Sunshine and Cardinals; what a beautiful combination to start a person's day out. Add a warm cup of coffee, an easy chair and a light blanket, and you have the makings of what one might call "snuggled-in". That pretty much my situation at the moment, although it must be short lived this morning. I do have stuff to get done this morning before I head off to a class that starts at noon. However, there will be time to have a second cup of coffee and time to sit and be thankful to God for yet another day that I have no doubt will be filled with blessings.

Today I have to attend my "Boundary Training" class that is sponsored, required, and given by the denomination. The class is required of all ministers of the United Church of Christ every three years. It is designed to remind us of what is considered "appropriate and legal" conduct around our parishioners and co-workers. I fully understand the intent of the program and the message they send. But, --- I also recognize that it is a program designed to protect the denomination from law suit should a minister act inappropriately. They can cover themselves by showing that we were "trained differently". The class will take four hours to tell me what I already know, and could boil down to no more than ten minutes. "Keep your hands off of the parishioners and the co-workers and obey the Ten Commandments. Now go have a nice day."  Seems pretty simple and straight forward to me.

Today is our daughter Heather' birthday. Where did the time go that this little girl is 44 years old already? Next month our youngest, Lisa, will turn 43. My little girls all now have grown children of their own or at least their chilren are close to being grown. Time does march on and often we forget to take advantage of the time we do have. That is why Ms. Kate and I have started having our family reunions. It is worth every penny  we spend to insure the cohesivness of the family. We think that is too important to lose. Our three girls and their families are literally spread from coast to coast. I fully recognize that is because of the lifesyle of being raised by me being a career military officer, but sometimes I do envy those families that have their children "just down the road".

So, today my prayers are prayers of thanksgiving again. I give thanks for my family and the love we all share. I give thanks for good health and I lift up those in my family that have health problems. May God give them the strength every day to continue on with a positive attitude. I give thanks for my faith family and I pray that God will continue to show me how to serve them, and the wisdom to know when it is time to step down. I also pray for those families in the northern part of our country that are buried under so much snow. May God keep them safe and warm. And finally,  as you read this, know that I have prayed for you today too. Have a blessed day.