"But Jesus answered them, 'My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.'” (Gospel of John, Chapter 5, Verse 17)

Hello friends, neighbors, fellow Americans, and any and all interested parties, wherever you hail from, I'm here and it's another day for us to do what we can do to make a difference. For time and eternity. This opportunity comes to us on this Thursday, October 26, 2017. I've been thinking quite a bit about that admonition that tells us to be thankful in all things. All. Things. Good. Bad. Terrible. Great. Sad. Happy. Well. Ailing. All. Things. Here's the actual inspired word as given through the Apostle Paul: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1st Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verses 16-18) This must be one of those really mature attributes because it is a very tough concept to get hold of. The wife and I recently went through an experience that rocked our perception of our spiritual well being. The easiest response to this situation was a knee-jerk of anger, frustration, and even bitterness. Being thankful was hard to contemplate at the time we were dealing with it all. Meanwhile, God knew all about our being rocked by the tempestuous waves of uncertainty and disappointment. Truth is, He had something better for us but we didn't know it at the time. I'm not anywhere close to being able to compare myself in any way whatsoever to the great Bible character Joseph. However, I well remember his wise words to his brothers after they had so hatefully mistreated him, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." (Genesis 50, Verse 20) My point? God was working on our behalf for our good even in a situation that was very hurtful and distressing. I can't say that I was immediately thankful, even though I should have been, but I did learn to give Him the thanks, praise, and worship for His intervention in this matter. Amen and Amen.

I was able to block two more of the new intruder calls on my cell phone. That always produces a good feeling. Especially when it is more than one. Whatever happened to the vaunted 'do not call' program that was supposed to keep this from happening? I think I registered my number and the wife's number as well. Maybe it became confused with the don't ask, don't tell program. Or, maybe it somehow got sanctuary city status so they are protected from persecution. Sorry. I meant prosecution. Maybe that was a Freudian slip, but, I'm can't be sure since I actually have never understood how ladies undergarments apply to things of this sort. Maybe I should write a rap about blocking unwanted calls. I could write a rap and then gift wrap it for Christmas. I would have myself a wrapped rap. You do know I am just working on a sudden burst of onset boredom at the moment. My brain is concerned about what is making it to the electronic page but I'm not sure he is connected. Speaking of how the brain works, I read the other day that scientists have discovered how the brain continues to function after the body is dead. They believe this means the brain knows the body is dead. I'm not sure this moves the ball down the field any, but, I suppose it does give something to do for those who wear white coats. I know I should have turned at the last paragraph and headed in a different direction but I'm not inclined to erase all of this just to preserve a modicum of respect for my sanity.

You might be surprised to know there are some things that I cannot do. I've never been able to do that Mr. Spok hand finger deal from Star Trek where the motto is "Live long and prosper." Our eldest has been doing that one since he was a wee little lad, but, my fingers refuse to even think about it. I've also noticed something about the buzzards. I do see a lot of them on the country road I travel so often. They can have two really plump nice meals served up to them courtesy of the car hitting the deer routine. One of the meals is on one side of the road with the second meal on the other side. One has twenty or more huge wing flapping birds trying to decide who won the lottery and the other has none there and none waiting. My question is why? One got cleaned up with very little sign of any leftovers while the other has essentially been untouched. That puzzles me. It presents this question for us all to ponder, "Why didn't the buzzard cross the road?" I do not recall a no bird crossing sign. Maybe they were taught not to associate with anything on the other side of the tracks, or road. It's the not knowing that can really drag me down. That is a true story. The fretting is greatly exaggerated but the observation is accurate. No. I do not want the emergency hotline number for National Geographic. I do, however, want us all to have a great rest of the day. And, may God bless us, one and all. Amen. ....More later.