"And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not." ~ Ruth, Chapter 2, Verse 16, King James Version, KJV.

Just in case you are keeping score, today is the second Friday of this brand new year of 2019 and it finds itself positioned as January 11. On Monday, I wished our first great grand a happy 9th birthday. She and her family have moved to San Antonio so this is the first birthday we were not able to be with her. We had sent a greeting card with a gift card included. About 9 p.m. Monday evening we received a video via text from her mom of her opening the card and reading it. How special! She was so gracious and thankful for her gift. Yesterday, I wished our youngest grandson a happy 13th. He is a young fellow of few words. Here's the text he sent to me: "Thank you for the card. Love you and MiMi. Have a merry day." Both of these responses put tears in my eyes. Just seeing our Madelyn Joy reading the card I made for her was a blessing. Then, to have been wished a 'merry day' by our Brady, well, I have to tell you, that's the first time I have ever been wished a 'merry day'. I know what some of you are thinking. Old people are impacted easily by emotional drivel. Do I need to formally plead guilty or will you just take my word for it? Thank You, Lord, for some handfuls on purpose! Amen.

Here's another in my series of Flashback Friday Episodes. This one comes from my early days of dealing with the big 'D' that came into my life, diabetes. Let me continue to tell everyone how thankful to God I am to have made it to TODAY and to be able to look back. Here's what I was thinking about 11 years ago: "Everyone who knows me laughs when I tell them I have a doctor's appointment. They actually feel sorry for the doctor because they know I have thoroughly prepared myself to be involved in my own medical situation. Yes, I did pay a fee to read the online 100 plus page 2008 Johns Hopkins medical white paper on Diabetes. (I've read through it more than once.) I do have my checklist of items to be covered regarding the medications, dosages, the numbers I am seeing on my blood glucose checks, and other miscellaneous things I hope to discuss with my primary physician. I will say this for my doctor, he has been more right than wrong regarding the way things have unfolded and the adjustments needed to control this disease. I know I am blessed that it is Type 2, and it is treatable, and I can, with God's help and old fashioned discipline, learn to live with it. One of the good things I learned from the white paper is to try to keep everything within a context of being reasonable by doing your best to work in the most simple way possible so that this challenge does not become an overwhelming obsession in your life. There's so much literature on this subject one could spend all their waking hours reading without really gaining much practical insight. There's also every kind of wonder drug and treatment known to humanity lurking on the pages of website after website, therefore, the basics remain the basics."

Before my dad passed away in 1954, we didn't even have a telephone. When a call needed to be made, mom or dad would go to a neighbor or to my uncle's house. After we moved to Louisiana, we eventually built a house and moved into it in 1957. We then had a telephone. However, we shared the line with six or seven other people. It was called a party line. Fast forward to the communication capabilities we have today. My great granddaughter can record a video and we can watch her read the card we sent. Our 13-year-old grandson can send us a text using his own cellphone. Wow! And, those are just two examples of the so-called interconnected real-time world we live in. The question will always be about the overall value of these mind-boggling changes I have lived to see. We don't have to look far to see how they can be manipulated and abused. Cyber-bullying to the extent the target ends up committing suicide. Need I say more? The same technology that brought joy to us can become a curse when used to carry out hateful or evil schemes. Such is life. Choices. Money is a necessary tool in life. Money is not evil in and of itself. Yet, the Bible tells us the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. (1st Timothy 6:10) I'm not sure I made my point, or even if I had one, but, I do think there's something in there that can be of help to us all. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. As He provides, I plan to be back at my workstation, pecking on my keyboard, come next Monday morning. Until then, may God bless each one. Amen. ....More later.