The Slight Edge Outlook

Show me two people who are identical in their situations with the exception of how they perceive their future to be and I bet I can tell you which one will go the furthest.  A person who leans toward the optimistic outlook, even if it is only slightly more positive than the other person with a similar background, will come out ahead when predicting successful outcomes.

I decided a while ago to work on continuous improvement in every area of my life.  The small changes are yielding big wins.  If you find yourself struggling to reach your goals, take a hard look at your belief system.  Tell your brain you decided to give optimism a try, even when your current circumstances appear bleak.  Your brain may challenge you but you must resist any efforts to push pessimism.  One small shift in the direction of optimism is all it takes.  Make sure you allow enough time for the slight edge to show up in your life.  Have a great day.

It's Official – Blog is 11 Years Old

 My first blog story, penned on August 29, 2009, was about coming out of my cave.  All of us go through periods of growth and hibernation.  I feel like I've already lived several lifetimes.  I had no clue what my future would be like when I first exited that cave in late August, eleven years ago.  The same is true about what is ahead.  The one constant is the joy I feel every morning when I wake up and share my life with you.  

The Bible verse from Jeremiah best describes what's ahead.  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." – Jeremiah 29:11.  That verse represents the last eleven years we've had together on this blog.  It also foreshadows the future.  I promise to keep writing, even on those days when I may find myself back in the cave.  Thank you for following these daily messages.  I treat them like bread crumbs.  One message all by itself may not be enough to nourish the soul but these messages when consumed daily may help one soul find his or her way to the place where the one I follow is leading us.  Our job is to stay on the trail together and never lose hope.  Thank you for visiting.  Have a great day.

My First Drone Flight

 Our oldest son got me a surprise gift yesterday.  It wasn't a birthday or anniversary.  It was a random act of kindness.  My wife filmed me opening the new drone.  "You fly it first," Ryan said, offering me the controls.  The next thing I knew, my drone was soaring up, way up.  The neighborhood birds were chasing it as I did my high-speed maneuvers, zigging and zagging with reckless abandon, unaware of time.  My heart was pumping. I darted past the trees to keep track of my new gift as it zipped toward the horizon.  I reached the outer limits of the drone's Wifi connection and it disappeared behind some trees in a nearby cemetery.  We spent our remaining time in the cemetery attempting to recover the lost drone.  We went home emptyhanded.  As brief as this exciting moment was, my heart was filled with gratitude and I thanked our son for being so thoughtful.  Next time I'm reading the directions before takeoff.  The replacement drone will be here next week.  Thank you, son, for getting me hooked on drones.  It was a father-son moment I will cherish forever.  Have a great day

I Found My A-Game

 Debt reduction.  It's one of those lost arts.  Our government leaders on both sides of the aisle have forgotten all about it.  I decided to turn our debt reduction efforts into a game so that I would stay with it long enough to accomplish our goals of financial freedom.  It's working.  The beginning was rough.  I had to make all kinds of adjustments but I finally found it – my A-game.  A big part of it has to do with confidence.  My enjoyment of this debt reduction game is increasing as I learn how to navigate through all the obstacles.

Any endeavor in life that you wish to pursue can be accomplished if you're willing to do the work.  Sometimes you need to disguise your work as play so you can stay in the game long enough to learn how to master whatever it is you're pursuing.  Find your A-game.  It's worth it.  Have a great day.

Do You Believe the Best is Yet to Come?

 Set aside the pandemic for a few moments and ponder what's in your future.  What do you see?  The ability to see a bright future may be what sets you apart from those that only see more trouble.  In my opinion, we need some type of escape hatch to get us out of the muck.  Be careful what you visualize because when you start worrying about your future your body prepares for stress.  Everyday worry can lead to stress-related illness.

No one really knows exactly what is ahead.  I do believe that what you perceive can somehow influence you to make better choices when you have an optimistic point of view.  Give optimism a try.  See what happens when you believe the best is yet to come.  Have a great day.

How the Reward System Inspires Daily Motivation

 Are you having trouble getting motivated in the pursuit of your goals?  Without daily motivation, nothing gets done.  I have a solution.  It's a simple reward system.  When your reward at the finish line is greater than your daily efforts, inspiration shows up in a big way.  What I like about it is that the perceived sacrifice appears to diminish over time while the joy of the reward increases when you realize that reward is really going to happen.

