Good Morning 2008

Happy New Year! It is a beautiful Tuesday morning complete with cool temps and sunshine. Roy and I actually stayed up and made it to midnight to greet the new year. The fact that I was asleep by 12:03 am means nothing other than I was tired after having such a fun last day of 2007.



Before I get to that I have to tell you about an emailed New Year's card I received yesterday. It was from Soft Surroundings. I have ordered several things from their catalog and LOVE everything I have ordered. But they sent this wish. Now on first reading which I did skimming, I thought how nice. Then I re-read it... uh Robin, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't seem to have trouble with putting myself first. It is not that difficult. Now don't get me wrong, it helps to have ourselves in order, to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is putting God first in our lives and doing that in His strength. His way seems to be the way to have peace and bliss. Well, I am not too sure of the concept of bliss.



December 31, 2007 was a totally fun day. Got to sleep in and ease into the morning. Much to my surprise, I got a call from a non phone friend and we talked for almost an hour. There wasn't a reason for the call or something that needed to be discussed or decided upon, it was just a call to visit. How refreshing and surprising. Now, I don't think that she has turned into a phone intensive person, but it was nice to have that easy going conversation on the last day of the year.



Then I met Lisa up in her office. When I say up, I mean up...on the 6th floor. I am not a fan of elevators, especially the south tower elevators. Someone is always getting stuck on Sundays in one of them. Of course, my least favorite elevator came. So, I sent it on up to the 5th floor and then punched the button again. Dang it, the same elevator came back to get me. I don't like that elevator cause the light is burned out telling you what floor you are passing. I gave her a tardy Christmas gift and an early birthday gift. We had such fun in the midst of her finishing up work and answering calls. We decided we MUST go to lunch and Mexican food be the MUST HAVE food of choice. She has never been to Los Cucos, so that is where we decided to go. I called Dena to see if she wanted to join us. You have to love the girl, she was still in her jammies at 12:50 pm. We all met up and had a grand time of talking and laughing. Much laughter which is really a good workout for stomach muscles. From time to time I would look at others who were dining and from the look on their faces, they thought we had started an early celebration of the New Year. We were not drunk as they supposed, we were filled with ice tea, salsa, chips, chicken, and friendship. Our lunch began around 1:20 and at 4:30 we adjourned vowing to meet up another day. I couldn't believe we had been there that long. I had told Peggy I would be out to their home around 4:00.



On my way home, I called Roy to see if he was at a stopping point. He had not planned to go to Bill and Peggy's because of work, but my long lunch changed my arrival time, so he decided to go. So, we were on the way to the Bains around 5:30. Roy had to be in the office because of year end close. Yesterday morning I had to be online ordering year end clothes. I told him yesterday we both had the same interest in year endings, only the spelling was different. Of course you can see how opposite he and I are.



We had a blast at the Bains. Jenny and Shannon are in town, so many of their friends were there. They happen to be my friends as well since I work or have worked with most of them either as volunteers or on staff at church. We sat around the chips and dip, fruit and snacks and laughed ourselves silly. From time to time one of the braver men would come over to join the conversation, but they didn't last long with football beckoning them back to the TV. Roy says, we girls change subjects so fast it is hard to keep up with us. He has decided we all talk in code and have our own language when we get together. Roy and I left once Auburn has secured the victory over Clemson. Becky and Charlie are happy with that win. Go War Eagle! I learned last night, war eagle is not plural. With Roy being an LSU man, he does find it difficult to cheer on a SEC opponent, but he loves Charlie and Becky, so friendship won him over, at least for this one game.



When we got home, 30 minutes later, we were happy that we had not missed the guy on a dirt bike trying to break a world's record.



I thought I would include this picture. It was taken without a flash in front of the display by CourtneyS mom's home. I almost deleted it without even thinking, but really the picture can represent what happens in life. Roy and I standing there together in the midst of chaos around us. Only when the picture was taken, we didn't see all the lights and decorations like the picture's chaos . But when looking back at this picture, like we do in life, we see all that was going on in with a different focus. There in the midst of standing strong, God is here giving us a future and a hope. Hope I am the first of many to reference Jeremiah 29:11 in the New Year for you.



This morning over coffee, Roy and I talked about happenings of the past few weeks, what could have been done differently, thankful for how things turned out and praising God for His faithfulness. Like Dena, Lisa and I were saying at lunch...His mercies are new every morning and somewhere in the world right now, it is morning. (you know how people use the statement when they want a cocktail before 5:00, that somewhere in the world it is 5:00 pm) I don't know where you find yourself on the first day of 2008, but this truth is trustworthy and true, God's new mercies are always there, always abundant and always for the good.



Happy New Year dear friends!!!!