Thunder

 Sitting peacefully in my recliner listening to the thunder. It is coming regularly. It reminds me of my early days in the South. We don't get as many thunderstorms here as we did down there. Some people were frightened by it, but as a kid we used to go out and play in it. Some today would get apoplexy from the idea that we would be running around in the rain with the lightening flashing overhead. The sound of it reminds me of God's creative power.

Me

 I have had two strokes. Before that I was diagnosed with "Mild Cognitive Impairment". It sounds like I should be a basket case. I'm not. I do sleep a lot, though not as much recently as I did for a while there. Charlene is my closest observer, and she says that I have improved a lot in the last few weeks. She has said that it seems like she has her husband back. She is a tremendous encourager, but she would not tell me that if she did not truly believe it. I am more engaged in whatever is going on. 

Charlene does most of our driving, but I can still drive when it will keep her from going somewhere she has no need to go to. I remember the old family stories, even when others don't. My short-term memory loss is a little hard to describe. By the end of the day, I may not recall what we did that morning. Our activities over the last few days are spotty in my memory. I can tell you of some of them, but not all. 

I am proud of my two on-going accomplishments.  I put out a monthly newsletter for our condo association. It is one page, divided into several sections by topic. I think it looks good. If you would like to see a copy of the latest edition, email me at outofthepews@gmail.com and I'll send you one. It always has pictures.

The other accomplishment is that I maintain the electronic sign in front of the church building.  I keep it current, and I use it to advertise whatever is going on at the church, like the monthly appearance of the food truck, or a potluck dinner, or a special speaker, or an open house for the community. 

That's enough info for today. I plan to be back is a few days. May God bless every one of you.

I'm Baaaaack!

At the end of 2010 I ceased publishing my blog. That was right after putting out my 50th submission for the year. It's been almost three years since then. I don't even know if anyone is keyed in to get notice that I am resuming, but I have a little more time now, so I am thinking I will try it for a while. No promises on how many I will do in any given period of time. I think of at least four reasons to start back up (besides having the time).

1. I want to tell my story of me. That part will not draw a big crowd, but it will help me to understand me better.
2. I want to share some thoughts about the church. I may have shared some of these before, but some parts of that will bear repeating. 
3. I want to write about my point of view of what is going on in the world. Maybe, even from my recliner, I can make some difference there.
4. I need to know whether I can still "connect the dots." More about that in my story.