Another Reminder from the NQC . . .

As I sit here trying to best convey things that came to mind at NQC, I naturally think of music.  If you know me very well, you know that my taste in music is really pretty wide.  I like everything from classical and opera to blue grass and country.  I love beach music and oldies (from the 40's to the 60's).  My favorite music through most of my life has been southern gospel, although I didn't realize it until the last 20 years or so.  But, the music I am thinking about this morning are the hymns that I grew up with.

We weren't in church every time the doors opened as I was growing up.  We went sporadically. We went to vacation bible school and occasionally Sunday School.  I didn't get serious about church until I had graduated high school and bought my first car.  At that point I could drive myself to church.

Now there are things that I remember about church, even when it was just vacation bible school and occasionally Sundays.  I remember church pews before padded seat cushions.  I remember no air conditioning and windows open in the summer. I remember funeral home fans (if you don't understand, find someone as old as me.) Every church had at least a week of VBS and revivals were two weeks long. But two things stick in my mind more than anything else; the preaching and the hymns.

The preaching is a topic for another day, but today I want to talk about hymns.  Just as a side note, I really like the praise music sung in churches today, but I miss the hymns and I think there is still a place for them in our worship.

Isn't it funny how a song can take you to a place or time in your mind as quick if not quicker than a picture.  As we sat and listened to the singers at NQC, some of the songs being sung were some of the old hymns.

I heard one group state, that if they ever had a chance to sing for congress they had a song already picked out - "This is My Father's World".

"Amazing Grace" still moves people to tears.

"In the Garden" will always remind me of my mother.

"Unclouded Day" reminds me of a dear friend's mother and Wednesday night singing.  She would always wait her turn, but that was her song.

What is your favorite hymn?  When is the last time you sang it or heard it?  Where does it take you in your mind?  Does it take your to the feet of Jesus?  Those are the best.

These are just the ramblings of a cluttered mind.  I hope that you have a blessed day.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. . . ."  Come on and sing along.  You know that you want to.

Seeking Wisdom . . .

(I will be honest; I struggled writing this blog this morning.  I spent as much time taking things out as I did putting things in.  There may be a time that I use this forum as a soapbox, but seeking God's face and asking for His wisdom was the purpose of this morning's blog.  I hope that you find this helpful.  I did. Keep your eyes on the Father.)

As I sit here in the quiet of the morning, I think about things that happened leading up to this point in time, what will happen today and what could happen in the future.  With sadness I still think of the shooting in Las Vegas.  I listen to the news media and those in congress and they all say that they have the answers, and yet, I see no outcome from the wisdom that they offer that makes any sense.

Before you note me as a gun owning flake and dismiss me without knowing my heart, you might want to read on a little further.  I am a gun owner and I will be the first in line to turn them all in as soon as they start getting up, moving around and having a mind of their own.  No one can blame that shooting on the gun any more than they can blame obesity on a fork or a buffet.

The problem is not the guns that this person had access to.  Without the guns, he could have done as much damage any number of ways.  Guns were just the tool that he chose to use.

So, how do we deal with the aftermath of an event like Las Vegas?  I would hope that we seek wisdom in preventing it in the future.  So where does wisdom come from?  According to the scriptures, it comes from the Lord.  We as a nation need to turn back to the wisdom that only comes from a loving God.  We need to spend time in the scriptures, on our knees in prayer, gathered in worship, seeking His face and asking for wisdom.  And as important as anything else, doing what He has directed us to do.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.—PROVERBS 1:7

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.—JAMES 1:5–6

Just a few thoughts from a cluttered mind.  I hope that you have a blessed day.  May God grant you the wisdom to truly make a difference today.

Things Reminded of at NQC . .

As I sit here at the keyboard this morning simply thinking of everything going on in the world today, I am thinking about things that I was reminded of while I was on vacation last week.  You see, last week at this time I was asleep in a cabin outside of Pigeon Forge, TN.  Later that evening Irene and I would go to the National Quartet Convention.  If you do not know what NQC is, take the time to google it.  It was a fun time.

Four day later I wake up to go back to work after a week off and as I turn on the news, I hear of this shooting in Las Vegas for the first time.

