"Jed Clampett: I declare, Granny, the huntin' in these Beverly Hills is gettin' sorrier every day. Me and Duke went as far back in the brush as you could go. The only thing we flushed out was a couple of real estate agents." ~ The Beverly Hillbillies TV Show

Good morning folks and welcome. It is Tuesday, June 11, 2019, and, if I am writing this and I think I am, it sounds like me, I believe the clothes I'm wearing are mine, and if you are reading this, well, we have another day before us. We have awakened to a new day and I do hope you are doing well. As I sit here the thought came to me that I might be dealing with a dry hole situation. There are days when there just seems to be no there, there. I did see a recent photo the other day of a fellow who helped me get started as a young computer worker. (That's his photo on the left.)  I've never believed myself to be self-made. There were many people who contributed to my training, my advancement, and in supporting me along the way. Back in the early 1970s, this guy was one of my first managers. He and I were close. He helped me to get to the next level, several times. I can remember one incident when I had written a scathing review of a major project that had not done well. I had been the project manager. I was really hard on myself. I had him look at it. He said there's no way you are going forward with that. He told me to rewrite it and report it from the positives that were accomplished. That was a good piece of advice. I was a supervisor and then he and I were managers of different groups and on the same reporting level. His wife and my wife became best friends. Time moved on. I continued to grow and develop and the day came when he became one of five managers reporting to me. I never forgot all that he did for me, but, our relationship did change. We were no longer as close as we once were. Things happen. He took medical retirement back in the early 1990s and we lost touch after that. I am very thankful that he looks like he is doing quite well. And, seeing his photo gave me another opportunity to thank God for him and so many others who have helped me in my life.

I know the encouragement for today says you have to make a way for yourself. I did always believe in doing my best, working as hard as I knew how, and applying myself to the work. Over the years, I've been blessed to have been the right-hand person to a lot of different people. I never minded being in that position. I had some folks close to me when I was managing a large organization, but, I can't say I had one right hand go to guy. Maybe that was a flaw of mine. I did have several who might have come close to that status but I just wasn't inclined to operate that way. I suppose I should be glad that others did because being in those situations did much to prepare me for my next opportunity. I would also be very remiss in not saying that God deserves any and all credit for anything I've been able to accomplish. Anything good, that is. The other stuff I can take credit for. I know there were times when people said I was in the right place at the right time. Or, I was this influential person's fair-haired boy. I know that God gave me the abilities I have, the opportunities I've been blessed with, and the favor I found with those who helped me succeed. In spite of myself. And, I mean that. God deserves the honor, the glory, period. Amen.

If someone asked me, looking back, what I would do differently, I would have to inquire as to how much time they have. Most of it has to do with my priorities, my service to God, my wife, my boys, and my extended family. But, we cannot go back and replace the facts with our would've and could've notions. What I can do, what you can do, what we all can do, is to take this day and this time to appreciate the things God has allowed us to learn, and, to do our best to leave a legacy that will have eternal implications as opposed to war stories about how it was in the good old days. Some people like to say that God is the God of the second chance. I'm afraid that's not nearly enough chances for me, but, I am so very thankful that He is there to help us get back on track. Time and time again. Why? Short answer: We belong to Him and He loves us. Even when we are not very lovable. That's about all I have for dry hole Tuesday, but, come back around tomorrow and maybe something will bubble up. Maybe it will happen like it did for Jed Clampitt, "Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed, A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed, And then one day he was shootin at some food, And up through the ground come a bubblin crude." We will have to wait and see. Amen. ....More later.