The Courage to be Known

The Courage to be Known, a discussion by author Curt Thompson of Alexandria VA, speaking at JFBC in late January. Thompson wrote The Anatomy of the Soul and The Soul of Shame.

 

Satan uses shame to defeat us.

 

John 9 the disciples assume sin is the reason the man is blind, either his sin or his parents sin. Instead the man was born blind in order to glorify God. So we too can glorify God in our weakness. We erroneously think God will use our strengths. God doesn’t ask our permission to use us. He wants to work through us.

 

The man had been cast out of his community. Jesus went back to look for him. Having sight brings the need for a new life – what do I do now that I can see? In fact the community was corporately blind. Like our country today – it promotes blindness and shame – loving to isolate those who disagree.

 

Can you think clearly? We need a healer, a minister who can come find me in my shame. In what part of my life has sin taken up residence? What is the forbidden substance I am not tackling in that part of my life?

 

Jesus heals intimately – up close. Sometimes it is uncomfortable. Healing comes with side effects. Not just good news.

 

Children develop shame at 15 months old, listening to the tone of voice. The brain doesn’t pay attention to “just say no to drugs” – a different part of the brain wants drugs. Our inner dialog gets so rote that we eventually don’t need words to tell us “there’s something wrong with me.”    

 

John 21 seven disciples on the beach. Peter denied Jesus. Thomas doubted Jesus. Nathaniel, James, & John. Also two unnamed disciples. Shame reminds us that we are not known at all, or that we’re known for something bad. Peter returned to his old life. Evil does not go away quietly or easily. We don’t want to deal with the bad. We’d rather ignore it. I am not okay – that is what shame says, even when we return to what is familiar, to what I am comfortable with. I can’t get away with what’s wrong with me.

 

Jesus: “I see you haven’t caught any fish.” So often we deal in scarcity. Jesus sees us in our defeat and shame and offers a hand to get out. “Cast your net on the other side.” Suddenly scarcity becomes plenty.    

 

Jesus made them breakfast. Who’s making breakfast for me? We need someone to make us breakfast and talk to us and set us straight. Jesus talks to Peter about his old self. Jesus wants to take away our shame. “Do you love me?” Peter was grieved in his heart. We make up stories and “facts” – this is how we make sense of our past. We hide. Our shame is revealed only if someone comes to find it. Jesus may want to have the conversation publicly. The other disciples there also felt shame. Jesus wanted to deal with it all.

 

If Peter had really loved Jesus he wouldn’t have denied Jesus. We still feel shame even when we ask others for forgiveness. Shame lingers and we must deal with it. Who do I have that will set me free? Jesus says “feed my sheep.” He has work for us to do. Love with vulnerability. We are broken bowls, welded back together with gold. God has more for us to do than just go back to what’s comfortable.  

 

The resurrection should impact our lives more than it does. Why would Jesus ask me “do you love me?” What is the next beautiful thing that God is wanting to create through me?

Dodging Bullets

Almost got in two wrecks yesterday. On the way to work I was merging into the left turn lane on eastbound Jimmy Carter, so I could turn north on Peachtree Industrial. I take this route almost every day. A car came speeding west right toward me, also in the middle turn lane. I had to swerve back right toward the lane I’d just vacated, almost hitting the car that had been tailgating me. Close call.

 

Then at lunch I was headed south on Peachtree Industrial when a light went yellow. The car to my right braked, as did I in the right lane. In my rear view mirror I saw a big white work van swerving from the left lane, across my lane behind me, all the way across to the turn lane to my right. I quickly let off my brake to provide extra room for the van to pass behind without hitting me. The van just missed me. Now in the turn lane at the red light, the van had to turn right into the business park. Then it made a U turn and used the green light to zoom on ahead of me. Guess he was in a hurry.  

 

I like my ham salty.

 

Saw where Trae went for fifty.