And here I am, three days later, still thinking about that shooting and NQC.  You see, I was reminded of some things while at NQC that sometime I lose focus of.  In the coming days, I will rethink and refocus on those things and hope to find the time to share my journey with you.

As for the shooting and NQC and what I was reminded of; as much as it seems that He isn't, God is still in control.  Do I understand why He allowed this to happen, no.  But, I still believe He is in control.

My heart breaks for the victims and the people that went through this tragedy.  And yet, God is still in control.  His line of sight, what He sees, is so much better than our vantage point.  All we see is the storm raging around us.  "God sees the storm from the other side . . . He sees the rainbow when we see the clouds . . ."

"He Already Sees The Rainbow" by The Collingsworth Family. https://youtu.be/pGJbJCw-n4c

Go to Youtube or Google the song above and give it a listen.  I heard it for the first time at NQC. Give it a listen.  Maybe it will change your perspective.  It is helping to change mine.

These are just a few thoughts from a clutter mind of one trying to fight the good fight.  May you have a blessed day.

Different kind of quiet time with God . . .

This.morning's quiet time was nothing like what I had planned.  I got my coffee and came to my chair as usual. Settled in to pray before reading my bible and then everything changed.

Morris showed up in a big way. Morris is my female cat and she wanted my undivided attention this morning.  While God and I were talking Morris crawled up in my lap and then onto my chest and shoulder. She then proceeded to knead her way to a spot on my chest and shoulder and laid down and began to purr.

Funny how my thoughts and attention changed in the moment. All I could think of was - that was exactly what I wanted to do with God this morning. I wanted to crawl up in His lap and get as close to Him as possible and lay there. Contented. No cares. No worries. Just enjoying His presence. Just paying Him attention. 

I wonder how often I come to my time with God as just a habit and not a time to actually be with Him?   What a shame that I would ever do that. God always deserves our undivided attention. May I always be aware of.my need.for.a.close relationship with my Father in heaven.

For today - crawl into God's lap and rest a while. Mean while I have to go to work. Good day.

Reflections on last night and this morning. . .

As I sit here this morning thinking about last night, honestly I am a bit overwhelmed and I'm not sure why yet. What I am sure about is that God will reveal that in His time so that I understand. If I can just stay focused.

Last night Irene and I, along with the small group leaders at Renewal Church, had the privilege of being encouraged by a wonderful leader and man of God, Jeff Doyle.  He basically took us from creation to restoration in an hour explaining how important this story is to the people that come to our small groups every week. I've seen and heard others do this before and yet there was this overwhelming excitement in me as I listened to the guy speak. Even now, almost 12 hours later I just want to pour through the Scriptures seeking out those truths of the Scriptures that he discussed last night.

Then as I settle into God's word this morning I find myself in Hebrews 11 - the faith chapter. To read of the heros of faith and the lives that they lived should make us all stand up and take notice. Because of last night and this morning there is a renewed stirring in my spirit to focus my life not on the things that will pass away but on things eternal. This is what I've been needing to help get my disciplining spirit.back on track. Father forgive me for not staying focused.

As for now, it's time to head off to work. Keep your eyes on Jesus and open to a lost world around us. Who will your life touch today?

Monday Reflections of the Weekend . . .

As I sit here this morning struggling to wake up I'm thinking about the weekend and how good it was. All in all I didn't get anything major accomplished but it was still a good weekend.

Friday was work until lunch time and then I was able to have lunch with my mother and my wife. After I took mother to help with a short project I went and hung out at Sharpshooters for a little while. Then it was off to the eye doctor for a check up and then supper with my best girl and wandering through Academy sports before heading home.

Saturday is always weigh in day at weight watcher's. Down 0.2 pounds. Breakfast with friends. Looking around Cosco (spelling?)  and then to the Clock for one last lunch before it closes. Naptime follows and then supper with friends.

Sunday was my favorite day of the weeeknd. Breakfast with my sweetheart at her favorite breakfast spot in Greenville -  Cracker Barrel. Then to Renewal for worship with my church family. Nap in the afternoon and a gathering of church members to work through some of the business of the church. Small group fellowship at Five Guys and then home.

