Good morning! I hope your Friday, and therefore your weekend, is off to a good start. It is indeed a gloomy morning out there. The sky is totally overcast and it looks as if it could rain any moment. As a matter of fact, it is supposed to rain on and off today. But it is dark enough that I could almost use a light on out here. The good news is that while it is only 31 degrees at the moment, the temperature is supposed to move into the upper fifties today. That will be a nice change from the bitter cold we've had all week.

Ms. Kate and I went to the movie last night to see The Shack. I've read the book a couple of times and we even did a Bible / book study on it a couple of years ago. Most of the people in our book study liked the book but some could not get past the characterization of the people in the book. After all, I suspect vey few white people ever pictured God as a black woman. But I found that if you drop your religious dogma and preconceived notions (notions that we have no way of proving anyway) --- it is a great book about faith and hope, and an abundance of love. The movie followed the book very well. It is a tear starter but then I think the joy found in faith should bring a tear to your eyes. So, I recommend the movie highly and if you haven't read the book, --- pick up a copy of that too and read it.

It is St. Patrick's Day. It's that day of the year when all kinds of people suddenly feel the need to be Irish and declare that they are "part Irish". That never made a lot of sense to me. Of course "getting pinched" because I didn't wear green on St. Patrick's day never made a lot of sense either.  On the other hand I also get amused at how many white people declare they are "part Indian" as if that makes them ---- what??  I don't know. I've found that the quickest way to turn that conversation off is to ask --- "So, you're bi-racial??"  Or --- "Which one of your grandparents was having sex with a Native American?"  People are some funny animals.

Well, it has started thundering and raining an I need to get ready for my doctor's appointment. I hope your day is bright and filled with the love of Christ. Have a blessed day.