 

I haven’t lifted this many weights since high school. Trying to do a little more each time. Running is harder. I’m doing my four miles but hopefully in March I can walk less and run more. At some point I’ll need to move it outside and run in the mornings. The hills will be tough, especially with my hip. I had been walking on an incline but stopped to save wear and tear on my hip. We’ll see.  

 

NCAA Final: Indiana vs Syracuse: the game that Keith Smart hit the winning shot for Indiana. His teammate was Steve Alford.  Before the Damon Bailey era, the greatest player in basketball history. I always remember that game because I was in a hotel in Sidney Ohio, traveling for work. A company had bought Jim Suggs company and was sucking information out of me before shutting it down. Right after I had bought my first house and gotten engaged. But I started at Tull in August and got married in September. Not too much has changed after that.

 

I remember the Villanova/Georgetown national championship because David Deeter and I were volunteering at the Morningside Homeless Shelter that night. I think now he has an office on State Bridge Road near the Avalon.

 

I remember NCAA games at the Omni with South Alabama, LSU, Michigan with coach Steve Fisher and guard Rumeal Robinson. UCLA was the fourth team in the Omni that year. They had a star, but I forgot who. Not sure if LSU had Shaneille O’Neal or Chris Jackson, who changed his name to Matmud Abdul Rauf. Bobby Cremins used to call Shaquille “Shaneille.” Not sure who I went with. Maybe David Hurt or Tom Leuze. Hung around outside the Omni watching Billy Packer prepare to do a live broadcast. He kept complaining that he was missing valuable time inside the arena talking to players.

 

Well I did it. Bought tickets to Steve Martin & Martin Short at Chastain Park. Then I saw where parking is over $100.00. Guess I’ll be learning how to use Uber. Checked two other websites and tickets there were more expensive. Had to wait a couple of minutes for the computer to update. Was scared it would be sold out.

Thursday: C and A left out about 630 for Murfreesboro. This morning they head to Nashville. I lifted weights and dropped off a carload at Goodwill. Watched Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.  

 

Boss brought donuts this morning. He always forces me to eat an apple fritter. Good thing I hadn’t eaten breakfast. Lunch meeting to be catered by Willy’s. I made a taco salad.

 

KEN CAMINITI  [SABR Bio] is the only player to switch-hit home runs in a game three times in a week - 3 Ambi HRs = 16-, 17- & 19-09-1995. He fractured bones in his lower back while deer hunting in the offseason. Fractured 3 lumbar vertebrae falling from a deer blind between the 1999 & 2000 seasons. He only played in 59 G in 2000 for HOU and was traded after that year. His Astro teammates elected him to be their representative during the 1994 players’ union confrontation with ownership. He was loved and respected by teammates and fans alike.

Depth Chart

Before the 2019 season UGA backup QB Justin Fields transferred, leaving the Dawgs without a suitable backup to Jake Fromm. Kirby managed to flip Ohio State commitment D'Wan Mathis (above) to sign with UGA, but after starring in the spring game, Mathis was lost for the season after undergoing brain surgery. 

 

With no viable backup QB in 2019, starter Jake Fromm was unable to run the ball as he had his first two seasons, limiting UGA's offensive play-calling options. Had Fromm gone down with an injury, UGA's championship hopes would've ended at that point. That moment finally came in the SEC Championship Game against LSU. With Fromm leaving for the NFL, the Dawgs won't have a problem with QB depth in 2020:

 

1. Jamie Newman: senior dual threat transfer from Wake Forest

 

2. Carson Beck: top rated Gatorade All-America recruit from Jacksonville

 

3. D'Wan Mathis: redshirt dual threat freshman has been cleared to play. Some have doubts about Mathis' play-making ability, though he adds depth at the position.

 

4. Austin Kirksey: 3 star recruit from Walton High was redshirted last year by at Nevada, joins UGA as a preferred walk-on. Kirksey wanted to be closer to home for family reasons.  

 

5. Stetson Bennett: last year's backup got seasoning at a junior college in 2018.  

 

6. Brock Vandagriff, another top-rated high school QB from Prince Avenue Christian School in Athens, will be a freshman in 2021.