All in all a good relaxing weekend. It should be a start to a good week. Let's keep our eyes on Jesus and remember that Easter isn't about bunnies and baskets as much as it is a resurrected Savior.

What kind of day will you have today?

Well it's finally Friday. What kind of.day is this going to be for you?   Will this be a "finally Friday "?  A fabulous Friday?  A frantic Friday?

Today I choose for it to be a good day not to be confused with Good Friday. Today will be a day of reflection and progress. 

As I look back at this week - it has been a good week. We have enough work to be able to work some overtime and that pays outstanding bills off. I've made progress on the project that I'm working on although not as much as I wanted. But I've been focused and that has been nice.

I look at a week in which I got some rest and spent time with Irene and will get to do more of that over the weekend. I started back with this blog and my journal. I've spent time with.friends and family and will get to do that more over the weekend. 

My time with God has been a sweet time this week and I feel closer to my Lord because of it. The book of Hebrews is making me slow my mind and think and that is not a bad thing. As I sit here waiting to go to breakfast with Irene it's quiet and peaceful. That kind of peace that comes from God.

For now - have a blessed weekend and go worship a Holy God somewhere this weekend.

Don't turn a deaf ear. . .

As I sit here this morning and read in the book of Hebrews (in The Message) I come across a statement "don't turn a deaf ear.  . ."  This is referring to the Hebrew children as they wandered in the wilderness and I can't help but wonder how often I have a kindred spirit with these that God is referring to in this statement.

God is talking about the ability of the Hebrew children to be led out of Egypt, something that they couldn't do on their own, and yet they still believe that they know best. The story that they are living out wasn't been told to them, it is something that they are living out first hand. They see God divide a sea and let them walk through on dry land. They are there when water springs from the ground in the middle of no where. They are there when all they have to do is.gather up food, including meat each day, supplied by God.  Yet, God tells them He will take care of them, He will give them a land that doesn't belong to them and they still don't listen and they still don't believe.

Looking back at my life, I have to note how often that has been a picture of me. Father please forgive me for not listening.  For not believing. For having to wander in a desert to get my attention.  Father help me to keep my ears attuned to your voice and not my own. To follow your direction on faith and not force my opinion into a situation. Father help me not to be a child that aways has.to have their way.

For now: keep.your ears open and your opinions to yourself.

Why I do This?

   Sometimes I think that you have to evaluate what you are doing and why.  I also think that it is good to write it down so that we can remember why we do it 20 minutes from now.  Don't get all high and mighty when I say that.  Your life is as chaotic as mine is.  I'm always impressed that I remember anything at the rate that things flow through this brain of mine.
   Why did I start this blog?  Well, it was for the youth group that I was working with at the time.  Now, not so much.  Now it's for me.  To force me to order my thoughts and focus on the things that need to be focused on.  A road map of a road traveled.  Of things done well and things that have been botched.  Now it is a way for me to stay focused on God and His direction.
   So what is the direction that God is leading me right now?  Well, Irene and I along with Scott and Joye Garrett are starting to lead a small group.  We had our first meeting together this past Sunday and I am really encouraged by the people in our group and the plans that we have made so far.  I am on a journey to lose weight and keep it off this time.  I am down about 60 pounds as of right now.  This journey will last a while longer and I will probably post things about that journey here.  I am trying to disciple two guys right now, although I don't think that I am doing a very good job of that right now.  I need to re-establish that focus in my life.  At work I am working more as a coordinator than a designer right now.  Part of that is in my comfort zone and part not even close.  All of that is in God's hands to equip me for that change if that is the direction that He is directing me to go.
   Anyway, to stop the rambling, the day has to get started and I have work to do.  Keep your eyes focused on God and ever follow His direction.  Good day.

Surprised by the Spirit . . .

