A very happy Monday to you! It is the start of another week of opportunties yet undefined. Some will be great and some will be maybe not so great. It is totally up to us to make this week what ever it will be. We can mold it and shape it or we can fold under the stress and pressure. Last week was a week of challenges for me and Ms. Kate and we overcame every one of them because we did them together. I think this one will be better.

I finished writing my message for Mother's Day last night; and after reading it, I didn't particularly like it. Put yourself in this situation: "you are in your car and you are on your way with your family to a great destination. You know that when you get there the family will enjoy it and they will be really glad they came along for the ride. But, --- the problem is that you aren't sure of the name of the place you are going to --- and you aren't really sure in which direction you need to go." Some times my sermon writing is just like that and it is kind of where I'm at this morning. I gave it to Ms. Kate to read and she agrees that I'm "getting there",  but it isn't time to get out of the car just yet. So, it will be back to the computer today. At least she gave me some good suggestions and new road signs to follow.

The robins are taking their baths this morning. They have water splashing everywhere. I will need to fill the bird bath again today because not only the robins are using it but so are the starlings. I have a pair of brilliantly yellow goldfinches here this morning too. They seem to be traveling as a pair. Where one goes, the other follows. I filled the bark butter feeders first thing this morning while the coffee was brewing. I've already had several woodpeckers come in to snack from them. Only one squirrel has been here this morning; not that I am complaining. It has been to every feeder so far. It eats for a few minutes and then goes to the next one. That's what I do at a buffet too.

We got the garden tilled and planted on Saturday. We now have cucumbers, okra, swiss chard, and tomatoes in the ground. It isn't a lot but it meets our needs. We also planted several of the flower plants we bought. One of the biggies was the new butterfly bush. Or last one got froze out a couple of years ago and we really missed having one last year. We still have a couple of flats of petunias and other things to put in pots today. It is supposed to be a dry week so I'll need to make sure to keep things watered. Yes, I know, --- a couple of weeks ago I was grousing about the rain.

Ms. Kate's irises are coming into bloom all around the yard and so are the golden poppies. We love it that the poppies come back every year and are spreading. Ms. Kate's mom gave her the start of them and every year it is just a fresh kiss from heaven that says I love you and yes, I'm still watching over you.

I must start off my week with prayers of gratitude for a wealth of love and blessing from God Almighty. I also lift up a local family that lost their 13 year old son in an ATV roll over. I pray they can peer through their grief and focus on the joy their son brought them for the last thirteen years. That and God's infinite love will help them deal with their loss. I also lift up prayers of gratirude for you, my friends and loved ones. I pray your day will be full of God's peace. Enjoy your day.