Happy 15th Birthday to our Lexie Dee!

Hello and welcome to Friday, November 13, 2015. Tomorrow is a special day for us because we will be thinking about our sweet Lexie on her 15th birthday. This child is our baby boy Rodney and wife Mitzi's middle child. She is a special young lady and we thank God for her and the talents and abilities He has given to her. She is a fierce competitor on the volley ball court, an excellent student who takes her studies seriously, and she carries a beautiful smile and winsome personality with her. May God continue to bless and keep our Lexie is our prayer. Amen. Happy Birthday from MiMi and Poppy.

Seeing our little ones become bigger ones is how it should be but it doesn't make it any easier for sentimental old grandparents. I plead guilty in the premeditated first degree. I do believe I've developed an allergic reaction because when I look at a photo like that one of Lexie my eyes begin to water. But, we have to do our best to suck it up and get on with the stuff we need to get done. Right? Right. Life moves on. I thought about the story of the little boy who had a need. He wanted $50 very badly and prayed for weeks but nothing happened. Finally he decided to write God a letter formally requesting the $50. When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God they decided to forward it to a high government official as a joke. The official was so amused he instructed his secretary to send the little boy $20. He thought this $20 would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy, and he did not want to spoil the kid. The little boy was delighted with the $20 and decided to write a thank you note to God, which read: "Dear God: Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that you sent it through a government office and those donkeys deducted $30, I suppose as a tax ....... " See what I mean? Some things never change.

The wife is due back today. I'm trying to remember what I didn't remember to do before she gets to the house. Maybe I should have left the Bible open to a passage about forgiveness. You do know that I am joking. Not about the forgiveness. I need that all the time. It has been a whirlwind week for me. Or, maybe that's just the way I see it. It could be that I've slowed down so much everything else seems to be accelerating all around me. Or maybe I'm accelerating and the rest is slowed down. It could be one or the other. Or, it might not be either because I'm not always clear on what's going on around me. You know. Last to know and all of that. I don't always mind being the last to know. But, it typically has to do with what it is. I will tell you this. I have enjoyed our brief visits this week and I do thank you for coming along for the blurry ride. I do hope you have a wonderful Saturday and a great Lord's Day Sunday. I will do my best to show up come next Monday morning and we will all find out what comes tumbling out. Lord willing. Of course. Take care. May God bless. Amen. ....More later.

“We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.” ― Robert Wilensky, (1951-2013), Professor, Computer Scientist

How dependent upon the internet are we? Yesterday here at my little old workstation the internet was like ..... unavailable. You know. It was as if it had made a trip to a galaxy, far, far away. That meant my ability to connect to the world was a big fat zero. I'm not sure we are allowed to say big fat zero but it does aptly fit my situation. I talked to the nicest lady at the AT&T network help desk. She was very pleasant. She told me up front that her goal was to make this a very satisfactory experience. She went on to say that us being a business means that without the internet we are very hampered in accomplishing our work. You don't say? Hello? We did get it up and running and she was a big help. I think it had been down since overnight, therefore, we were down for hours. But, it's up and going today and that's why I'm able to bring you greetings here on this Thursday, November 12, 2015. My inclination was to interrupt the lady and tell her she could cease and desist on the happy talk but she had this melodious voice and unlike most of her contemporaries, she sounded as if she was really sincere. (Must be new.) And, after less than 10 minutes she had us up and running, therefore, she accomplished her goal because I have to confess that she was able to make our work together a very satisfactory experience. This time. Hey, this is not my first service call or my first rodeo. We'll see what happens going forward.

I saw one fellow talking about how things get posted today on Facebook. He put it like this: "Just think, in the old days you would have needed to make 100 personal phone calls to let your friends know that you were having a donut for breakfast." That struck me as being funny because it is so true. Some folks want everyone to know every little detail of their existence. And, that little automatic utility program that tells everyone were a person is at all times, I don't like that at all. Especially for ladies. Why would anyone want to broadcast their precise goings and comings because at any given time who knows who might be looking at the postings? There are some really great things about Facebook and I saw a lot of wonderful postings recognizing Veterans Day. Many shared family photos of their loved ones wearing the uniform of our military. Others shared tributes and other great quotes about the sacrifice of our military men and women on behalf of the cause of liberty. That's an outpouring of honor and respect that would have been hard to do back when we lacked the technology that permits this type of sharing. It was refreshing to see these tributes instead of all the political hate mongering that usually dominates the landscape. But, that's just me. And, I suppose when it is all said and done those men and women served so that people can speak their minds. Even on Facebook. Even while having their breakfast donut.

