You probably don't need to see my ID, you may recognize my hen scratching as being authentic.

Hello and welcome to back to work Tuesday, May 30, 2017. I was pretty busy over the three day weekend. Our dad, my step dad for the past nearly forty years, is not doing well at all. He has been a real dad to me and I think everyone in our huge blended family has that opinion of him. He has the back issues that are debilitating in and of itself. However, his current situation appears to be much more than that particular ailment. He has told me for several years that he worried about dying before mom. Why? He felt like no one else would take care of her like him. He has finished that work, and, now it seems he may be preparing to follow her. We don't know. It is in God's hands. Let me say again how blessed I feel to be close to dad's children. Yes, we are a blended family, but, more than that, we are family, period. None of us ever contemplated dad in decline. It just wasn't on our radar screen. We are now privileged to work together to do all we can to help him during this season of his life. Prayers are welcomed. Amen.

Yesterday, Facebook was flooded with memorials for those who have died while wearing the uniform of our nation. Many were personal because it was their family member who had paid the ultimate sacrifice. While some think folks shouldn't celebrate with all the picnics and other amusements, I believe it's okay because the fallen gave their lives for our American way of life. I would hope the majority did pause to remember the price that was paid. For me, it's always a reminder of two of my high school buddies that left for Vietnam and did not return. Here is how they are depicted on the Vietnam Memorial Wall of Faces:
 
Floyd Willams
Date of Birth: July 29, 1944
Date of Casualty: July 12, 1967
Home of Record: Hornbeck, Louisiana

Roland Prewitt
Date of Birth: Sep 28, 1946
Date of Casualty: August 1, 1967
Home Town: Florien, Louisiana

I and several others did make a turnaround trip to check on dad this past Sunday. I was also sent this photo of our two great grands as they were together for the first time. Our son sent us the photo. These two girls are a part of mom and dad's legacy and we thank God for them. My work computer went belly up with an unrecoverable hard drive failure last Friday. If you aren't familiar with the belly up metaphor, I'm not sure I can help you. At any rate, I brought in our little laptop this morning and that's what I am using. It doesn't have very many bells and whistles but it sure beats a huge door stop that refuses to even start up. Now, we deal with today. May God bless us all and may He show His love, mercy, and grace to our dad. Amen. .....More later.