 

https://www.mdjonline.com/cobb_football_friday/austin-kirksey-leaving-nevada-for-georgia/article_5ca2f3ba-0bce-11ea-bdea-d3e0369410df.html

 

These days college players come and go as they please. Two other UGA QB's came and went with little fanfare. Glad I didn't have such a vagabond college experience.

 

Matthew Downing: former Alpharetta High QB signed as a preferred walk-on in 2018. He later transferred from UGA to TCU.

 

https://www.ajc.com/news/local/from-north-fulton-preferred-walk-for-uga-bulldogs/xRQe2KUMNO7wOLM0RjpATP/

 

Parker McLeod, another former Walton QB, signed with Bama, enrolled at UGA and walked on. McLeod left after one season when Jake Fromm was recruited. He later resurfaced at Western Kentucky.

 

https://www.dawgnation.com/football/team-news/georgia-loses-another-walk-quarterback

 

Big night for UGA and GT. Getting the hopes up for all those GT fans. Duke suffered their worst loss to an unranked opponent in the Coach K era.

 

My treadmill at the gym last night didn't have TV coverage, so I wasn't able to watch basketball when I was there. Ran my four miles listening to my Michael Crichton book. My new sneakers delivered last night so I will wear them to the gym tonight. Ceil couldn't believe I was wearing them in the rain, but its not like I'll be tromping through the mud.

 

For the record I am down six pounds as well, but today was a good day. Been fluctuating all year.

 

C continued to clear out stuff in the living and dining room. I cleared out some boxes from the garage, so we're continuing to head in the right direction. C baked a chicken, fixed sour cream potatoes, and tossed a salad. Watched New Amsterdam and Schooled. M went rock wall climbing in Midtown.

 

This evening C and A are driving to Murfreesboro. A has a job interview in Nashville tomorrow. They're coming back tomorrow night. I'll have to be stopping by the grocery store.

 

WILLIE McGEE His .353 batting average is the second-highest single-year mark by a switch-hitter in modern National League history - hit .353 in 1985 for STL, only exceeded by Chipper Jones's .364 in 2008. The last time anyone on that team had more hits than he did that year, was 1971 - McGee had 216 H in 1985. Joe Torre had 230 H in 1971. Only one STL player has even reached 200 in a season since '85—Albert Pujols w/212 in 2003. Among switch-hitters, only he and Pete Rose have more than one batting title. Also won in 1990 batting .335 for STL even though in his final 29 G that year, he played for OAK having been traded for Felix Jose, Stan Royer.& minor leaguer Daryl Green.

Salads & Shame

More shame: yesterday Paul at Uni Watch received plenty of accolades for his post about shame. Many agreed that morals and ethics are in decline, but no one attributed the decline to our society turning its back on God (until I summoned the courage). Today Denison hit the nail on the head:   

 

Denison: "…our secularized culture has shifted from rights as "sacred" to rights as "self-evident." As a result, 74 percent of millennials and 77 percent of those with no faith believe that "whatever is right for your life or works best for you is the only truth you can know"; only 41 percent of practicing Christians agree. Conversely, 83 percent of practicing Christians believe "the Bible provides us with moral truths which are the same for all people in all situations, without exception"; only 56 percent of millennials and 27 percent of those with no faith agree."

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/the-leaning-tower-of-dallas-and-dwayne-wade-on-his-childs-gender-when-sacred-rights-became-self-evident/?utm_source=The+Daily+Article&utm_campaign=f4b7983e92-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_16_05_39_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_51f776a552-f4b7983e92-275051929&mc_cid=f4b7983e92&mc_eid=994fc5af9a

Looks like the tomahawk chop is an issue that isn't going away. Indian tribes are on record as being offended by the chop. If you say "I don't see a problem" you haven't been paying attention. Liberals are protesting. Redneck Braves fans are adamant that they will do the chop. If games weren't televised who would know? The Braves have made the chop part of their culture, selling foam tomahawks and holding events called Chop Fest and #ChopOn. They got the tomahawk on their jersey. I thought they might distance themselves from the tomahawk chop when they moved from Turner Field to SunTrust Park, but they kept on chopping. The Braves continue to sell merchandise with the laughing Indian head logo.   