A lot of things have to do with how you say them. This morning I am sitting here with the door open, (again), enjoying the cool and the Community, and oh yeah, my wife left me again. See what I mean? That last part should have been put into a new sentence because enjoying the cool and the coffee are wonderful but the wife being out of town isn't so great. She is over in Louisiana to check on her sister. That leads to what we all know can be problematic: I am home alone. Over the years I have made a big deal about how things go when I am home alone. And, while much of what I have shared has been done for comedic purposes, I must tell you that I really do have some insight into how Kevin in the movie felt when he was left home alone. As you recall he enjoyed his freedom for a while but that soon gave way to him becoming homesick for his family. In my case I just know that things go better when the wife is here. Period. Me doing both parts of the conversation gets old in a hurry. What? Do I really talk to myself like that when she is away? On the other hand, some things remain the same. I sit myself down in my recliner to enjoy a TV program and when I wake up I discover it's time for me to go to bed. Don't worry. I had seen that program before anyway. See what fun it is around my place? Enjoy your day and may God add His blessings to it. Amen.   .....More later.

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the organizer, Who gave us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag. And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protester to burn the flag." Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Welcome one and all for today's edition here on this Wednesday, November 11, 2015. It is Veterans Day here in our nation where we pause to recognize and be thankful for all those who have served by wearing the uniform of our military. A published speech from the American Legion contained these words: "Fewer than 10 percent of Americans can claim the title "veteran." Far less than 1 percent of our population is currently defending us in the Global War on Terrorism. And yet many seem intent on trying to balance the federal budget by diminishing the quality of life programs designed for the families who have already disproportionately made these sacrifices. Veterans have given us freedom, security and the greatest nation on earth. It is impossible to put a price on that. We must remember them. We must appreciate them." At a high school, a decorated Army veteran uttered these words: "We stagger .... at the eternal debt we owe .... to the untold number of American Veterans .... who chose to set aside .... their personal ambitions and dreams .... to assure the well being of our great nation. We, the living .... are indeed .... the beneficiaries .... of those who made tremendous sacrifices for the advancement and surety of our liberty." I add a prayer of my own thanking God for all who have served the cause of liberty in every branch of our armed forces and I also thank God for their families who have also sacrificed. Amen.

As our Thanksgiving Day nears I have been going through those mental checklists of the variety of things that need to be completed in preparation for our family gathering. We attempt to follow our own tradition in terms of the menu and style of celebrating this special family day. Guess what? Other families do their own thing in their own way and it doesn't reflect at all the way we do it. That reminds me of when I was a kid and I spent the night with a buddy. I did not know that every mom in the world wasn't exactly like my mom. I found that out when they put the food on their table. It was like I had showed up in a foreign land. Everything was so different. It wasn't like my mom's. Oh no. Everyone else dug right in and seemed to be enjoying it, therefore, I had to guess they had never had my mom's cooking. I politely took a few bites and made the excuse that I wasn't really that hungry. That wasn't the real me talking. My mom and my grandmother used to stand and watch me eat. I was called their 'good eater'. But, we live and learn. Your traditions belong to you and ours have special meaning to us. I learned not to compare every person's cooking ability to my mom's and I also learned you can get by on a few bites until you get back home.

What is that the young folks say? "Just sharing or just so you know." I am so blessed to have the wife and mother of my children who goes all out to make our time together a rerun of memories that stay with us all for a lifetime. Her cooking tradition was not like the one I grew up with, but, she, being the remarkable woman she is, blended these together to form our own family tradition. Has she been able to accomplish this? Ask our boys. Ask their children. There's something special about it all. The sights, the smells, the being together. I guess as that sand keeps trickling through that hourglass of time I am more aware of just how special the blessing that comes each time we gather. (That sand and hourglass metaphor comes from that old soap opera that Granny Mac would never miss.) Trying to keep it real folks. Trying. Yes I've heard that joke before how that I can be as trying as anyone. But, it's all special to me and as I look around at all the stuff going on, all the hurt, pain, and heartache, the busyness of life, these times where we pause to confirm our identity as a family and celebrate our thankfulness to God, well, as you can tell, I am looking forward to it. You caught that? Good. I am glad you were paying attention. Take care and have a great day and may God bless each one. Amen. .....More later.

