Happy 4th Birthday, Mercedes!

My granddaughter is four years old today. She is so beautiful... and I'm not saying that just because she's MY granddaughter, She really is beautiful, as you can see for yourself! I pray that God will bless her as she grows and that she'll love him with all her heart and grow more lovely with each year and have a compassionate heart. Happy birthday, Sweetie!!!!

I guess I should update my last post. Although I hate to say it, I lost the Lasso Football League championship for the second year in a row. This was a repeat of Lasso Bowl I, as far as the teams go. This time the results were reversed. I don't remember the final score (how convenient), but I got whipped pretty good by my brother, Jeff.

Speaking of brothers (and sisters), all of my siblings (all seven) were in town this past week. It was the first time we have all been together in about eight years. And it was te first time we've had our picture taken together since 1980. The 1980 picture is already on my website and I'll post the new one for comparison as soon as I get a chance. My parents were here, too. I think everyone had a good time, at least I know that I had a great time and I'm glad they were all here.

Oh, I lost 6 more pounds last week, bringing my total since 11/15/2004 to 46 pounds. I would lie to thank my wife, Judy for all of her help. Without her meal preparation and encouragement, I probably wouldn't have made it this far.

Hello 2005!

Well, today finds me with a couple of items on my mind. Let me start with less important and work my way up.

Lasso Football League: This is a Fantasy Football League that I participate in with my dad, my brothers, a nephew, and a couple of friends of the family. Today marks the end of our sixth season and I am playing in the championship game for the sixth time. I won 4 of the previous 5, all but last year when I was dethroned for the first time. I'm hoping to beat my brother Jeff today and regain the title. However, I'm losing at the moment.

The call for 2005: DISCIPLESHIP. Okay, I'll admit that's not very original. You've probably heard it before. I don't even want to call it by that name. I'd rather think of it as trusting and loving God completely. I have been less than successful in this venture in the past. Maybe I never truly aspired to it. It's even possible that I had an inadequate understanding of discipleship. I want my life to be different, starting today. I want to please God. Anything less will be a disappointment, not to Jesus, but to myself. How will this display itself in my life this year? I can only say that I HOPE and pray that it will manifest itself in greater love for all of God's creation, especially for hurting people. I'll keep you updated here.