 

The world we live in: glad NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is awake and walking following his Daytona 500 crash on Monday. Fans were complaining because NASCAR and the Newman family weren't completely transparent, giving full-disclosure up-to-the-minute updates on the health of the injured driver. What ever happened to privacy? Next of kin didn't need to get bad news through social media. Plus with injuries like this are hard for doctors to quickly and correctly diagnose and treat serious injuries. It would've been easy for incorrect information to get out - then fans would've been mad about that. Nice for fans to care, but sometimes the gory details are none of their business.       

 

Tracking in two UPS shipments: my sneakers arrived today, and my backpack is arriving Friday from California.

 

Saturday September 19: UGA@Bama. Braves@Phillies. UCF@GT. Akron@Clemson. And at the Chastain Park Amphitheater: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Paul Schaffer, and a special guest (maybe David Letterman?). Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 am.

 

Eater Atlanta's list of good salads around town:

 

gusto! 4945 Peachtree Blvd Chamblee

 

Souper Jenny 4274 Peachtree Road in Brookhaven, Westside on Huff Road, or historic Roswell.

 

Flower Child in Around Lenox or Sandy Springs

 

Bones BLT Salad 3130 Piedmont

 

King + Duke wooden bowl salad 3060 Peachtree

 

KarmaFarm 54 Pharr Road

 

Chopt Creative Salad Co may be the best option 2935 N Druid Hills or Buckhead or Ansley Park

 

Superica house salad (ensalada se la casa)

 

Little Rey La Superica salad 1878 Piedmont

 

Redbird kale salad 1198 Howell Mill

 

Falafel Nation chopped salad 1170 Howell Mill

 

Upbeet 1071 Howell Mill (pricey)

 

Saltwood Charcuterie & Bar in the Lowes Atlanta Hotel in Midtown 1065 Peachtree all you can eat salad bar

 

Farm Burger 410 W Ponce de Leon & six other locations

 

Botiwalla in Ponce City Market. Also "an outpost" in Alpharetta. Eater Atlanta's intown attitude can take a hike.

 

Pancake Social's PS Salad at 675 Ponce de Leon

 

Ticonderoga Club: cobb salad in Krog Street Market

 

Nina & Rafi: pizzeria salad 661 Auburn Ave

 

Fogo de Chao has a humongo salad bar as well, but...

 

Tuesday: battled rain and traffic to get to the gym. Realized I'd forgotten to charge my watch battery so I couldn't record my workout. Lifted more weights than any time since high school.

 

Left the gym and realized my shorts were on backwards. Mailed a box (finally). Watched Parenthood until C came home from her Tuesday night women's ministry, then more of Carol's Second Act and Hallmark Channel.

 

Went to bed but forgot to take my watch off the charger, so my decent night's sleep wasn't recorded. Didn't wake up until 625. Barely made it to work on time.

For Shame

Shame: every day I try to read Uni Watch, the daily blog about uniforms. The blog founder is very adamant about having things his way, and if you don't like it you're welcome to go someplace else. He's not much younger than me, and has lived in NYC his whole life. I certainly don't agree with everything he says.

 

Today he departed from uniforms and wrote a long column about the Astros, and the lack of shame in society these days.  I read with interest. As I expected he did not mention how American society is pulling further and further away from God, which is certainly a root cause of the issue. One commenter did say how the issue relates to the Book of Matthew chapter 5, which his pastor had recently preached on.

