We're waking to a cool Sunday morning. This weather makes me feel better, more relaxed, less lethargic. We're so blessed to have different seasons, each making us appreciate the next and long for the former. When it's cold & dreary will we long for the sweltering days of summer? Well, maybe not long for. Most people probably enjoy spring and fall for the same reasons I do - less extreme conditions.

My friend Cathy told of seeing a beautiful moonrise yesterday. What's more beautiful than a harvest moon peeking over a field, then rising in majesty? It seems so close you could reach out and touch it. Since I'm a morning person my favorite is sunrise, especially when rain is in the forecast. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors' delight. (Technology that allows a screen as opposed to a tiny viewfinder on a camera is a wonderful thing for people w/ vision impairments.)


In a few hours I'll join many others for a time of fellowship, Bible study and worship. My mom, Laurie & I go to BBC, so there are four generations of us there every Sunday. Laurie couldn't be in this picture because she was the one w/ the camera phone. Maybe next time.

Surely there’s more going on in the world than what’s in my tiny sphere, but 12-hour work days have kept my focus tight. I’m coming up for air, though, and hoping the long hours are over. Ha! New directives/programs came down this week that ensure more of the hectic schedule.

I probably didn’t miss much. The cursory glances I gave to headlines showed the Dow on its usual rollercoaster, politics as usual inside & outside the Beltway, mudslinging as usual in federal/state/local elections, the usual cultural tensions agitated by outsiders who need a life (and to stay out of my community, thank you very much!).

There are unusually bright spots, though: sweet (but too short) visits with family, dinner with friends, church. Oh! Sunday night a ladies’ ensemble (Laurie included) sang an A cappella version of Gentle Healer. It blew us away; the entire congregation was stunned into silence for an instant, then erupted into applause.

To digress for a moment…applause in worship services bothers some folks while others feel it’s appropriate. Surely there’s not a “right” or “wrong” feeling about this issue unless the applause is strictly performance appreciation. At Belden amens are heard throughout the service and on a few occasions applause has punctuated some much-agreed-with points in Bro. Jim’s sermons. Both amens & applause follow some music – it’s not performance appreciation. It’s a recognition that God has blessed BBC with some extremely talented people who use that talent for His glory. Sometimes the heart, soul and spirit are so moved by a display of God’s glory that only an outward manifestation of praise will suffice. So if you don’t “amen”, applaud or raise your hands in worship, please don’t criticize those who do. And if you do all those things, please don’t criticize those who don’t. End of digression.

Older people say a baby will “get up out of the way” when there’s another baby on the way. There has to be a kernel of truth in every “old wives’ tale”, so it’s no surprise that Marlee Kupcake has taken to the sippy cup at less than 8 months. And she’s crawling all over the place. It won’t be long before she’s pulling up, then walking, then running. Goodness, the time flies by as the babies turn into toddlers; then toddlers into children; and so on until they’re grown & gone.

Terry and I are so blessed !! (Psalm 127:4-5)