Good morning on this first day of spring as we sit here and wait for the snow to start to fly. LOL. It is a cold and cloudy morning. It has been raining one and off and and is thirty five degrees with a “real feel” of twenty four. That doesn’t sound a lot like spring to me. The daffodils are all hanging their heads as if to say; “Oh no, not again.” But, as I look around the yard there are all manner of flowers blooming. The daffodils, the crocus, the hyacinths, and the pussy willow are all blooming. The peonies are up about six inches now. So despite the gloomy and cloudy, God’s promise of spring is quite obvious.

I ask you to join me in offering up prayers this morning for oldest daughter Julie. She is in the midst of another Rhuematoid Arthritis “flare” as she calls it. She’s been flat on her back for two days with this one. No doubt she will get out today because she has class and won’t want to miss that. Bless her heart. She’s turning fifty this July, has gone back to college to earn a degree, works full time and then some managing the Barnes and Noble College Bookstore at Indiana University South East, and has to deal with this stupid RA. Ms. Kate and I are proud of her. She is certainly an example of determination and inner strength even if the body is failing her.

I need to fill feeders again today. I think our fat raccoons are back. Yesterday morning we had two feeders down on the ground and a branch broken off where one feeder had hung in the pussy willow tree. This morning I have another feeder down on the ground. Generally if a feeder is on the ground it is the raccoons and not the squirrels. But the sunflower feeders are all empty so I guess I need to get out and fill them before the weather gets worse. It looks like the bark butter feeders are pretty well empty too as well as the bark butter bits feeders. That leaves the birds to mainly fill up on suet and noting for the squirrels. The robins don’t care, They just hop around the yard gathering up worms and gobbling them down.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday and I think I have everything in order for it. I still need four people to sign up to be disciples for the Tenebrae service next week. I have eight men and a couple of holdouts because they don’t know if they will have to work or not. But, Sunday I will ask for women to read the parts that are unfilled. I just need to change the wording of their part a bit.

That is about it for today. May your day be filled with love and peace. Take time to say a prayer or two. Gratitude is the absolute cornerstone of faith. Shalomn.