Thanks for saying you are laughing with me, not at me, just now when I caught you laughing at me.

Good morning and welcome back to the real world of a brand new work week and a brand new month. We open today's ledger to find it recorded as Monday, October 1, 2018. You will not be surprised to know that as a certified diabetic, I have been known to break the dietary rules on occasion. The photo of the plastic cake-saver was posted as a meme on Facebook with a caption saying how that all of America will hear you trying to open it at midnight. Noisy. Sneaking a snack. How true! Once I convince myself that I have a low blood sugar issue, that gives me permission, granted from myself to myself, to get some sugar into my body as quickly as possible. However, there's something about doing it that makes me want to do it as quietly as possible. It could be I am so-oooo respectful of those sleeping. Could be. Or, maybe, something else. Here's what can happen. I get into the kitchen and open the freezer door and extract the 1/2 gallon tub of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla. For those taking notes, that would be step one. The next phase involves carefully and quietly removing the lid. It is welded to the tub. What is going on here? I immediately think about the wife of my youth who does her best to watch over my health. I wonder to myself if she removed the lid, wet it with water, and then allowed it to freeze. A knife. Maybe that will help. It will not budge. Suddenly, the refrigerator goes into its cycle of noisy clanging and clunking. Even the equipment is against me. Better quit while I am behind, so I gave up. Meanwhile, my blood sugar seems to have calmed down so I return to bed with visions of how to take apart a tub of Blue Bell dancing in my head. Don't laugh unless you've been there and done that. Oh, go ahead, enjoy a good one on me!

These are some of the early promo shots from last Tuesday evening. Mindy Harmon, the professional photographer we have worked with for many years has an eye, a rapport with her subjects, and the technical skills required to produce these images. There is a reason she has been voted so many times as the number one photographer in The Woodlands, Texas. One of the little girls in the group shots was a down syndrome child. It is always a blessing to work with special needs children. When I look at photos like these and consider the privilege I have to be involved, well, I usually can only say this: Is this a great country or what? When it was over I was still worn out. That part seems always to stay the same.

I devote a lot of space in my blogs to family. There's a reason for this: It actually reflects who we are. God has blessed us with a wonderful, huge, blended clan. This past Saturday we were able to meet with Victor and Maria. Victor is dad's eldest son and Maria is his wife. Mom and dad enjoyed right at 40 years together and we've had a most uncanny connection within this family group. This past Saturday we met up with this couple and enjoyed breakfast together along with over two hours of catching up, laughing, and getting a huge kick out of our time together. Mom had wondered if her children would stay in touch with dad's children. (After 40 years it wasn't his or hers anymore because as the song puts it, 'We Are Family!') Mom, we have stayed in touch. And, we will continue. We keep up with everyone via social media. We have a family message board and we pray for those who are being challenged. Yep. It is different with mom and dad no longer here with us, but, they made family a priority and we feel privileged to keep the legacy going. We also thank God that He worked it out this way. We are blessed. Amen. Enjoy the rest of your first day of October and I'll do my best to show up at our regular meeting spot in the morning. May God bless each one is my prayer. Amen. .....More later.