“I like people watching. My favorite places are cemeteries. Tell your great grandpa I said hi next time you see him.” ― Jarod Kintz, Author

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday, November 10, 2015. In just a short two weeks we will be all suited up for a two day series as Santa and Mrs. Claus at the annual Jr. League market extravaganza. We did one short day of promotional shots with kids at the professional photographer a couple of weeks ago. We have 5 appearances scheduled with her this year. Those will be intense since they will be trying to get between 8 and 10 unique poses for a photo book offering. I noticed something the morning I did those promotional shots. I was very tired when we finished. I was actually sore. Since then I have been trying to walk more and do what I can to get ready for the season. This past Saturday I went to the big mall to walk. I walked the entire mall three times. It was before working hours but the mall people were trickling in to get their day started. We all are different. Some of us are more different than others. I suppose one thing I can never get used to is those who appear to still be half asleep stumbling their way to their appointed duty station. Different. Also those who choose to keep their happy face, their smile, and their welcome to themselves until the bell rings. Those jewelry store people are something else. They look at you like they think you might attack them while they are unlocking their door and when you speak they flip up their nose so much you're hoping it doesn't rain and drown them. I can assure you of this. If I walk into their store with my American Express card sticking out of my pocket they will swarm onto me like bees on honey. These are but a few throw down observations from my three laps. You can see quite a bit. If you are watching.

Yesterday morning I sat here at my home away from home workstation with the door wide open. It was around 50 degrees at 4:30 a.m. and I couldn't help but have a sense of thankfulness for the hot black Community and the refreshing cool air. What a combination! I know it's only a simple pleasure but I think those can be the best. When we can move from the wish I had this, that, or the other to enjoying what we do have, well, that's a good way to go. Maybe I should write that down. I know. I just did. Sometimes we fail to appreciate the superb quality surrounding us. I read about a middle aged fellow dressed in frumpy looking clothes on the subway playing a violin. He played for 45 minutes. He played classical music pieces. Most paid him little attention. A few threw in a buck or two along the journey and at the end of his concert he had collected $32 in his violin case. Turns out this little concert was a sort of test conducted by the Washington Post. The violinist was a recognized living legend. The violin he used was valued at $3.5 million dollars. The music he played was some of the most complex and intricate scores ever written. He had recently played in a local concert hall where tickets were over $100 each. It had been sold out for multiple performances. I don't know what that tells us but I thought about it as I was sharing my little tidbit about Community and cool fresh air. I think I played mine in the key of C. Male trio. Me, myself, and I. Acapella. Yep.

You think I might be moving towards becoming eccentric? Let me think about that one for a moment. The word itself means a person or their behavior that is unconventional or slightly strange. Synonyms include: unconventional, uncommon, abnormal, irregular, aberrant, anomalous, odd, queer, strange, peculiar, weird, bizarre, outlandish, freakish, and extraordinary. While there's a lot to choose from on that menu I'm not sure I measure up to that definition. I'll go with different for now and just keep on doing whatever it is that I do. One thing I am certain of and that is how I continue to be a work in progress. I believe the children's song best reflects this work. "He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be." Talk about a work in progress! But, I'm thankful He hasn't given up on me and as Dr. Stanley puts it, "He's working to make us an object of notable excellence so that we reflect honor and glory back to Him." That's not an exact quote but it does reflect some of what I heard him say maybe twenty or more years ago. He was commenting on that passage from Ephesians Chapter 2, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Verse 10) As you can see I have a long way to go but not that long to get there. I actually think I know what that means. That's scary. Have a great rest of the day and may God bless us all is my prayer. Amen. ....More later.

“I'll think of it tomorrow, at Tara. I can stand it then. Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.” ― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

Good morning and welcome. It's Monday, November 9, 2015, and I do hope we all are ready to give our best today. It is, after all, the only day we have at our fingertips that we can do anything about. My wife believes me to be a procrastinator. She actually thinks I am an expert at being one. She may be mistaken. I like to think of myself as being a master scheduler who takes seriously my planning of when things should be completed. What she thinks of as me postponing may be nothing more than the fact that it has not come up on the schedule yet. (I actually worked once as a computer scheduling specialist, just for the record.) I've read some quotes that really do little to explain my situation. One that appears to be the most popular goes like this: "I'm not a procrastinator I'm just extremely productive at unimportant things." I must say that I do not have a clue as to why this is copied and pasted so much because for the life of me I cannot even begin to figure out what it means. Others are a little more clear: "Stop procrastinating beginning tomorrow." "Procrastinating is the art of keeping up with yesterday." "I always write 'Wake Up' on my to do list so that I can at least accomplish one thing today." "I am a skilled multi-tasking procrastinator, I can put off all kinds of things at the same time." Okay. I know. The Bible teaches quite a bit about the dangers of putting things off, especially in the Proverbs. I did not find much about master scheduling. I'll keep looking and get back to you if I find something. Thanks.

