A light rain is falling this morning which is a good thing. We finished planting the garden yesterday evening and this is the perfect kind of rain to water it all in. Ms. Kate has also put out a multitude of flowers in a variety of containers along the patio and this will be good for them. Unfortunately we are also predicted for strong thunderstorms this afternoon. Hopefully it won't be too bad. So much of the country is in the path once again of storms and tornados. I pray no injuries or deaths occur from them.

I got out of bed in time to beat the rain this morning because I had neglected to cut the asparagus yesterday. There wasn't but a really good hand full but it can go from just the right size to "too big" in seemingly a matter of hours sometimes. I got the yards mowed yesterday and Ms. Kate got some dalias planted out front too. It is no wonder this yard continues to look so nice; we have flowers blooming everywhere. It is nice to know that the neighbors enjoy our yard too. Dan, across the street, says they love looking out on it every morning too. We are but caretakers of what God creates.

We thought Julie, Jim, and the pupperonis were coming back this afternoon but it is the start of a new semester and the bookstore got slammed with orders yesterday from the web. So, she will get to spend her Mother's Day weekend pulling books from the shelves and getting ready for her customers. She runs a tight ship over there at the university and the bookstore has done exceptionally well under her management. All three of my girls are in senior management positions in their respective career fields. We are proud parents because their family life is as successful as their careers. That will happen when you step back from the driver's seat and let God take the lead.

My big agenda item for the day is to run up to the churches and get the bulletins printed. When everything goes right, it is a couple of hours work. I also have to finish next weeks sermon and hopefully get started on the following week's sermon. Stuff to do, stuff to do. It never ends. But I am very fortunate that the churches allow me to do my work from home for the most part. The congregations both know that if they need me for anything, I am as close as the phone and will drop what ever I'm doing and be there for them.

The battery is in the critical zone so I need to plug it in and be done writing on this for today. It is also time to once again give God thanks and praise for my overwhelming amount of blessings. I ask for strenghth and courage as those I know and love deal with a variety of serious health issues. From Jule's RA to Byron's cancer to the multitude of issues that so many of our friends and parishioners are dealing with; I ask that each one feel the presence of God's love, grace, and power in their lives today. On our "bad days" it is often difficult to remember that God is good, --- all the time. We never walk alone, even for a micro-second. Have a blessed day.