Thursday, August 15, 2013

August 15 – “Birthday report”

Well, here’s another huge thank you to all of the friends on FaceBook and otherwise who wished me a happy birthday yesterday.  It was great to hear from so many of the fire fighters.  We kept the day as simple as possible.  At least we did after I made a WalMart run to pick up the groceries we needed after being gone in New Jersey for almost a week.

Kel and Christina and their four kids and Nathan and Cailyn all came over for lunch.  April had to work, but she did send me a text on her lunch break.  Chris made some of her world famous chicken enchilada pie and Christina added some extremely chocolate brownies to the mix.  Cailyn went by the Dollar Store and with her very own money got me a present – a frisbee.  We played with it for a while outside and inside before everyone else arrived.  Kel’s gang gave me a tool for extracting the center of a pineapple (one of my favorite fruits, and a breakfast staple around here).  I haven’t tried it yet, but they did include a fresh pineapple, so that will definitely be on my list.  My brother Stan and his family sent me a couple of tickets to an upcoming Astros game, always a special treat.  And Nathan has already said they will come stay with Mom so we can make it a true birthday treat for both of us (Did I mention that Chris’ birthday is coming up this Saturday?).  Chris got me a can of cashews and some new dress khaki pants.  You know, the kind you can wear as casual or somewhat dressy.  Or for me, extremely dressy.  My other pair has a rip in the back pocket that drives her nuts every time I wear them. 

Last night Mom managed to sneak out of bed without either of us hearing her.  What got Chris’ attention was one of those unusual sounds that she couldn’t quite place.  She got up to investigate the noise and found Mom asleep on the couch and the water in the kitchen sink running full blast.  Guess Mom needed to wash her hands or the dishes or something.  She finally made her way back to bed at some point, though, because that’s where she was when I got up. 

So, the partying is over and it’s back to work. I have to finish up planning for a funeral this evening.  Bryan is filling in for me and leading the home group Bible study, but I told him I would pick out some songs.  I also still have to come up with a kids’ sermon to introduce the teaching for Sunday.  Back in full swing, I would say.  It is good to be home, though.  Now to keep an eye on that disturbance in the Gulf.  And the one in the Atlantic.

Psalms 105:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”

Father, thank you for one more year here on duty for you.  I’ll keep at it as long as you need me here.  Amen.

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