We are doing a particular Santa and Mrs. Claus event that requires us to furnish a background check. We don't mind since we do work with children but this is the first time in six years that we have ever been asked. Fortunately, my membership in the IBRBS (International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas) provides access to a service that does these types of background checks. You will be glad to know on my name they found no hits on the hundreds of criminal databases they checked. As for the wife, I'm not even sure they established she had a background or not. That's how clean her's was. When they complete the process, for a fee of course, they send you about ten pages of information. The first page pretty much summarizes their findings and the rest is boilerplate listings of all the databases they have checked along with several pages of disclaimers. You know. They ran the background check but cannot be held responsible for anything they didn't find. That tends to be how things work in today's world. Pretty soon the disclaimers will very much drown out the claims if you get my drift. Think about it. A thirty second commercial for a new drug on TV consists of 5 seconds about the drug and 25 seconds of disclaimers. The good news: We are clean. That is, unless they missed something.

And, in case you don't know the truth I for one am not in line to be fitted for a halo. We all have plenty of things we've done and probably continue to do that plague us even though they will not appear on an official background check. That's the sin nature or as the Apostle Paul puts it: the old man nature. If we are a genuine child of God through the finished work of Jesus Christ, well, we do have another power in our life. It's called the abiding presence of God the Holy Spirit or as Paul says, the new man. We have the old and new and they don't get along. At all. In fact, they war against each other. The old man is already defeated because we are eternally and forever saved as a child of God but he doesn't care about that. He wants to do anything he can to get us to mess up, to make wrong choices, and to fail in our testimony. He is relentless but he is not invincible. (The old man - new man conflict is covered extensively by Paul in his letters to the Romans, Ephesians, and the Colossians.) Bottom line: That new man can always be victorious, "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1st John 4:4) That should be good news to us all. I know it is to me and I need to be reminded of it every single day, all day long. Amen. ....More later.

"I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again." ~ William Penn, (1644-1718), Religious Leader and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania

Good morning and welcome. It's Friday, November 6, 2015. I have to remind myself often that I am here to serve. It's real easy for me and likely for everyone else to see the world we live in as being here to serve our needs, our wants, and our priorities. That me first attitude gives many the fuel they need to succeed, however, it doesn't fulfill the calling that believers in Jesus Christ have on their lives. Our nature rebels against the image of us being a lowly servant. Yet, the King of glory came into our world and did so to serve, not to be served. (Matthew 20:28) I remember reading a book on management many years ago where the author emphasized the concept of servant-hood within a business enterprise. He used The Scriptures as a way of reminding people of what it means to be the kind of employee that God would have one to be. He also stressed how that business owners, managers, and other leaders were also servants. Needless to say that concept is not one that is widely promoted, embraced, or practiced today. There are exceptions. You can be one. I can be one. I suppose I thought about this as I am getting ready to teach a short series on the power of a thankful heart. A truly thankful heart is a responsive heart that shows appreciation through actions and deeds. That's what being a true servant is all about. Easy? Not for me. Worth it? First and foremost, God commands us to be servants and when we are it pleases Him and He uses our serving to accomplish His will and purpose wherever we happen to serve. Amen.

Today marks my 8th year here at this company. I am thankful for the opportunity to show up each day and throw my little bit into the mix. God has been good to allow me to participate here in these final laps of my public working marathon. I suppose the thing I appreciate is how that I still feel motivated to get up and go each day. To show up. To do what I can to advance the business. I enjoy many of the relationships built throughout these years. We do have our moments of tension and challenge along with some drama now and then but I would suspect you'll not find any place where these things don't show up. I am often asked when will I hang it up and retire-retire. I tell people all the time that I and the wife are already drawing retirement pay but I do know what they mean. I tried to discover the origin of the 'hang it up' metaphor but didn't have time to really locate the source. It does have the meaning of one hanging up their hat, hanging up their boots, hanging up their spurs along with many others. Oh yeah. Back to the question. When will I? I still feel able. I still feel motivated. I still can contribute some. And, I'm not even 70 yet, but, I do know it's more than just the wording on a 'coming attraction' sign. Until that time I will do my best to serve and to be thankful for the day job that God has blessed me with. Amen.

