"Waitin on my woman."

It's Friday, January 17, 2020. So what else is new? We made it all the way to the middle of January and the wife has already left me. Again. She left in the wee hours of yesterday morning to meet up with her sister so they could travel over to the northeast part of Louisiana to visit their aging brother, Cleon. He is now 84 and experiencing some memory-related challenges. We have too many loose ends here for me to have made the trip with them. I've written quite a lot about Cleon over the years. He is a remarkable fellow and in so many ways a throwback to a time when character was prominent. I tried to think of a different description for today. The thought True Blue came to mind. The origin of this phrase is instructive: 'True blue' is supposed to derive from the blue cloth that was made at Coventry, England in the late middle ages. The town's dyers had a reputation for producing material that didn't fade with washing, that is, it remained 'fast' or 'true'. That would be our Cleon. Look it up and don't be surprised if they illustrate it with his photo. Now, we wait for her return on Sunday afternoon. That reminds me of another little ditty. I really liked the collaboration song by the late Andy Griffith with country superstar Brad Paisley. It was entitled, 'Waitin on a Woman'. Here is how the song ends:

I've read somewhere statistics show
The man's always the first to go
And that makes sense 'cause I know she won't be ready
So when it finally comes my time
And I get to the other side
I'll find myself a bench, if they've got any
I hope she takes her time, 'cause I don't mind
Waitin' on a woman

Honey, take your time, 'cause I don't mind
Waitin' on a woman.

I've pretty well got the 'waitin' down. And, Lord knows, I have the experience to prove it. Perhaps without the stated level of patience. On this very day, eight years ago, I wrote an entire blog on the subject of having a rejoicing spirit. Here is a brief excerpt: ~ January 17, 2008, Rejoice! And, Again I Say, Rejoice! Last evening I was asked to cover one of the mid-week Bible classes. In choosing the passage to use, I first did a very brief introduction to the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church located in Philippi, Macedonia, and then read through that entire letter making only a few comments as we worked through the text. The interesting thing about this letter is its emphasis on joy and rejoicing. The Apostle Paul was actually imprisoned at the time he wrote this letter, yet he sees even his incarceration as a part of God's plan, therefore, he rejoices in those he has been able to reach with the gospel message and sends encouragement to the impoverished local Church in Philippi to also have joy and a spirit of rejoicing regardless of their circumstances. Now that's pretty difficult for us to grasp. This Church was very special to Paul because of their faithful support of him from the very beginning of their contact with him. Because Christianity Ian authorities, these Philippian believers were undergoing tough times. What was Paul's message to them? God is at work in you and for this reason, you should remain faithful and be in a frame of heart and mind that demonstrates your faith, that being one of joy.

I'm pretty sure mom had no clue I would grow up to be Santa Claus.

I've worn a beard for many of the years of my sojourn here. I think I started shaving at age 15. At various times I would have a beard and then shave it off. When I shaved, the common response was that I looked very babyish. My guess is that train left a long time ago. But, I will not be intentionally finding out because I now have professional reasons to keep it. We are already scheduled to reprise our partnership with Santa Cow for an upcoming Christmas in July celebration. Recently, a lady from the UK who saw our photo made a comment about how fortunate I was to have a real white beard. She said her past job included booking Santa Clauses and finding someone with a real beard and for it to be naturally white was very rare. Hey, I have finally found something about me that, according to a retired professional placement person, is very rare. And, that comes from an international source. Just so you know, I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything to achieve this recognition except maybe for having an inherited ability to grow stubble even at age 15. Here's something that happened last Sunday morning. After the morning worship service, I was on my way out of the building and I rounded a corner and nearly ran into a couple of little kiddos. The little girl was maybe 3 and the little boy was maybe 5. They were in the care of their early teenaged sister. The three-year-old looked up at me and blurted out, "It's ho ho! It's ho ho!" The older sister told her not to say that. I looked at the older sister and said, "Really?" I then knelt down and gave one of our souvenir Santa and Mrs. Claus cards to the two little ones. I looked at the sister and her mouth was wide open. As I walked away I could hear the two little ones carrying on. Just another day at the office. For me. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday and I will do my very best to meet back up again, come next Monday morning. Amen. ....More later.