 

Come to think of it, I think the Uni Watch guy (Paul)'s point was that the Astros shouldn't have cheated due to the shame they'd endure for being caught. Nothing about not cheating because Jesus said to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Paul is Jewish, so cheating would violate the Ten Commandments. Nothing about the real basis for morals. Paul says shame "is how we self-police our society, how we temper our concern for ourselves with concern for how others see us…how we develop a conscience, how we develop social guardrails to help keep our behavior from careening off course." This may be true about shame, but shame is a shallow reason to behave correctly, to not sin. Later some commenters said this same thing.

 

Mark Twain said "Man is the only animal that blushes – or needs to." When they sinned, Adam & Eve were filled with shame, covering themselves and hiding from God.  

 

 

My sister tagged me with a thrift store article, suggesting a 2-1/2 hour route to visit eight thrift stores all around the metro area (not including browsing time). Not the best use of my time. A few stores I need to visit if I'm in the area, but not worth the drive just to thrift. Of the eight stores listed, I am familiar with several:

 

Park Ave Thrift 9740 Main Street Woodstock. Prices are cheap but this is where they send the junk that doesn't sell in their regular thrift stores. Much better: Park Ave at Bells Ferry & 92, Park Ave in East Cobb, or Park Ave in Duluth.

 

Furkids Holcomb Bridge: small & cramped. On my way home, but not worth the visit. Better: the Goodwill just across the river.

 

Last Chance 2935 N Decatur Road. I'll have to check it out next time we go to the Farmers Market.

 

Out of the Closet 1858 Cheshire Bridge. Near the Piedmont Road Goodwill. Next door to Atlanta HIV Testing.

 

Buffalo Exchange 1057 Ponce de Leon. Next door to the Majestic Diner.

 

Rag-o-rama 1111 Euclid Ave. In Little Five Points. Been there. Nice selection, but pricey.

 

Value Village 1899 Metropolitan Parkway SW. I frequent the VV near the Big Chicken, which is good. Eleven Atlanta locations? Shut up.

 

Clothes Less Traveled 459 Ga Hwy 74 Peachtree City. Too far away. Thrift stores are for finding needles in haystacks. Not worth a two hour drive out of my way through traffic.

 

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/georgia/bargain-hunters-road-trip-best-thrift-stores-ga/?fbclid=IwAR2ZVhocGU353wr5dn5Qx0wULLbv3g8AYBuWJIapk2gQKJ8ZqbRXFB-el6M

 

A better plan: hit several thrift stores located in the same area. Near the Big Chicken there are several: Value Village, Atlanta Union Mission, Park Avenue, Goodwill, and 3 or 4 smaller shops. I usually skip smaller shops because there's less selection, and less of a chance to find something good. I don't want to spend a lot of time thrifting, breezing through a store in five minutes.  

 

In Roswell there is Value Village, Salvation Army, two Goodwills, and North Fulton Community Charities. Plus some smaller stores.

 

Woodstock: Goodwill, two Park Avenues, and the Lassiter Goodwill and Bells Ferry Goodwills aren't far away.

 

Duluth: Goodwill, Salvation Army, Park Avenue, and some smaller shops. The Johns Creek Goodwill is on the northern home. Lately though I've been driving straight to the gym after work. I sure don't need any more clothes, shoes, or bobbleheads anyway.

 

 

BBQ: Socks Love BBQ in Cumming is supposed to be good

 

Monday: Ceil's schools are off this week so she worked around the house. Also in the yard pruning plants. C went to the gym early to take a class. After work I changed clothes and went to the gym. Ran my four miles in a decent time. Stopped by the bank on the way home. Watched The Neighborhood and several episodes of Carol's Second Act. Then a little Parenthood.

 

On the way to work this AM I stopped by the Peachtree Corners post office but the machine wasn't working. So at lunch I went out in the rain to the Duluth PO and that machine was broken (as is the east Roswell PO). Long line in Duluth so I backtracked to Peachtree Corners, where there was a long line as well. Gave up and stopped by Taco Bell. A wasted lunch hour. At the Post Office I like to use the self service machine, which weighs your box and prints out the postage sticker. More and more of them these days are broken. Kinda like the McFlurry machine at McDonalds. Need to print out my own postage at home, but that's too high-tech for me.    