   I'm not sure why I am ever surprised by the Spirit and the change of direction that usually follows.  Let me give you an example.  This morning during my quiet time and during the prayer time leading up to my time in the scriptures, I was praying a simple prayer that I pray almost every morning before opening God's word.
   The prayer goes like this - Father; open my eyes so that I may see your word clearly, open my mind so that I may understand what I read and open my heart so that Your word can impact my heart and soul.  That prayer changed this morning by the urging of the Spirit.  This morning the prayer changed by the Spirit to the following: Father; open my eyes so that I may see your word clearly and see the lost in the world around me the way that you do, open my mind so that I may understand what I read and be open minded enough to receive the mind of Christ and open my heart so that Your word can impact my heart and break my heart for the lost who are around me everyday.
   May I always be willing to follow the urging of the Spirit and the direction changes that He brings to my life.  May all who read this have a wonder and Spirit filled day.

Praise the Lord ? ? ?

   This morning I finished spending about a month in the book of Psalms.  I'll soon be 54 years old and I'm not sure that I have ever just read through the book of Psalms start to finish.  Don't get me wrong; I've spent time in the book of Psalms but I don't think I've ever just read through the book start to finish before.

   There are a couple of thoughts that I would like to share after this time in God's word.  I have heard people for years make two statements: that the Psalms were a gathered group of songs and people talk about praying through the book of Psalms.  As I read through this book in the bible, this time, I found a group of gathered prayers (the songs that people had referred to.)  I'm not sure I ever saw this before as I read through this book in a scattered way.  But suddenly I understood what people meant when they talked about praying through this book of the bible.

  The one thing that I did notice is in the book of Psalms; consistently God is praised.  As I think about my journey as a believer and from being around other believers; I wonder if we understand the concept of Praise the Lord.  I'm not talking about the songs that we sing during worship on Sundays.  I'm talking about praising the Lord in our personal prayer time.

   I've always tried to be transparent in my daily walk with those that I am close to.  Even now I think about my time with the Lord this morning and it all seems so rushed.  My prayer time seems to be a list of hurts, hopes, wants, and needs.  What I don't notice is praise.  I wonder how many other in my life would say the same thing?

   I don't hear people speak of the wonderful things that the Lord does in out lives each and every day.  We are a blessed people.  Even now I think of how blessed I am.  I wonder what life would be like if instead of talking about my aches and pains, when people ask my how I am, I talked about how great God is in my life and the wonderful things that He is doing. 

   Will you join me in making a change?  I wonder how this will change my life and the lives of people around us?  There is only one way to find out.  Praise the Lord.

Lessons Learned from my Children . . .

As I said in the last post my children are small, orange and furry . . . they are cats. This time I want to talk about my little girl; her name is Morris. The reason that her name is Morris is that she was named and recognized her name before we knew that she was a she. As with most fathers; my little girl holds a special spot in my heart.


Let me start by saying that Morris is one hundred percent female. She will do things on her terms and only her terms most of the time. Most of the time she bestows the majority of her attention on my wife Irene. If I said that at times I was not jealous of Irene getting the majority of the attention from our cats I would be lieing. But I do get my time with my little girl.

Almost every morning after taking my shower and while I am finishing getting ready to go to work, in comes Morris. Her attention is focused on me and me alone. In she comes. She rubs against my legs and will pace back and forth in front of me. If I am not paying her enough attention she calls out to me *meows* to get my attention or will prairie dog up my leg to turn my focus her way. All the while she is purring. When she first started doing this I thought it was just really nice but as this has gone on for a while she has got me thinking about what is happening every morning.

I often wonder now what our lives would be like if each morning we focused our total attention on our Father in Heaven? What would our lives be like if we sought out our Father’s attention each morning with a happy heart overflowing from a wonderful relationship and not due to our need to check off a box on our mental to do list? I have come to one conclusion . . . our lives would be a lot more focused on the important things in life.

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Psalms 143:8

I do thank my Lord for my furry children. In the near future you’ll hear about Li’l Bit but for now . . . keep your eyes on Jesus.

My Children . . .

Many of you that have known me for a long time may not realize that I have children. I have two; the oldest is named Morris and the youngest is named Lil’ Bit. Now before you come after me for the way we named our children; my children are cats. The Lord did not bless Irene and I with human children but he did bless us with our furry children.


