returns

so believe it or not i have been back here at least a half-dozen times, write some, delete all, begin again.  by the time i have sit-down time available, i have no thoughts.  none.  but if i am going to do this, this one must become a reality and be posted.

so lets see.  the most exciting thing in my life nowdays is that we are going have a baby!   that would be a corporate "we"...it will actually be A doing the bearing down and pushing.  wow...brings back some memories...

it is really a bit peculiar, your first grand-child.  in the beginning, right after a&m's announcement random thoughts brought me to this place that my life-cycle is complete...yeah yeah i know, you would think that happens when you have kids, but going to the next generation, is more like re-generation..."the legacy" if you will. 

so that was the philosophical part - first trimester.  the second-trimester brought us an ultra sound pic.  now i have seen a few of these in my time - i am not too particularly impressed.  but this one...this one...could be classified as "picture perfect".  and for me...it made her pregnancy a reality that i got a grand baby coming.

that's cool stuff. 

the picture - is such a clear depiction of God's handiwork.  we are intricately made - woven in the womb  just like the Bible says.  knitted together by God!!!  that just so amazes me.  that He created us for Himself.  I mean he could made a world full of fuzzy puppies for Himself - ones that would be forever loyal to Him...but He made us - - - and when we messed up --- gave us an out through His Son, Jesus so that we could stay forever connected to Him...wow.  sometimes the whole process is just overwhelming. 

time to go. 

ya know...my umbrella is still full :))

the year isn't over...it has just begun

wow things around here (blogger) have changed dramatically since i was last here.  even my password......about three times in the last 15 minutes.  geez.  here i am a computer geek at best and can't even change a password without bumbling.  somebody might be able to guess it, but i can't even remember it.

subjects to choose from:  elections / politics, life changes/family, work-yes i am still there, banger - never leaves my side 'cept for when i go to to work, faith.

so let's start with Reformaton Sunday.  that's today.  actually The Festival of the Reformation in liturgical language.  just think, if good ol' martin luther hadn't nailed those 95 thesises (thesies? thesi?) to the door we wouldn't really understand that it is by grace through faith that we are saved - and be in a never ending state of working our way into heaven - it is He who ('he who'  lol  still makes me laugh) bore our sins on that cross that set us free from it all. 

so there, i have started again...at least for now.

geo

hello?

2012 has arrived.

[tapping screen]  you there?  just thought i'd check.  is been a long time, wonder how long it has been since you even dropped by.  well if you are there - welcome back.

that was a pretty long hiatus and i can't really say i have done anything in particular while you missed me.

life rolls

Chick-Fil-A Leadercast

Our church hosted the 2011 Chick-Fil-A Leadercast live from Atlanta, GA via satellite yesterday.  (A whole other story, I'll share later.)  One of the speakers, Suzy Welch spoke to the subject of "Purpose".  Now Ms. Welch is a somebody out there, but one I do not know of. 
She asked three questions to help you identify your purpose ~ where are you going/what is your goal?  interesting questions I share with you here:
1.  What will make you cry at your 70th birthday? (legacy)
2.  What do people say about you when you are not in the room? (ethics)
3.  "Think about your childhood ~ what did you like about it;  what did you dislike about it? (influence)

just a passing thought.  good event.  full of all kinds of leadership tips.  check out their website:
http://www.chick-fil-aleadercast.com/

If You Knew Her, You Would Say...: Tie a yellow ribbon

If You Knew Her, You Would Say...: Tie a yellow ribbon

refresh, refuel, renew

Awhile back, like maybe a year or so ago, 5 week theme at church was call The 5 Stones.  Each week we listened as Pastor drenched us with His Word, enlightening us as he told us we are to suffer well, make wise choices, that we all have a calling, and we are responsible to manage ourselves....in the end we are to live grace-filled lives.  I only came home with 3 stones.  For a year i had only 3 stones.  Then one day in the garage I found a fourth stone.  That made me really happy and i put it with my collection, still incomplete, but one step closer.

Last week i was pretty put out by another person that happens to occupy some of the space i work and play in.  When I get like this, I just know it will result in a pearl, because oysters are like that.  no i am not an oyster, but if i were i would have one heck of a large pearl by now.  i had to crawl in the floor board of my car (one of the smallest made by the japanese) and reach under the seat to see if i possible dropped my wallet there (i know you think the real story is that I was looking for my cell phone ~ wrong!)  and low and behold....my 5th stone!!!  "Grace-filled"

wowzers.  it keeps coming back to that for me.  grace-filled. 

with His grace.  thank you Lord!

and Lord, please help me to extend that grace to the others around me....

refresh, refuel, renew.  ahhhhhh  better than a day at the spa.

Here I am.....

yeah, i know, you have missed me.  well i am back know, from a recent trip around the world.  been everywhere, done everything....my how blogger has changed!  so many more options!  one day maybe i will sit and check them out and even learn to use them. but until then, its just me and the key board.

christmas has come and gone.  so has my birthday.  pushing 60 now you can say.  you know, i used to didn't have issues with my friends that are older than I am...i envied them.  finally made it to 59, retired, livin' the vida loca....BUT....most of them are turning 65 this year.  That is scary.  real scary.  reality scary.  and then i have a friend that turned 50 but she looks like she's 35.  that is scary.  so really what is age?  and it obviously doesn't matter when you speak in terms of numbers.

the winter has come and gone but this weekend it seems to have come again.  only it didn't drop the first snow in 8 years like they said it would.  we did get rain and it did get cold.  cancelled christmas w/ the other side of the family that was to have been celebrated because of the anticipated road conditions.....geez.  the roads are dry the winds are mild, there is no ice, no snow....de nada.  aint right that we must rely on the weather men for these faulty predictions.  fire them all!  send them to wisconsin.  and celebrate christmas in march....

hows the banger, you ask?  she's still the butterscotch terrier of my life and she says hi.  and she wants you to throw her monkey for her, please.

ugh...time to go running...not literally but there are things to do people to see if you know what i mean...