I decided to include my pursuit of financial freedom in an upcoming book, "Live Long and Prosper."  This pursuit goes to the core of who I am, a life long learner who never gives up no matter how challenging or time-consuming the goal is.  I can see very clearly just what is waiting for my wife and me at the finish line.  Every day I relish in the details of what that finish line looks like and who will be there waiting for me.  My family already knows about the rewards and they're cheering for us to do the work, that is the daily effort necessary to reach that finish line.  This part of my life will be one of the most important chapters I plan to share with readers in order to inspire them to set up their own reward system.  Stay tuned.  There is much to be done.  Have a great day.

Success is a Continuous Journey

We all dream of how it will feel to cross that finish line that represents our hopes and dreams.  While we may have different ideas about what success is, I want to focus today on the journey.  It's those daily efforts to do what it takes to achieve what others sometimes say is impossible.

I'm a big believer in the daily effort.  I fight two battles, internal and external.  The internal battle is that clash with the dark side of my brain where fear resides.  Fear never really goes away but it can be domesticated just like training your pets to be obedient.  Yes, this is a daily effort.  One negative thought can have the power of one hundred positive ones.  That inner lion staring directly at you has a way of getting your attention.  I do my best to avoid distractions from these internal negative thoughts.  

The external conflict I'm referring to has to do with what's going on in the outside world.  In my opinion, the greatest source of this is TV.  That's one of the reasons I no longer spend useless hours getting caught up in the outside world.  Also, keeping social media to a bare minimum seems to help me reduce external conflict.  Negative people have a way of causing external distractions.  Do your best to avoid engaging with them.  It will hurt your efforts to stay on a path towards your goals.

Speaking of continuous journeys towards long-term goals, I'm pushing my book release dates further out into the future.  This is not the right time to be doing book signings.  Also, I'm discovering that there are a few more critical chapters that I must live before publishing "The Adventures of Wilson," and "Live Long and Prosper."  If you stay with me on this blog, you will see glimpses of this continuous journey I'm referring to.  For now, the daily challenge to overcome the internal and external forces that are fighting me will continue until I'm satisfied that what I have to offer is appropriate.  Have a great day.

Are You a Positive Player?

Have you ever noticed how the atmosphere of a room filled with people can change dramatically when a game-changer enters?  The effect can be positive or negative, depending on who this person is.  It's not what this person does that matters.  What matters is how this person is able to bring out the best in others.  This can be measured.  Think of the player who enters the football field when his team is down.  His presence in the huddle inspires others to do better.  He doesn't care who scores as long as each player raises his game so the team can win.  

Ask yourself if you're a positive player.  Find a way to inspire others.  It's not too late to change your style if you find yourself bringing others down.  For me, the best way to increase my positivity is to avoid the people or things that cause me to lose my energy.  I spend a great deal of time cultivating winning habits that help me be at my best at all times.  I also do my best to be surrounded by positive people.  Positive energy is contagious.  So is negative energy.  It takes practice to radiate your positive energy.  Do this well and you can be the game-changer the world needs.  Have a great day.

Watch Out for the Twin Hurricanes

There are a couple of tropical storms, Marco and Laura, headed to the Gulf Coast.  It's rare for two hurricanes to strike so near to one another at almost the same time.  Could it get any worse this year?  I read something about an asteroid headed our way that will make a close call the day before our election.  The odds of striking our planet are supposedly less than 1%.  The way 2020 is going, anything is possible. Buckle your seat belt.  Be prepared for a bumpy road ahead.  Have a great day.

Try This to Overcome Fear

 Have you ever analyzed fear?  One popular acronym for fear is "false evidence appearing real."  When this happens, it's really easy to be overwhelmed unless you know how to probe deeper and dismantle what is false.  I like to ask questions when others tell me they are afraid of something I sense may be false evidence.  Here are some examples:

Where does this information come from?

Why do you feel this way?

Have you considered the possibility that your information may be incorrect?

What would you do differently if you found out what you believe is different from the facts?

Once false evidence is proven false, fear no longer has the edge.  It must dissipate.  I had to go through this after my car accident.  I had this false belief that driving in a car would lead to another accident.  It appeared very real in my mind.  So real that I wasn't sure I could return to my day job which involves driving.  I got some help from professionals.  My daily tests included driving small distances.  If I could drive one mile and not get hurt, I could chip away at the false evidence in my mind.  One mile became two miles.  Slowly, I learned I could drive without injury.  I'm free now.  I needed to show my brain that my fear was based on false evidence appearing real.  Try this on your fears and see what happens.  Have a great day.

