“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.” — George Bernard Shaw

I'm here. And, yes, just for the record, I am on time today. Just like, most days. It is Monday, May 21, 2018, and I do bid you a hearty welcome. Last Thursday, (May 17), was the first anniversary of the memorial service we had for our mom. It's also the day our great grand Gabriella was born. Saying farewell to the Matriarch of our family while saying hello and welcome to our newest member, well, to me, that does, in fact, demonstrate how that life goes on. That first photo on the top left is yours truly. I actually got my hands on Gabi before her MiMi did. MiMi had stayed in Louisiana to help see after dad. The bottom left is our great grand Madi, (8), and little Gabi, with sitting outside the restaurant with their great grands. The bottom right is Gabi with her great grand Poppy Claus. We are blessed beyond measure to have the family God has given to us. If you see Gabi doing her thing on a real-time video session, you would be impressed and entertained. Gabi and her mom, our granddaughter Brittany will be leaving Fort Riley, Kansas to visit in our area for a couple of weeks beginning in early June. Her dad, Ryan, will stay behind to carry on his US Army duties. We are anxious to see them. Her Paw Paw, our eldest Chris, and her Maw Maw, Chris' wife, Sherrie, are chomping at the bit to have them in their home. She is a little entertainer. There's no doubt about that.

I was out on the road for several hours last Friday. One of the sports stations suspended their broadcasting and put up a live feed of local non-stop coverage of the school shooting at the high school in Santa Fe, Texas. They were interviewing students, parents, school officials, law enforcement, and others. It made me want to both cry and throw up at the same time. One of the things I detest about these incidents is how people on both sides of the issue regarding gun control versus the 2nd Amendment have to jump in with all of their arguments. Can't everyone just pause and consider the magnitude of the devastation to the families, perhaps, for once? There will be plenty of time for these voices to be heard. Maybe we all could appreciate and ponder the words of our President immediately following this tragic incident: "Unfortunately, I have to begin by expressing our sadness and heartbreak over the deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas that just took place moments ago. We’re closely monitoring the situation and federal authorities are coordinating with local officials. This has been going on too long in our country too many years, too many decades now. We grieve for the terrible loss of life and send our support and love to everyone affected by this absolutely horrific attack. To the students, families, teachers, and personnel at Santa Fe High, we’re with you at this tragic hour, and we’ll be with you forever. My administration is determined to do everything in our power to protect our students, secure our schools and to keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and to others. Everyone must work together at every level of government to keep our children safe. May God heal the injured, and may God comfort the wounded, and may God be with the victims and with the victims’ families. Very sad day. Very, very sad." I agree. May God help is my prayer. Amen.

We were becoming very dry in and around our area, but, praise the Lord, we did get us some rain yesterday. The best record I could find was for a little less than 3 inches of rain in our specific area. We sure needed it. I think it must have been considerably more than that in some areas. The water was over the road in two different places on my ride in this morning. It had come one of those rainstorm events right when Church was dismissed yesterday. No one had anticipated it being that way, therefore, nearly everyone had to wait until it slacked. There were a number of loan umbrellas in the Church reception area so I grabbed one and made a dash to my truck. It was coming down hard. I had to wade a little water to get to my truck. Talk about a spontaneous downpour! Five miles from the Church it was sunny and hot. We got home. We were somewhat disappointed that our parched yard had not received any of the liquid refreshment. But, alas, it did show up. Big time. My wife didn't do a rain dance celebration but she was thanking God for His provision. That's always a good response even as I drove carefully through the water this morning. Yes. Thank you, Lord, for the rain. Have a great rest of the day and may God bless each one. Amen. ....More later.