• Bought a couple of books.

  [Hit 'REPEAT' button... sigh...]

• So little progress--a thousand sets/sources of demands/needs/frustration... I keep buying books, hoping to leverage these for the topics I am far behind on (e.g. the big family piece, the friend crisis, Cities/Libera--not to mention day-job work projects... another piece on the proportionality of punishment ...sigh/smile/"eyes look to heaven here") ... trying to make sense out of this holding pattern, but don't have the wherewithal to do so--LOL...

  [Hit 'STOP REPEAT']

  "and the current "Acute recurrent maxillary sinusitis" isn't helping much either -- sigh/smile... "

  This was dealt with by surgery earlier this summer -- but two more popped up within a week of that! ... it will be a 3-surgery summer by the end of August... These are not really a source of anxiety, but merely irritations.

  But the effect of 'irritations' on me is generally worse than anxiety. Anxiety will drive me to the Lord; 'irritations' offend my self-interest sensibilities (lol) -- I am 'entitled' to 'serving the Lord' without 'interruptions' (as if I alone am exempt from having to pick up and be impeded by a huge wooden cross DAILY--lol).

  I so quickly fall into 'selfishness' when things go 'un-interrupted by life'... How our Lord dealt with the massive number of interruptions during His 3-ish years of early ministry escapes me...sigh. But I have some pre-hope ... God seems to be feeding a little more energy into me lately... we will see what He does/gives/empowers/inflames...

  I turn 70 next year, and for a person of my demographics--in the current state of the USA I live in -- my life expectancy is 78.14 years (so much for my 'ten year plan', eh? LOL). Only 2 places in the US have a longer expectancy, with Washington DC hitting 83.4 years. So, my plan is--when I reach 77.5 years in THIS state, to move to Washington DC and pick up those extra 4-5 years to work on the Tank (LOL!)

  That's the power of statistics for you -- they can even extend your life span.... smile.

  Anyway, in case the appropriate people are reading this, I want to THANK YOU for your emails of encouragement and 'hang in there' exhortations and stories of being able to benefit from past writings. They trickle in--generally at a moment of despair or the start of a self-pity party (God's timing has always been a source of delight and humor to me) or a resignation to "give up for the rest of the day/night"... I pray on each of those occasions that our good-hearted God will bless YOU, the source of blessing to Me --

  I hope to update my prayer requests in the next day or two... so maybe check back later this week?

May 7/2019