Happy Friday to one and all, and to all a good day.

Yours truly with Great Grand Madelyn Joy, Thanksgiving Day

Good morning and welcome to the day after the eating marathon that we call Thanksgiving Day. It is Friday, November 25, 2016, and the holiday observance continues. For the record, yesterday we had a wonderful time together. The food was great. The fellowship was rich and everyone was in good spirits. We did miss a handful who were otherwise occupied but we still had a most wonderful celebration. I know a lot of folks will be waiting for the doors to open at their favorite store or maybe at the mall. Yep. They will be there for the Black Friday sales event. Unless an out of body mind altering beam of some kind knocks me upside the head, causing me to lose what little bit of rational thinking I have left, I have no intention of becoming a statistic in that particular endeavor. I'm not opposed to it. It comes with the free market economy. I actually don't think it is quite the 'bet the farm' kind of day for retailers that it used to be. However, it is still extremely important in laying the groundwork for a successful Christmas shopping season. With the shift to online purchasing, the Black Friday sales have been underway for some time now. I haven't bought anything but I have seen Amazon and others hawking their wares under that banner. It seems, at this point, the financial markets are favorably impressed with the presidential election outcome. That has been a big surprise, especially to all of those who thought life as we know it would end and a modern depression era would ensue. It sure has made expert predictions made by expert predictors, so called, to look pretty foolish. Only time will tell, but, the initial response has to be encouraging to those hoping for a full business recovery.

I do have some plans for the day. I need to work in my office on a number of projects including our annual family Christmas card/letter. If I do get to those on the list, they will take up a handful of hours. There's no doubt other items on my to-do list will be added since they do tend to have a life of their own. Sure. I am aware there will be sports on TV. I will be keeping an eye on some of those events. I would like to think I could rest up for the big crush headed our way when Santa's schedule gets overloaded, but, I've learned that you can't really rest up a whole lot in advance of some activity. However, it is a good thought. A really good one. In fact, maybe a nap or two will help. The bottom line, enjoy your time off and your Saturday too. May Sunday find us all in that meeting place where folks join together to study God's Word and call upon Him. Amen. ....More later.