Our cats adopted us about six years ago. They were just a few of weeks old and came wandering into our yard. Morris is one litter older than Lil’ Bit. If Irene and I were doing some yard work or I might be out in my shop; that’s where those two little orange bundles of fur would show up. Those two would follow me everywhere in my shop; walking the bench tops trying to get my attention.

Well we are several years down the road now and my cats still want my attention form time to time. Lil’ Bit is the little man of the house and is very out going. If you are a stranger in our house he may run at first but he will show up shortly to see who you are and whether you are worthy of his time. Morris is the princess of our house. She is one hundred percent female and thinks that she rules over all she surveys. She is not so out going and is you are a stranger in our house there is a good chance that you will never see her.

In up coming posts I want to share things that I have learned from these two orange blessings that God has bestowed upon our family. But for now I have to get some work done. Until tomorrow, keep your eyes on Jesus . . .

Confused . . .

Am I the only one whose body and mind seem to be totally confused? Last Saturday it was raining. By Sunday afternoon it quickly turned to snow and I don’t know about your yard, but we had a strong 4 inches of snow which ended up bringing down 4 big limbs in our back yard. Monday we were out of work because we could not get out of the yard because of the snow. I am sitting here looking at the weather forecast for the weekend and I may need sunscreen – it is supposed to be pushing 80 degrees tomorrow. The next person that comes up to me and says something about global warming – I may just whack in the head. This is the craziest weather that I can remember.

I am confused about our new president. This is the guy who was supposed to bring about a new change and bring in hope. Thus far I have seen nothing new. Everything that I have heard him say sounds like it came straight out of some past president’s mouth – FDR, Lincoln, JFK, etc. Where’s the hope? Every time he makes a speech the stock market takes another nose dive. So far his stimulus packages seem to be stimulating us right into the poor house.

There is one thing that I am not confused about – God is still in control and still has a plan for each of us. Thank goodness our God is the same today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow. Thank goodness He is still in control. Without this knowledge and the hope that I have in Him – I don’t know what I would do. My hope lies in heaven and the one who sits at the right hand of the Father. Where does your hope lie?

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and rest in the knowledge that He is still in control.

Something that made me go hmmm . . .

I do my dead level best to live my life accepting others on their on their character and the way they live their lives and not their skin color or their place in the society that we live in. What I am trying to say is that I do my dead level best not to be a bigot. I will be honest – I never listened to Dr. King’s famous speech until I was in college at North Greenville. I will say this – I have listened to it several times since and am impressed with Dr. King and his vision. The thing that makes me go hmmm – especially on the day the is set aside to celebrate his birthday is the way that some people either misunderstood what Dr. King said or they just don’t want to accept what he said.

I listened to a lady on the news this morning say that she believed that Dr. King would say that the mountain top had been reached because our next president, that is to be inaugurated tomorrow, had been elected to office. It is my opinion that this lady did not understand what Dr. King was saying during his speech so many years ago. What I hear, when I listen to this famous speech, is a man with a dream that his children would be judged on their character and not on their skin color. Well, I guess if all that it takes to have character is to be elected president then maybe the mountain top has been reached. Maybe I put to much content in what the character of a man or woman really means.

I will say this – our next president’s character will be judged and it is my prayer that when it is judged he is found to be upright in all that he has done, is doing, and will do. Whether you like him or not – we need to lift our president in prayer and pray that God will direct him in all that he does. May God bless President Obama!! Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and how does your character measure up.

Creature of habit or stuck in a rut . . .

I’m not sure how most of you would view my life. I, by my own confession, am a huge creature of habit. I love the holidays, but they throw my life way out of balance. Where most people, it seems, can get a lot of work done when there are fewer people around, if everyone is not in place around me, I loose focus. I have been thinking about this during the holidays and have come to a conclusion – let me know what you think.

I’m not so much different than a lot of the world around me except in one way – when I keep my focus on Christ, my life is centered right where it should be. Let me go a little deeper and maybe I can get us on the same page with this thought that I am struggling to put into words. As I look at the world around me, it seems to be filled with people who have an attention disorder. The world seems to be filled with those whose attention seems to be held for only a brief amount of time before moving on to something else. People who move from job to job, wife to wife, cause to cause – are we now getting on the same page? The shame about it is that I could have just described those inside the church as much as outside.