 

GEORGE SISLER  [SABR Bio] is the only player to win an MVP playing for the St. Luis Browns - 1922 MVP. The Browns existed for just over 50 years but Sisler was their only MVP. Sisler's record of 257 H stood for more than 80 years until Ichiro Suzuki stroked 262 in 2004. Sisler hit .420 in in his MVP season of 1922. No first baseman has ever had a higher season batting average.

True Lies

I normally don’t comment on social media about political issues, but Saturday a friend shared an article about the White House announcing the US had reduced CO2 emissions more than any other country. Then his “friend” shared a different article, saying her article had “actual numbers” that disproved the first article’s claim. The friend said she “preferred the truth” over the President’s “lies.”

 

Her National Geographic article looked interesting to me, so I read it. Evidently  the friend hadn’t. NG had ranked countries not on reduced emissions but on the plans they’d made to stay below NG’s arbitrary baseline. Countries scored higher not based on results (reduced emissions) but by how good their plan was.  The NG article included graphs showing the increases and reductions in CO2 emissions various countries had made in 2019.

 

The NG graphs clearly showed the US had reduced emissions more than any other the country. Instead of disproving the President’s “lies” the friend had proved him correct! In fact the three highest-ranked countries with the best plans all had increased CO2 emissions over the previous year. Evidently National Geographic is more concerned with plans than results.

 

Analogy: what if the show The Biggest Loser awarded contestants not on who lost the most weight, but who presented the best diet plan? And then the three winning contestants with the best diet plans didn’t even lose weight, but actually gained weight instead?

 

Moral: just because someone shares an article to prove a point, doesn’t mean the article says what the person purports. Fake news!

 

https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/environment/2019/09/climate-change-report-card-co2-emissions

Did you see Trae Young in the future stars game Friday night? Was dribbling between his legs, then dribbled between his defender’s legs, cutting past his defender for a shot in the lane. Saturday night Young came in last in the three point shootout. Sunday night Young tallied a double double, ten points and assists.  

 

Friday evening we drove down to Howell Mill and ate at La Fonda. Arrived and there was one unoccupied table. It was a big table, but a couple was finishing up at a booth, so we sat there. We both ordered chicken quesadillas with beans and rice. C cut her Q in half. I was eating my side dishes first, then went to cut my Q in half. C said to eat her other half, so we would up taking my Q and her beans & rice home.

 

Then we drove a couple of blocks to Westside Provisions for Jeni’s Ice Cream. I had brambleberry crisp, pineapple upside down cake, and cinnamon roll ice cream. We were stuffed. Back home to plop on the couch. Worked on my blog post, then forgot to actually click on the post button. Also ordered a backpack (in black, not blue) and the crazy Puma sneakers.

 

Saturday morning small group. Joe had seen my tweet of the group in the snow. Back home where we cleaned out upstairs. I also cleaned out in the attic, did laundry, and folded clothes. Later I drove C over to the Dekalb Farmers Market. Heavy traffic both ways. Back home C fixed homemade pizza. Later we watched a Christmas movie, and the slam dunk competition.    

 

Since it was so nice on Saturday, Anna was riding around with her sun roof open. Then she forgot to close the sun roof, and overnight it rained and got her seats all wet.

 

Sunday School and church. Afterwards I drove C to Perimeter Mall. Tried on the Puma sneakers I’d ordered and quizzed a young Foot Locker employee about them. Home to eat leftovers for lunch, and a nap. C visited M at Whole Foods. I watched golf and Parenthood. A new character was introduced, who happened to be in the Christmas movie we’d watched (and General Hospital).

 

Then more laundry and Hallmark movies. Turkey chili for sup. Worked on my laptop. Kept nodding off so I went to bed at 9:45.

