It’s Monday again.  Time to start over – again.  Time to look back at the week gone by and make changes in the days to come.  Our world is filled with angst, hatred, fear and anxiety.  How can we endure another week of the same?

Looking at last week there were moments of excitement as we celebrated the birth of our nation.  During the same week, our president continued to be slandered as he has been since the days before his election.  He traveled the world to discuss peace with our enemies yet was downgraded by his own people.  Some things never change and politics is one of them.  Our president is doing things to stir up the swamp and his opponents can’t stand it.

We endured some heavy air, humidity and rain, but the grass, trees and flowers are loving it. Everything is exploding with beautiful color and birds are singing more than usual.

With only one rehearsal last week, I’m a little concerned about my upcoming performance and praying that Alzheimer’s doesn’t set in this week.  Today we begin tech week and the addition of set, costume pieces, lights, etc., which are known to confuse actors.

We spent a quiet day in the air conditioning on the 4th of July, went to bed before the fireworks started and were awakened by the noise shortly after falling asleep.  Sometimes it’s a good thing to be a little deaf.

The week was capped off with an overnight road trip to honor special friends on their 25th anniversary. The unique thing about this celebration is that the groom was our first pastor when we moved to Minneapolis.  His first wife passed.  She went to heaven leaving her husband alone to raise 5 children.  Twenty five years ago, he married again.  Needless to say, walking into an established family had its ups and downs, but together, with the Lord beside them, they flourished and will continue to do so.

We finished the weekend by taking the scenic drive home through the hill country of Lacrosse, Wisconsin. This area is lined with beautiful bluffs and the winding Mississippi River.  We traveled with another set of dear friends who also took care of our accommodations.  We are indeed blessed.

It’s Monday again.  The sun is shining.  We have another week to look forward to.  We could look at it as just another week loaded with problems and troubles, or we could give thanks for the blessings that will come from it.  It isn’t going to be perfect.  It is going to carry new challenges and even some obstacles that might change our lives, but we can be confident that Jesus has already paid the price for our salvation.  We aren’t guaranteed a perfect life in this world.  There are going to be hiccups along the way – there may even be earthquakes – but no matter how much trouble we face, we know that eventually we will be in paradise with Jesus, because He overcame the world, our sin and the devil.