Resiliency

 I would like to give a shout out to all the people in my home state who are in the process of bouncing back from the derecho storm that struck early last week.  Many have endured days without power.  These people can be described using one word – resiliency.  They have this amazing ability to bounce back in times of trouble.  Another great quality they display is their gratitude.  They appreciate all the efforts of the employees working 12 hour days to get the power lines back up.  

If you have a roof over your head, food in your refrigerator, and electricity, count your blessings.  And if you don't and you're not complaining, you may be one of the tens of thousands living in the Midwest who understand the true meaning of resiliency.  You are my heroes.  Have a great day.

When the Fog Lifts

It's no fun living in the fog.  You do your best to find your way but everything seems out of focus.  There have been many times in my life when the fog was so dense that I felt frozen.  It's in those darkest days when something really special happens.  The fog lifts.  The stars become visible again.  Those elusive goals become clear and distinct.

I'm experiencing one of those precious moments right now in my writing projects.  There are two big ones that have been simmering for far too long.  I'm realizing they can't be forced.  They must come to me naturally.  All I can say is I'm happy to see what needs to be done.  Have a great day.

The Three Stages of Our Lucy Adoption

 Lucy isn't part of our family yet.  Even though we won't be officially adopting her until early 2022, we are already getting ready to make her a part of our family.  Lucy is our second home on wheels.  She will appear as an empty cargo van with some gently used miles on her.  In order to make her liveable for our vacation travels, Lucy will go through a transformation.  Here's what's ahead.

Stage 1 – Planning

This stage is already underway.  I'm watching YouTube videos to get an idea of the best layout for our travels.  The ideal Lucy will be a Dodge ProMaster 2500 with a 159" wheelbase in the extended version, preferably under 50k miles.  My job during this phase is to come up with the best floor plan and the ideal guts of the van.  I'm also learning how to the transformation, mostly on my own.  This is way out of my comfort zone but is something I really want to do.

Stage 2 – The Adoption

If you've ever had pets, I have a feeling this will be a similar experience.  

Stage 3 – The Conversion Process

I will be writing about this process and there will be some videos to accompany Lucy's transformation.  

If all goes well, my wife and I will be seeking adventures once Lucy is ready for the road.  Stay tuned.  The three stages of Lucy will be featured in upcoming stories.  Have a great day.

Seek Small Victories

Many people are wishing this year will come to a speedy conclusion.  I'm not one of those people.  It's actually one of those years where you can grow if you don't get too overwhelmed by the deluge of challenges that seemingly crop up on a daily basis.  For me, seeking small victories keeps me moving forward.  One small victory inspires me to seek another.  It's amazing how much progress you can make when you string these victories together.

Maybe you're hoping you can shed a few pounds but the scales aren't moving.  Go for one ounce of weight loss and focus on that until you lose the ounce.  One small change in your eating habits can give you a one-ounce victory.  Once the ounce is gone, go for two ounces.  Add a hike to your daily routine.  These ounces will slowly turn into pounds shed.  It's all about perseverance.  I'm a big believer in developing winning habits.  Take that first step.  Lose that first ounce.  And please don't forget to celebrate every small victory.  Have a great day.

Prepare Yourself for Your Best Scenario

There is a challenge with dwelling on the worst-case scenario.  When your mind dwells on possible negative outcomes, fear creeps into your life.  You see a mental picture of Jaws every time you go to the beach.  You visualize yourself dying because you contracted COVID-19.  Your fears take over and you lose the ability to live your life to the fullest.  

I like to focus on best-case scenarios.  I ask myself, "What is the best outcome if I pursue an idea?"  My mind works as an ally instead of a prison guard that won't allow me out of my cell.  Death is an example.  The worst case is you get sick today and die.  You stay in your home because you're afraid of dying.  The way I look at death is I focus on the best possible scenario and prepare for all the blessings that come with a long and prosperous life.  When death comes, it comes.  No big deal.  I'm prepared for the best scenario and accept anything short of that.  No fear.  Great adventure.  Great life.  Give your best scenario a try and forget about all those negative what-ifs.  Have a great day.