 

Croak-a-virus: serious stuff I say. Could effect Chinese economy (already effecting travel). This could affect world economy, which includes the US, if you’re still paying attention. A recession could affect the golf industry (and the November elections, don’tchaknow), which could affect my customer, which in turn could affect my job. If I don’t die first. Since this is all about me.   

   

DON SUTTON was the first pitcher to amass 100 strikeouts in each of 20 straight, consecutive seasons in a row - 100K = 1966-1985. He attended institutions of higher learning in Florida, Mississippi and California. Sutton’s colleges: Gulf Coast Community College (Panama City, FL), Mississippi College (Clinton, MS), University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), Whittier College (Whittier, CA) His nickname was acquired by Stanley in New England. The eponymous company from which his nickname is derived, Black & Decker merged with Stanley Works to become Stanley Black & Decker headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut. 

Puma = Nike?

Perhaps many sneaker companies offer a wide variety of styles,

but Puma is giving Nike a run for their money in the looks department.

Right now I'm being inundated with Puma ads,

and decided to post just a few of my favorites.  

Looking forward to getting in my new pair of RS-X3's.

The colors aren't as bright in person.

I'm liking the cushioning. The pair below is just too blue.

Ralph Sampson wore Pumas back in the 80's, and is still sponsored by them. His shoes come in a wide range of colors.

 Sampsons in black black.

My old pair of white Puma Californias finally fell apart.
As did my old red pair. Both were really old.

 Similar to Nike.

 My Hokas are working out well. Never had as much cushioning.

Obscure Jersey: 1982

 

Cool jersey: 1982 home #37 Rick Camp. One of the few Atlanta Braves jerseys I don’t own. Camp hit the epic July 4th home run in extra innings against the Mets. Anyone could get an 82 Murphy or Niekro or even Horner, but Camp is a folk hero. Or #27 Pascual Perez. #20 Bruce Benedict. #17 Glenn Hubbard. #9 Joe Torre.  

 

That virus worries me. Haven’t read a bunch but it sounds scary. Lady next to me who goes on cruises and tracks Delta flights – her parents Far East cruise got cut short due to the virus. They’re flying into tonight from Singapore. Plus Atlanta is going to be a quarantine center. Some say the virus was developed as a weapon and either got out accidentally or on purpose, against Christians or Muslims. This is getting too close for comfort. But God is in control. 

 

Ceil is busy. Now working four days a week. Ministry on Tuesday night. Goes to Sunday School meetings. Our class is starting a new ministry at a local apartment complex loaded with international families and children, and she’s been over there for that. She joined the Y but until I started going only went once a week. She did decide to not join a small group. Ceil’s schools are off next week. Not sure if she’s going to SC.  

 

Rumor: there may be some early planning going on for a Chapel Choir reunion. You didn’t hear it from me. I would do a sanctuary choir reunion as well.

 

Thursday: left work at 530 after a big order came in at 505. To the gym. Lifted weights for an hour. C was at a friend’s house. Fixed quesadillas. Watched New Amsterdam, Chicago Med, and Last Man Standing.

 

Decided on a backpack. Everything I have is black, which is sometimes hard to see. Backpack will be navy and grey, one of my favorite color combinations. Unless I cave and order black. I’m getting cold feet on the colorful sneakers. I have plenty of black sneakers and a few white sneakers. Also red. These I’m thinking about are red white and blue.

 

Looks like I will only run one day this week. Don’t think I need to be running every day right now. Still get sore from the running but not too bad. I think right now the lifting weights is doing my body just as good if not better than the running.

 

Friday: lunch meeting catered by Jason’s Deli. Sandwiches, salad, pasta salad, pickles, chips, cookies, birthday cake. I skipped the pasta and chips. Also CFA biscuits for breakfast. La Fonda and Jenis Ice Cream. I figured Taqueria will be too busy.

 

Saturday: small group, housework, laundry, Dekalb Farmers Market, and the movie The Engagement Clause, aka Married By Christmas.