The Way It Goes

It's Monday. Take the garbage down to the road. Check on the chickens. Make sure they have food and that their water isn't frozen. One hen is still in the nesting box. Too soon to collect the eggs. Then there's our old girl, Henrietta, who has her own apartment in the garage. You might say a poultry geriatric center--a retirement home for chickens that no longer lay eggs but are the to-be-respected older citizens of the hen world. 

It's Monday. Time to begin thinking and reading for next Sunday's sermon. Interesting fact: Last week I wrote out a sermon for yesterday's worship service--something I don't usually do, but when I went to print it out before leaving for church, my computer wouldn't boot up. Okay, I think I get the message. There's something else I need to say instead of the carefully carved-out manuscript, with its precise punctuation and phrasing. i.e.-Listen to the heart and soul of it, not the brain.

It's Monday. Time to make a list of things I need to do this week. Get my car serviced. Get a haircut. Do some laundry. Go to the grocery store. Oh yes, this is my birthday week. Wednesday to be exact. Notice I'm not ashamed to admit I'm turning a year older (71 in case you're wondering). In fact, I celebrate it. Worrying about your age is really silly stuff--yet another thing that society has created to make us be embarrassed about who we are. Society does that about a lot of things, but I won't go into to that at the moment.

We had a wonderful dinner on Saturday night with some of our kids and their significant others!  What fun they are! I'm sorry for those who couldn't be there, but we'll catch up with them later--they're not left out. Thanks, Chris, for arranging that. 

It's Monday of my birthday week and I want everyone to know that my main emotion is gratitude. I'm thankful for all the life experiences I've had that have taught me important life lessons; I'm thankful for my wife for her loving support, her wonderful spirit, her companionship and her acceptance of who I am; I'm thankful for all our kids who continue to both surprise us and fill our lives with great joy; I'm thankful for my whole family, near and far away, for all the years we've spent together, laughing and crying and feasting and playing; I'm thankful for where we live--a beautiful home in the country; I'm thankful that I am able to continue my life's calling in the ministry with a wonderful church with wonderful people in Florence, NJ; I'm thankful for all the friends I have and have had throughout the years of my life; and finally, but certainly not least of all, I'm thankful to God, who in subtle and mysterious ways continues to be the light on my path, my strength in difficult times, and who has blessed me in hundreds of ways that I cannot even begin to list,and many of which I am totally unaware.