A Monday morning gentle rain is falling as my cup of coffee sits here steaming away and I admire the knockout roses blooming in the yard. Unfortunately for my birds and critters, the feeders are about all empty and they won't get refilled until the rain is all stopped. It isn't as if it is snow and there isn't anything to eat.

The iris are really blooming nicely. We have some white ones out here in the back yard that really smell beautiful. Most of the iris we have aren't particularly scented ones, but these put out an oder that you can smell across the yard. It makes for a pleasant smell when I walk past them as I mow the yard. The peonies back here are doing well too. We have one red one that Ms. Kate's mom gave us several years ago that has always bloomed so well. This year the blooms are less red for what ever reason. Perhaps we need to put some kind of supplement or soil additive to it.

We had an "adequate" weekend. Saturday I had to attend a morning long meeting and then Ms. Kate and I went shopping. Sunday of course was the usual Sunday routine; church service followed by a second church service, followed by a church council meeting, and then to our favorite resturant for lunch. After that we came home and napped and relaxed. Nothing too exciting about all of that. The services were a bit thin on attendance. It was obvious that it wasn't a special event day like Mother's Day. Last week we had a lot more people in the pews as people came in to be with their mothers on Mother's Day. I find it interesting that the same thing doesn't happen for Father's Day. But then the reality is that there are a lot more mothers in church than there are fathers. This coming weekend is Memorial Day weekend so it could get real thin as people scramble off for a three day weekend. But --- it will also be Pentecost Sunday and the choir will be doing its final performance until fall. We'll see what happens. June the 7th we begin our summer combined service schedule. That means I only have to do one service a week and we start the service a half an hour later than normal. We alternate churches every week so the organists also get a few free Sundays. It makes for a nice break for all involved.

My granddaughter, Lauren raced in her first national pro-motocross race this past weekend. She did alright and didn't get hurt which is most important. She has raced pro races before but this time she also had to race against the guys. We will be going out to CA for her highschool graduation in a few weeks. Beyond riding her dirtbike she hasn't decided on a career or college so I don't know what she plans to do. But, she hasn't yet turned 18 so there is time to make decisions. I think too often we push kids into decisions that they aren't ready to make. We don't want to hear "I'd like to just relax and do nothing for awhile." Some how we think that when you take hold of that diploma from highschool, you are also taking hold of full responsibility for your life. But, I have never seen a kid walk off of that stage with "Adult" stamped across their forehead. So, I'll do what I do best: love her, pray for her, and give her advice and guidance if she asks for it.

Time to wrap this up. The morning is passing and I must make use of the day that God has provided. It is time to give God praise and gratitude for another day filled with love, peace, and blessings. Have a wonderful day!