Live in Abundance in Times of Scarcity

 There's always something to be thankful for.  Always.  Right now I'm surrounded by people who have no power.  They're thankful.  Why?  They are alive and they have hope they can be restored.  Families are coming together.  Help is on the way.  I've seen stage IV cancer patients who are living their lives to the fullest.  Even in the scarcest of times, you can live in abundance as long as you remember to be thankful for all that you have.  That abundance comes from the ability to see all your blessings.

As long as I live, I promise myself to always be thankful.  Above everything else in this world, I'm thankful for my wife.  If the day ever came where we lost everything, she would hold my hand and tell me we have all we need and she's right.  That's abundant living.  It's a great feeling to wake up and say, "I have everything I need today."  Give abundance a try.  It's an amazing way to live.  Have a great day. 

Can You See Your Most Distant Mile Markers?

 If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.  For those of you who like to set goals, the question for today is, what is your most distant goal?  Think of your goals as mile markers along the road you are traveling.  The short term goals that you would like to accomplish within the next twelve months are like the highway markers that pop up at .1 miles.  Long term goals that will be accomplished outside of the next twelve months represent how long you think it will take to accomplish.  Mile marker 5 is for five years out.  Mile marker 10 is for ten years into the future.  There are governments that plan for mile marker 100 and beyond.  How about you?

One of the best lessons we can teach the next generation is to help them visualize distant mile markers.  The better we get at setting long term goals, the better teachers we become.  Here's something to keep in mind about mile markers and highways.  If you're looking ahead and you don't like what you see, it's not too late to try a different path.  Have a great day.

Cruise Control is Activated for Financial Freedom

 It seemed rather challenging in the beginning.  My wife and I decided to get really serious about pursuing a life of financial freedom.  The one mountain that seems almost insurmountable for many is the mortgage.  In my opinion, the banks have done a good job of painting pictures that include permanent mortgages.  Thirty years is a great deal for the mortgage companies because it gives them time to make big bucks on all that interest we pay.  For me, getting serious meant setting an aggressive payoff goal that required changing the way we look at monthly spending.  I believe the more you automate your goals, the better your odds for success.  

The first step we took was to refinance our home using a ten-year mortgage paid bi-weekly.  We modified our spending habits to absorb higher monthly payments.  We decided on an additional monthly amount over and above the mortgage that would be diverted automatically into a second checking account and only tapped into it in case of emergencies.  Everything seemed like an emergency during the first seven months of a three-year goal.  It's like turning off cruise control because of construction zones or excessive traffic on the road.  We can see the finish line in the distance and we have a pretty good idea of exactly when we will achieve full financial freedom.  The cruise control idea seems to be making our debt reduction journey a little bit smoother.  I'll share more about this in upcoming stories.  My recommendation for anyone attempting to do this is to automate as much as possible.  Have a great day.

Celebrate the Lefties in Your Life Today

It's National Left-handers Day today.  For those of us who are doing our best to live in a righthand dominated world, please take a moment to celebrate.  We are often misunderstood because we are looked at as the misfits.  Our popularity tends to rise when it comes to sports because of the natural spin which moves in the opposite direction in sports like tennis and baseball.  Some opponents may even call it sinister.  Past generations were often forced to switch from lefthanded to righthanded to conform.  If you have a lefthanded friend, relative, or coworker, please wish them well today.  Have a great day.

Self-Contained Living Ahead

 Life is about lessons.  Some of the best lessons are learned during the storms.  There are tens of thousands of people in my home state that are without power due to our derecho storm and it may be days before the lights are back on.  This is one of the reasons why I feel like the idea of self-contained living is a viable option.  I'm talking about the ability to live off the grid.  I'm headed in that direction.  

There are some serious storms on the horizon that will change our way of life.  It's impossible for our world to thrive when we continue to pump money into the economy that we don't have.  Adjustments are necessary.  I believe in my heart that learning to live on less will become the new mantra and I want to be ahead of the curve.  The first step in financial independence.  Once that happens, then the next step for my household is to prepare for self-contained living.  I will be writing more about this as I go through the process.  It's a mindset.  I'm ready.  Have a great day.

Lights Out after Mother Nature Delivers a Devastating Derecho Punch

 I learned another new word yesterday, compliments of Mother Nature.  It's a derecho, meaning a straight-line wind storm that delivers 100+mph winds, heavy rains, and flash floods.  Our home was spared when the hurricane-force winds hit our neighborhood but many communities are still without power today throughout the Midwest.  Trees are down, roofs are damaged and there are reports of widespread power outages.  

