Happy Friday once again! Wow, this morning is 180 degrees off from yesterday's weather. It is rainy and windy. No bright sun is climbing across my roof to spotlight a bunch of beautiful birds. Only a couple of cardinals are visiting the feeders and a single squirrel. Well, I don't know for sure the squirrel is single. It might have a wife and bunch of kids, but it is here by itself!

The temperature is warm enough this morning but as the rain clouds get blown through today, cold air is going to return and it will be typical January weather once again. I'm just glad I don't have an outside job and pray for those that do. But, it isn't snowing (yet) and that is to the good. And realistically, we haven't finished even the first month of the winter season yet. We are lucky that we live in an area where we get all four seasons and as a rule each season is fairly temperate. The days that are too cold, or too hot, or too rainy, or too anything --- are just days provided so that we can let our human nature to gripe be expressed. And since we all gripe about a different thing; --- we can all be satisfied. I'll bet you were not aware that God provided "gripe days" just to keep you happy! Count your blessings wherever you find them.

I finished the sermon that I was working on yesterday. My father always seemed to be saying to me; "You got another think coming." Although he had a different meaning --- I guess he was right because I used my "another think" and approached my subject from a different way and it rolled out pretty quickly.

The rain has stopped for now and all of my critters are playing "Come out, come out, wherever you are." Suddenly I have five squirrels out there and lots of birds. The cardinals have multiplied, there are titmouse, finches, and wood peckers at almost every feeder. It is good to see the yard filled with lively activity even though the clouds are keeping the sunshine at bay, and will for the next couple of days.

What to do today?? There isn't much on my schedule and it is "my day off", I really need to try and do something about my basement. I have a wonderful area down there and it is where my office is. But, over the months, we have just been carrying stuff down there as we acquire it from estates and now it is cluttered and hard to get around in in too many areas. I'm sure there is stuff that could go to the Goodwill store down there and I also have a bunch of electronics that I need to dispose of. Old printers and computers, and scanners are sitting around as well as all manner of other stuff that we no longer use. So, maybe I'll try to at least straighten some of it up. I know I can take the computers and stuff to "Best Buy" and they will dispose of it. That would help a lot.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of recognized blessings. God is so good and your blessings never cease to stream to you. Sometimes --- they are hidden, but they are always there. My mantra for you this weekend is: "Be aware -- God is there." Have a blessed day.