Oh, that Linda tore me up today!

I just came back from breakfast and Bible study with Justin at Victory, and I've immediately put my fuzzy slippers on. Yes, Linda, the sea is angry today, even here in Florida! There was no breathtaking sunrise waking me this a.m. so I'm glad you got to see a "light show" put on by God. He put on a grey sky and a bit of rain for us here in North Florida. I hope it didn't rain in Ormond Beach because there was a campaign visit there by John McCain today.

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The alarm on my cell phone was set to prompt me to get up at a decent time this week and not miss my time with Justin. The roads weren't bad for the commute and I arrived about 15 minutes early, and by early, I mean, our arrangement is to meet between 8:30-8:45. This give me a few minutes to read some more in The Shack, which I'll bet is driving you more voracious readers bonkers! You'd have read five or six books before I get through this one---but, reading is not the only thing I do. Talking about it with Judy J. last week I told her it's taking me so long because I don't read in lieu of doing something else, and she said, "I do!".

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Our breakfast conversation this a.m. was about the current state of affairs and how it affects the people in our lives, some of whom we care deeply for. (What kinda sentence is that--besides cryptic???) The good news was that the stock market seemed to be picking up so far since it opened....I'd hate to be Alan Greenspan this a.m.! Talk about a fall from grace....

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Our class was held in the narthex portion of the church rather than in a smaller office area where we were quite crowded in recent weeks. It was much brighter, airy, and offered a lovely view of the grey skies and pouring rain. It was a splash and dash shower but enough to ruin one of the men's plans to cut the church property's grass. The subject matter for our "hero" in the Bible was the story of Moses and how, by faith, his parents set him afloat in the Nile River in hopes that the daughter of pharaoh would see him, love him, and want to save him. Moses, as an adult, murdered an Egyptian who was seen beating a Hebrew slave, committing a sin and a crime. Moses fled for his life in order to avoid punishment for his crime. Not the kind of behavior the Lord favors! Pastor pointed out the irony of the Egyptian leadership ordering the first-born sons of the slaves to be killed and yet murder was still considered a crime. Not unlike our own country, permitting and sometimes paying for abortions, and yet abolishing the death penalty for those who commit murder. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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After dropping Justin off at UNF, I gave my sister-in-law a call to see how Arno was doing. She'd just gotten home for visiting him and seeing the doctor, and could report he was doing much much better today, getting his strength back and his wits. Some of the medications they gave him post-surgery made him a bit dopey, and then no one seems ready to go home. Depending upon the re-evaluation by the therapist, he may be able to return home rather than going into rehab first, the way he's making his comeback. This is such good news and I do hope, for Arno's sake, the therapist lets him go home instead into rehab, even though the facility is right across the road from his house!

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Martie and I are just having a dilly of a time getting together these days---Tuesday we did meet to have lunch but with her young escort along---Little Mark (a.k.a. ManMan). After she got his hair cut they were planning to come up here so we could have our dessert but it took so long for them at the beauty shop that time ran out. They did come up here but only for a moment before she had to take him back to his dad's police substation on the Westside for his ride home. We had made new plans for Saturday after work but now she called to say ManMan is probably coming again for the weekend so it would be difficult for us to have grown-up conversation (like that's gonna happen!) and keep him occupied at the same time. Our original plan was to ride down to the beach Saturday but the weather is yet predicted to be nasty so Plan B is to meet here. I hope she can come Saturday but we have tentative plans for Tuesday.

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I am having quite a good time here watching and hearing a little air show of F-14s circling around right over the condo and swooping along the river. It was hard to hear on the phone earlier because the jet noise was quite loud. This is not a complaint, believe me, I love it! Between the planes and helicopters and boat traffic, my view provides much entertainment. Tonight are plans for Ladies' Night Out with the Great Hang Ups ladies, with our meal destination yet to be determined. My vote was for Bonefish Grille where I've never eaten but Dee is concerned I won't find anything to eat there. The menu on-line says I will and told her I care more about their company than the food anyway! And it's true!!!