My time in Southern California was interesting.  Our family survived two wildfires, numerous earthquakes, and boulders rolling onto roadways.  Maybe that is what prepared us for new Midwest hazards, like polar vortexes, tornadic winds and Winter temps that hit -34º and now Mother Nature's latest surprise, the derecho.  I don't want to give her any ideas but I'm starting to think maybe she's about out of punches.  For those of you who speak Spanish and have seen the derecho before, please don't ever tell Mother Nature about that "other" word.  Yep.  The "Izquierda" is something greater than anything I've seen so far.  It doesn't come from Nebraska, like the derecho from yesterday.  The "Izquierda" is right out of Heaven.  If you happen to hear seven trumpets, you will know that Mother Nature herself will be trembling at the knees because her days of devastation will finally be over.  The best way I know to prepare for this event is to ask Jesus to live in your heart.  He has ultimate power over all the storms.  Have a great day.

Beware of Living in the Past

 For many, living in the past is a crutch.  The problem with crutches is they can become permanent should we choose to continue living in the past.  The best way to get rid of those crutches is to simply throw them away.  This means learning to walk again.  No longer can you say, "I need this crutch because this happened to me long ago and therefore I'm doomed."  The same is true with psychological injuries.  You can no longer say, "I'm this way because long ago so and so hurt me and I will never recover."  Throwing away the crutch means cutting all ties to the past and choosing to live a new life.

I refuse to give any power to past painful situations.  They are erased from my mind.  I observed these situations long enough to learn the lessons they offered and then I cut all ties to them.  This gives me the freedom to live in the present moment.  There is one more danger to be aware of when it comes to living in the past.  It has to do with the people around you.  Be wary when you see someone approaching who is unnecessarily carrying crutches.  Ask questions to see if you can identify the reason behind the crutches.  If this has to do with living in the past, set them free.  If they don't listen, walk away.  If you don't do this, you may soon need your own crutches because living in the past is a disease that is highly contagious and you don't want to become a victim.  Have a great day.

Choose the Later Reward

 Instant gratification seems to be the world's mantra.  Buy now, pay later.  Take advantage of the no payments for X months.  Or the 0% interest and drive home your dream car today.  Tempting isn't it?  There's a reason I'm becoming quite fond of choosing the later reward.  It's bigger.  Much bigger.  It's the difference between a lifetime of constraints or total financial freedom.  

Back in the sixties, there was this marshmallow experiment done on four-year-olds where they were given the choice of eating one marshmallow now or waiting and getting two.  Those who waited were found to be more successful later in life because they were able to maintain self-control in stressful situations.  These are probably the same people who ignore all the modern-day temptations that can lead to big trouble when it comes to managing budgets.  Don't eat that marshmallow.  Wait.  Choose the later reward. Have a great day.

4,000 Posts Published Daily at 8:08

Maybe it's random, maybe it's not.  Perhaps there are unexplained forces at work behind the scenes that are guiding me on my writing journey.  All I can say is when I started blogging at 8:08 every morning nearly eleven years ago I had no idea where my writing journey would take me.  With the exception of one day when I woke up and forgot to publish a daily story, I've been writing continuously for exactly 4,000 days.  I'm celebrating 4,000 blog stories today on 8/08.  There is also a secret stash of 5,000 love letters penned by my wife and me that precede this blog.  The letters and the blog messages are the foundation for my books, a memoir, a novel, and two more projects that will be released when the time is right and the edits are complete.

This isn't the first time I experienced an eerie encounter with 808.  On this day, four years ago, I had my date with Davinci for a hernia repair.  I flashed my "Live Long and Prosper" at 8:08 in the morning on 8/08 on my way to surgery.  It was supposed to be earlier in the morning but the doctor was running late.  Our daughter snapped the photo at exactly 8:08.

Random people visit my blog to tell me they found me because they keep seeing the number 808 and they want to know why.  I don't have the answers.  All I can say is I'm going to keep writing.  Thank you for visiting.  For those of you who have been here up to 4,000 times, I want to share how much it means to know you're willing to stay connected.  I have no idea what's ahead in the future.  My plan is to go one day at a time.  So far, this strategy seems to be working.  Have a great day.

The Long Game – Doing Things Now to Set Up a Great Future

 In football, the long game is about those deep passes for victory.  In life, the long game is about doing things now to set up a great future.  This works in every area of your life.  Eat healthy today and have a more fit body in your advanced years.  Cut your debt today and have a better retirement.  Keep in touch with acquaintances today and you will never experience loneliness.

