Once again, --- I'm not sitting in the sunporch but rather at the local tire shop with both the Caddy and the Dakota in for lube, oil change, and tire rotation. It is just one of those busy days with several things on the "to do" list.

But --- I started my day off well this morning. One of my parishioners had challenged me on Facebook to do the ALS ice bucket challenge. It is a challenge that is sweeping the nation to raise funds for ALS research. To accept the challenge one must agree to pour a bucket of ice water over one's head and then send $10.00 to the ALS foundation. The alternative is to simply send $100.00 donation to ALS. Then you challenge other people to do the challenge. I had a friend, "Ace" Goyette that died of this horrible disease so there was no way we were not going to do both; send the $100.00 and do the ice bucket! Doing something for someone else, --- the perfect way to start the day.

I did have some time to have a little coffee and quiet time on the porch bfore getting busy. It was already 79° outside and starting to feel muggy. We're supposed to have another day or two of this hot and steamy weather before it finally breaks. It certainly is the "dog days of summer". This coming weekend will be Labor Day weekend. Ms. Kate and I are going to Sheila and Byron's on Thursday for a couple of days. But, we have to be home in time for church services on Sunday. We haven't seen them in a while so we are excited about the trip. I see a cold beer, good food, lots of laughs and feelings of love in our very near future.

Tomorrow I need to do my pastoral visitation with Ms. Charlotte. I pray she is still doing well and that they have been able to start therapy that will allow her to stand. She is a dear person regardless of the state of her mind. I have used her and some of my other senior members as examples of what a dedicated relationship with Christ should look like. Nearly all of them never missed a Sunday at church regardless of how they felt. Unfortunately, I have by now buried so many of them as they have passed on to eternal life. I'm down to only two of the extremely senior people still living. One is 101 and the other is 93.

My thoughts and prayers reach out for the members of the parish this morning. They are a wonderful group of folks and their love for the Lord is evident. I also lift up Byron this morning as he again goes for a blood draw. I lift up my friend Linda as she is now a couple of weeks past the funeral of Sully and continues to sort through her new life and status to make sense of it all. I know God walks with all of these folks through the power of the Holy Spirit. I never end my session though without being grateful for the overwhelming blessings that God had placed on me. I pray that God will use me to be a blessing to someone else. Have a wonderful day.