The joy of play; that's what Ms. Kate and I did yesterday. Yes, I had a list of things that I needed to get done, but we re-evaluated the day and did none of them. Instead, we got in the convertable and went geocaching, found a new restaurant to try, then went to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream, came home and I finished my Stephen King novel. Of course today I still have those same jobs to do, but it felt good to toss it all off for a day and go play. I highly recomend it. It is good for your physical and mental health. It is good for your marriage. And, --- it is good for resetting one's priorities.

Byron and Sheila's news from the oncologist was certainly a mixed bag of good and bad. But they are going ahead with the new treatment plan. Ms. Kate did some research on it on the internet and frankly, from what she found, it sounds like a hopeful and positive step. There are, as always, possibilities of side effects, but those were rare. So, I thank God that this may give him the chance he is looking for. And --- Byron is upbeat and ready to have at it.

It is hard to believe that we have come to the end of another week already. Of course being retired from a life that requires me to be up and dressed and at my office at a certain time skews the clock and calendar. I work at the most crazy hours. I do most of my writing in the afternoon and the evening. Add to that the fact that I'm always working on stuff for "next week", or maybe two or three weeks from now, I lose track of what day it really is. I'm also very fortunate that my congregations are full of healthy people. For the past couple of years my visitation needs have been minimal. Those that were hospitalized or in rehabilitation facilities were there for only short periods. There have been times when I spent a couple of days a week just doing visitation, sometimes at facilities in four different towns. Right now, I only have one lady in a nursing home and I am waiting on word from the family for when she is ready for visitation.

I really must fill the feeders this morning. The sunflower feeders are almost all empty and the squirrels are sitting on them, looking at me, and swishing their tails up and down rapidly. I think they are cussing me out! Maybe it is because the first thing I did this morning was fill all of the feeders that they don't eat from such as the finch feeders. They too were all empty and it took all of the small birds about ten seconds to discover that they were filled again. So the birds are chirping happily and the squirrels are flipping me the tail. I love my life. It is so entertaining.

I thank the good Lord this morning for yet another beautiful day full of opportunities to do something good. I pray I will make use of those opportunities and that someone will benefit from the blessing God has placed on my plate. I pray for good health for my friends and loved ones, and I pray for God's touch of peace on anyone with troubled thoughts today. I pray that you may experience the presence of the Holy Spirit as you go about your day. I also pray that you too will take time to stop and play. Have a great day!