The long game requires sacrifices.  It means you need to adjust your priorities.  Buy now and pay later comes with unnecessary penalties.  The same is true if you maintain an attitude that prevents you from being the best version of yourself that you can be.  Take an honest look at how you view the world.  Is it positive or negative?  Do you feel you can make a difference or simply go through the motions?  For me, the long game means believing every positive action I take will make a difference later in my life.  I believe in the long game.  I also understand the consequences of ignoring what needs to be today.  It's easier to do the challenging actions today if I have a pre-set direction.  Choose the long game.  Your future self will thank you.  Have a great day. 

Watch Your Triggers

One of the best lessons I've learned is to be mindful of my triggers, those situations that cause you to lose your sense of balance.  There are usually warning signs a trigger is coming if you pay attention.  The best way to prevent a trigger from launching chaos into your world is to stop it while the flame is smoldering before it becomes a wildfire of angry outbursts.

I see the fireballs coming from behind while commuting to and from work.  These rude drivers may have slept in and now that they're late, they're speeding to make up time while you're calm and relaxed traveling at the speed limit.  Allow them to set off an emotional trigger and your sense of peace flies out the window.  Do whatever you have to do to stay in your calm lane.  I refuse to give control over my emotions to these rude people who are trying to invade my happy place.

Make a list of all your triggers.  Odds are that they appear at the same time in the same places with the same people.  Do your best to change how you respond.  Over time, these triggers will have no power over you.  Have a great day.

Mask On

Mask on or mask off?  Those of us on the unruly side choose to mask off.  They suffer the consequences such as getting forced out of their seats on airplanes.  Choosing to mask on may be uncomfortable.  I'm biting the bullet and wearing it any time I'm anywhere near others in public.  This is the right thing to do during these times.  It's a great way to show your concern for others.  If you can save one life, it's worth it. It's possible that the life you save may be your own.  Have a great day.

This is What Happens When You Realize the Battle is Won

As humans, we have a set timeline.  We have a beginning and an end on this planet.  Everything in between sometimes gets challenging.  I believe there are those times when we feel defeated.  There are those times when nothing appears to be going our way.  There may even be times when we have no hope of winning the race.  This happens when we forget who we are and who we belong to.  It sure is reassuring to me to know that when I'm lost the one I follow will come to find me.  He knows exactly where I am at all times.  He has no beginning and no end.  He saw my finish line before I was born.  When he died for you and me, he declared victory and all of us get to share in that victory.

The dark side knows the battle is won for our side.  The only things they have going for them are distractions, confusion, and mind games.  Who in their right mind would want to join a team that already lost yet is still busy recruiting players for their empty promises?  The dark side wants all of us to believe that this world is our destiny.  When we remember that this is only a chapter and that we really don't belong here, the race takes on a special meaning.  The day you realize the battle is won is the day you become free.  Jesus is waiting for you.  Don't pay any attention to the distractions.  When you get confused, pray.  And when you find yourself in the middle of endless mind games, remember that Jesus banned the players behind those mind games long ago.  You will never see them again once you cross the finish line and reach your final destination.  Have a great day.

Get Some Sunshine

These days many people are afraid of many things.  I'm doing my best to live my life to its fullest every day that includes getting ample sunshine.  I find my hair grows faster, my nails are stronger and my sense of well being is at a higher level.  The combination of sunshine and time with nature is even better.  If you find yourself a little bit off during these strange times, maybe it's because you're spending too much time locked up indoors and your body is missing out on what it needs to function at optimum levels.  Go outside.  Get some sunshine.  Have a great day.

Hometown Worship Returns

Today is my first day visiting my house of worship in my hometown since the pandemic outbreak.  I'm thankful I was able to visit other churches while on assignment at my day job.  The messages were powerful and the people in these communities welcomed me with open arms.  There is something special about walking to church with the love of your life and worshiping with members of your own community. I'm thankful God's house is open.  Have a great day.

Hello August

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a time warp. My time on the road seems to distort my sense of time.  This has been one remarkable year.  There are many who are wishing this year will end quickly.  For me, taking it one day at a time and living each moment to the fullest somehow accelerates my sense of time.

Hello, August.  Thank you for the amazing weather here in Iowa.  Thank you for the beautiful sounds of nature.  I especially thank you for the opportunity to spend the first four days of your month at home.  Have a great day.