, a series about a young Morse, also Inspector Frost, Wallander, the series: Foyle's War, Poirot, Father Brown, and Sherlock Holmes.) Back to my conversation. As we talked about our time here in this region of the world I told him about the first house we bought back in 1971. Bingo! He actually grew up a few miles from that subdivision. We began to talk about the area and we both hit upon this particular burger joint that served the best we had ever eaten. He agreed. I told him as a young couple starting out we thought so highly of that place we used to go and fetch food from there when relatives came to visit. He said their family did the exact same thing. We couldn't leave it without going through the precise details of those burgers. I hear people today swearing by this place or that place. Compared to the burgers we were talking about, believe me, they don't have a clue. After he left I thought about how the simple things in life at one time were so very special. We had also talked about taking our families out on payday to cheap places to eat. We remembered how wonderful those special occasions were. We agreed. Those were the days. We've come a long way, haven't we? Maybe in many ways, we have become way too big for our britches. That's the way I heard it growing up.

This has been a tough week for our nation and with all the tension in play at this time, I don't see it getting a lot better anytime soon. Across the pond, the United Kingdom now has a new prime minister. David Cameron stepped down after the UK voted to leave the European Union. Mr. Cameron has been the leader of the conservative party, called the Tories. Their form of conservatism doesn't line up completely with what we call it here, and, they do practice much in the way of socialism in their providing of government services. I will miss David Cameron. I've watched him on Prime Minister Question Time for years as he went toe to toe, or face to face, with the leader of the opposition Labour or liberal party. Mr. Camerson has been a staunch ally of our nation. The new prime minister becomes the second female to lead the UK. Theresa May, following in the footsteps of the late Margaret Thatcher, will now attempt to lead the UK as they break away from the European Union. It's still a volatile situation. They have their challenges. We have ours. Many world class athletes are choosing to forgo the Olympic Games in Rio this year because of health concerns involving the mosquito carrying Zika virus. Rio is also considered to be a very dangerous place. The world is in a mess folks, in case you missed it. And, it gets messier every single day. Now is a good time to be reminded of this promise from our Lord, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

As we anticipate the upcoming weekend, we note that for our area we have a 40% chance for rain on Saturday and Sunday. We'll take it. It's been a while since we have hoped so much for the weather prognosticators to be correct. Over in Louisiana, my mom, who does have failing eyesight, reports that she can detect a cloud of dust being kicked up by dad on his riding lawnmower. She laughs and says he is mowing the dust. I know what some of you might be thinking about that longed for burger joint I wrote about in the opening paragraph. It may have contributed to my diabetic condition. If it was as good as I remember it being, and I do believe it was, well, I'm almost certain it did its part, along with my forty years plus of eating any and everything I felt like eating. I'm not complaining about the food I eat today. However, it is not even close to being the same. I've had to shoot for the 'everything in moderation' approach since being diagnosed. That, along with good medical care and outstanding drug therapies have brought me to where I am today. With all the little punctures I do to my fingers to check my blood sugar, it's a wonder water doesn't go off like a sprinkler when I take a drink. That burger joint was good. It really was. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday, and, I'll do my best, Lord willing, to catch up with you, next Monday. Amen. ....More later..