As I start a new year with lots of new and exciting things on the horizon – I have to start at the point that is most important – with my life centered in Christ, my eyes firmly focused on He that is my guide. Let us all refocus our eyes – like a runner in a race focusing on the finish line – on Christ. Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and pass the tissues – this cold is killing me.

Time to get back to business as usual . . .

Well, as the title says – it is a new year and it is time to get back to business as usual. Except as I sit here I wonder – exactly what does that mean? If we are talking about what I do to pay the bills – that means back to concrete, steel and working on drawings so that someone else can do the back breaking work as easy as possible. For those who do not know – I work for an engineering company as a designer doing drawings for precast concrete structures (i.e. parking decks, warehouses, etc.)

Now if we are talking about what I do to further the kingdom of God – I am the connections guy for The Journey – a church plant in the Mauldin Area of Woodruff Road. As I think about what I do there – I’m not sure there is such a thing as business as usual. Our focus is building relationships with the people that we come in contact with where we live. One thing that I have learned on this journey that God has placed us on is that there is no such thing as business as usual when you are dealing with people. Something else that I have come to the conclusion about is that there is no such thing as business as usual when you are following a call from God. His message is the same but the way the message is presented is constantly changing just like is His word.

So as I look at a new year – I realize that there are probably changes coming around every bend, but as long as we keep our eyes focused on God we’ll always be on the right track. So, until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and be prepared – changes are probably on the way.

Hello World . . .

Hello world and yes I am still alive. I am sorry that I have not posted in several months but things in my life have been a little crazy. I will not even try to catch you up on what has been happening – let’s just say that life has not stood still. I will say this – I am still active in The Journey as the connections guys and news is coming about that; I still have a job, which in this economy is wonderful; my wife and cats still love me, which will always be a gift from God. I will further say that – I realize that I have a long way to go to be the person that God wants me to be and I believe that I am gaining on that, I am not as healthy as I want to be but I am going to work on that in the new year; this year I turn fifty and I hope that I am only half way through life.
This is not going to be long, but let me say this – if this new year passes as fast as last year it may be 2010 before I finish typing. I look forward to the new year with new adventures, new things to learn, and new people to meet. While I look forward to a new year, I am excited that I serve a God that never changes and has a plan in place through that grace and mercy shown through His Son on the cross and His Son is in heaven preparing a place for us even now.
This I can say with all confidence as we look forward to a new year – hang on because we have started at a dead run. Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and make my cookies chocolate chip.

I am so glad that my God is not . . .

I was looking for something to watch this past Sunday evening and stumbled upon a channel that I don’t spend much time on – the Ion channel. They were showing a movie about the life of Noah. I thought – this is great, I just taught on this story last week and maybe I can get some new insight. Well – if you have not seen this movie don’t waste your time. The only reason that I would recommend watching this movie was to sit and try to pick out all the liberties that the writers took with scripture and all the things that they just plain had wrong.

As Irene and I flipped between the movie and other things Sunday evening it almost became funny all the things that they had wrong when you matched it up with scripture, but there is one part that really sticks out in my mind. There was a point that Noah and God were carrying on a conversation and God said that He had to go away for a while and think about something and that Noah would be on his own and that he would not be able to have access to God. I looked at Irene and told her that I was so glad that my God was not like the God in that movie.

My God does not leave me on my own, yet He does not force Himself on me. My God is always accessible, yet He longs for me to want to spend time with Him. Although I have not heard God’s audible voice (yet, but I am still waiting), I know that He is always listening – He is always there, he always has time, He is never to busy, and I know that He loves me a great deal. I am so glad that my God is not the God in that movie.

Until next time – Keep your eyes on Jesus and spend a little one on one time with God.

Things we can learn from a dog or a cat . . .

This is not original and it is not mine. I found it in an e-mail - but I found it profound none-the-less.

• Live simply.
• Love generously.
• Care deeply.
• Speak kindly.
• Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play ! daily
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be loyal.
• Never pretend to be something you're not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

Until next time - keep your eyes on Jesus and let's enjoy life while we have it.