Something I saw, "If you get a lemon, throw it away, lemonade is overrated."

From our recent photoshoot at an area park.

Please continue praying for our son, Jimmy. They have added a staph infection to pneumonia and he will likely be treated for that for a few more days. Thanks.

We are thankful. Not because it's Friday, but, we made it through our most challenging venue as Santa and Mrs. Claus. Yesterday, we participated for the second time in a marathon picture taking program at an elementary school. It's a school that has a lot of kids near the poverty level, therefore, we donated our time. Why do we call it our most challenging venue? Four hours of an assembly line photo process with hundreds of kids. We made photos with just under 600 warm bodies in four hours. That's an all-time record for The Santa Enterprise. We made it! I told the wife early Thursday morning I needed to recheck the emails to see if we were really doing that event on that day. I thought maybe I had written it down wrong and maybe it would be next week. It wasn't. I had asked for more help in managing the kiddos. That actually did not happen but thank God we made it! Now to the important business for us all. It is Friday, December 7, 2019, Pearl Harbor remembrance day, and it's time to get on with it! Yes. I do realize I'm dropping exclamation points this morning life leaflets from an airplane, but, it's that kind of day. And, yes, it was pointed out to me in one of my recent blogs I used 'no' instead of 'know'. I suppose that proves my stuff is not computer generated and think about it, I was only two letters off. Sure. I've heard that one forever, "Close only counts in Horseshoes." Our next to the most challenging venue is this evening. Don't worry, there's plenty more of those exclamation points left on the shelf.

Here is a little flashback regarding gift-giving from December 5, 2007: ~ I'll never forget one special Christmas when my wife and I were starting out. She was carrying our second son and we were down at her brother's house in Louisiana for a Christmas family get together. We did not have very much in terms of worldly goods back in those days but I had put back some money and slipped around and bought her a watch and I brought it with me to the reunion. It was put under the tree with the dozens of other name gift presents. In their family, we always drew names and the gifts were opened one at a time typically beginning with the little ones. Back then (1967) I believe we only had three grandchildren of what would end up being the combined eight grandsons. At any rate, I was anxiously awaiting her being given that box. Finally, her brother handed it to her and she had a very surprised look on her face. When she opened that box it was nothing like I could have imagined. Maybe it was being pregnant, maybe it was because we were young and struggling, but she burst out bawling and pretty soon she had all the other ladies crying along with her. What a day! What an experience! It was not an expensive gift but it reflected the definition of what the Christmas spirit can be. It must have been something special because I still remember it like it was yesterday! ~

I know many of you are wondering if Mr. Bentley will be guest hosting my blog again. He will. Soon. Right now, he is in a tizzy. We are dressing up all funny to him and putting him in his kennel when we leave. His next inline best buddy in the world is in the hospital and he can't figure out what's going on. We feel sorry for him, but, this is how the cookie crumbles these days. The other evening the wife and I were debating on whether to turn the heat on or not. It was around 50 degrees outside with a low predicated in the high 40's. I told her I would turn it on when I got up early the next morning. But, I thought about it, and then told her maybe I should turn it on because Mr. Bentley pretty much has had it going while he is sleeping. She acted all surprised and started laughing about me thinking Mr. Bentley needed the heat on. I did turn it on. See what I mean? Senility takes all kinds of forms and  I may be opening up a whole new flavor. I do know Mr. Bentley will be glad when all of this upside-down scheduling is over. Me too! Enjoy your Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday and I will, Lord willing, do my best to see what rises to the top of the heap come next Monday. May God bless. Amen. .....More later.