“In the midst of a busy life don't forget to live.” ― Marty Rubin

I did travel to Louisiana on Saturday and spent the day with mom and dad. Mom has developed some infection in the incision from her hip surgery. They are treating it aggressively with antibiotics. She will be seeing the surgeon on Tuesday. They are also checking to make sure she hasn't developed pneumonia. It seems like she takes a few steps forward and then a few back, but, she is in good spirits. At 92, recovery is always difficult. We also received the sad news that our Aunt Elwanda, age 92, passed away in her sleep last Friday evening. Aunt Elwanda was the wife to mom's last remaining sibling, Uncle Waymon. She also was 92. This aunt and uncle had a huge impact on our lives and we pray for him, their daughter Cindy, and the grandchildren as they deal with this great loss.

Welcome one and all. Today is a national holiday, Martin Luther King Day. We do not take off here at my workplace but the government, banks, schools, many companies, and other institutions do observe this in remembrance of the life and times of the iconic civil rights leader. I do bid you a hearty hello on this Monday, January 16, 2016. I think I just might be a wee bit too busy these days. So much to get done, so little time. That got me to thinking about how you know when you are too busy. Here are some personal testimonies I found out on the world wide web. ~ When you find your cell phone in the refrigerator. ~ You take the cleaning to Pizza Hut and ask for a burger at the bank drive through. ~ You are halfway through eating your sandwich before you realize you haven't put the meat on it. ~ You end up with the kid still in your car at work because you forget to take them to school. ~ You spray your hair with Windex thinking it was conditioner. ~ Someone overhears you shouting 'hurry up' to the microwave. ~ Your family members living with you have to send you a text message just to hear from you. ~ And those could go on and on. I believe they say the next step is to go from being too busy to being overwhelmed. At least that gives me something to look forward to. I think. Hey, I'm just glad to be able to get up and go and to be busy with the life God has given to me. Amen.

When I was a kid I remember how much the receiving of a chain letter would make my folks angry. Sometimes they received them from people they knew, even relatives. I think the part that bothered them the most was the threatening of bad things happening if they failed to keep the chain going. How in the world could God fearing, Bible believing people participate in that type of shenanigan? It's been a long time since I've heard that much about chain letters coming through the regular postal service. However, it has many faces, many angles, and many approaches, but the underlying concept is alive and well on social media. I'm talking about dozens or more per day. It's not enough to read what is said or even to like what is said because if you don't copy what is said and send it to your entire friends list, well, you are not a true friend, a true believer, a true patriot, a true conservative, a true lover of all that is good, and, it goes on and on and on, and one more for good measure, and on. I know, in isolation, the folks who send them out are not intending to flood the entire platform with these kinds of communications, yet, that is exactly what is happening. If that's what they want to do, it is still a free country. It just ruffles my feathers a little and I thought maybe I would blow off a little steam. I'm not sure if I feel better about it but I at least let you know how I feel about it.

I am aware that many of the things posted that appear in this chain mail like format do support good causes. Some of them. Not all of them. There's just so many. Most of the ones I see are not original. It has been copied as requested from someone else who copied it from someone else, etc., etc. At any rate, I think many of you know what I am talking about. The other day when the wife and I were in the waiting room of the surgical center waiting for my name to be called, a rather loud lady said something that got most people's attention. Someone was making conversation with her and she responded by saying she had come with her mom. She went on. Her mom was somewhat worried about what they might find when they did her scan. The loud lady said she told her mom that she should be happy because she had enjoyed a good long life of 67 years. When she said that, every white haired person's head turned. Hello? I couldn't guess what the average age was of those of us in that waiting room, but, I got the idea that none of us there thought that her statement was one we wanted to hear at the moment. She noticed that and began talking about others in her family who had died much younger. Great subjects to be discussing with folks who are about to be put to sleep. Oh well, you do hear some things if you pay attention. Remind me next time to listen to something using a set of those earbuds. That's a better plan. What say you? Take care. Know that God is still in control, and, that with His grace, mercy, and provision, I will see you next time. Amen. ....More later.