A worker here at our company hit a deer this week on his way to work. Or, like happened to me one time, the deer may have hit his vehicle. He drives one of those big pickups but it was no match for the deer. In my incident I insisted the insurance agent right it up that way. She hit me. I did not hit her. There are an estimated 4 million white tail deer in Texas. Nearly every driver has had a close encounter at one time or another and with that many deer there's always the potential for an issue. When I was growing up my granddad gave me hunting advice and he told me to always watch for the buck because he will typically send out the does ahead of him to make sure it's okay for him to come out on the right of way. I notice even as I drive down the country road I travel each day how the bucks walk around like they own the place. The does and the fawns tend to be real skittish. They will dart away when approached. I've seen more than one buck more or less take his own good time crossing in front of me like maybe he thinks he's the Fonz or something. I don't know if that tells us anything about the male species but it is an observable trait that I've seen more than once. My point? Be on the lookout, even in subdivision areas. Now I've provided another public service announcement so it's time for me to say goodnight Gracie, one more time. Enjoy your Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday and I'll do my best to see you again, come next Monday morning. Lord willing. Amen. .....More later.

Ephesians 6:2 "HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise),...." As rendered by the New American Standard Bible

Good morning and welcome. It's Thursday, November 5, 2015 and I am back at it again, here at the ole blogger ranch. Those of you who follow my blogs are aware that I am still blessed to have my mom with us. She is 91 and I typically talk to her at least two times every day. For now more than 38 years she has had the most faithful and loving companion in our step dad who is 85 years young. They are an amazing couple and as anyone would expect they both are now dealing with particular physical impairments. Mom's greatest challenge currently has to do with her progressive loss of eyesight due to age induced macular degeneration. This has been a huge challenge since she is a voracious reader. Dad has had a number of internal plumbing issues that have brought on his battling of prolonged infections. These are serious challenges but they are people that refuse to quit. They are still able to schedule and travel to take care of their medical appointments. They typically go shopping at least once a week and often that keeps them out all day long. Amazing! Mom can no longer attend services but dad still does and he continues to serve as the coordinator for baptisms for their local fellowship. Finally, one thing that stands out: They can still laugh and find humor in their day by day living. To all our family they are a shining example of faithfulness and commitment that shows itself in their fortitude and 'can do' spirit. They are simply amazing and a great blessing and we thank God every single day for providing us with such wonderful parents. Amen.

Mom can still keep up with family stuff because she can, on some days, read well enough to check out Facebook postings. That's right! She also reads my blogs. How do you like that? We've got the print and images enlarged on her screen so that she can use it each day. I do log into her system a couple of times a day to keep it all going for her. I've done my best to limit all the automatic updating so that it doesn't mess up her access but you can only do so much and when the operating system takes over it usually messes with her set up but fortunately we've been able to keep her going. I tell her all the time that I do not know of anyone that is able to keep up like she does who is 91 years old. There are probably folks that are out there somewhere. I don't know of any. She is always concerned about me having to help keep everything going on her system. Like I tell her, that's so small it's not even worth talking about. Dad is not one of those older people who participates in marathons and stuff like that. He doesn't need to because he is his own marathon man as he still takes care of 99% of all the maintenance on their house, their property, and typically has multiple improvement projects going at the same time. The other day he had a faucet issue. It was late in the evening but he, at 85, suited up in his coveralls and climbed under the house to check the pipes. I tell people all the time I would not want to try and keep up with dad each day. I'm just elaborating some on the blessing they are and why we call them amazing. Amen.

We've been around long enough to experience some of these aging signs. The wife doesn't always hear everything I say. That can be both good and bad. I'll let you decide when it might be better than at other times. We can still laugh. Some. More at times than at others but I do believe that's important because life is a serious proposition but the stuff we do each day can lead to some pretty funny material. And, as many of you know, I have a closet full of funnies on myself that I only release when the time is right. Maybe on a leap year. Just kidding. The main thing. Trust God. Continue to trust God. And, don't take yourself so serious. That's not an easy thing for me since I am well aware that my template or make up includes a serious profile. I do recognize that and it most likely reflects the sum total of everything that makes up who I am. For each of us, that is a lot of stuff. However, knowing that, I do try to see the humorous in my own day by day living. I would tell you a real good one but it's not leap year but there is one coming next year in 2016. That should give me time to find something that my team of me, myself, and I would be willing to share. The bottom line: God has been good to allow us this time together and to share our experiences. Amen. .....More later.