Serve by Design

I enjoyed a special breakfast meeting this week with a couple of dear friends at one of our favorite restaurants. It had been a few years since we had all been together with each other in person. The three of us slid into the booth and the conversation immediately commenced. For what seemed like a few minutes, but spanned a couple of hours, we chatted, laughed, and shared life with each other! We just picked up where we last left off! I have repeatedly over the years experienced this gift and dynamic of true friendship! Image credit: vecteezy.com During this same week, I had conversations with three other friends. One said, “I sure do miss our small group meetings!” Another commented, “I so appreciate everyone’s prayers on my behalf!” And another newer friend suggested, “Why don’t we get together soon? I want to run some things by you!” My life is rich with such friendships! I find relational value in each encounter! I need that regular relational connection and I sense my friends need

I’m still processing an experience at the recent St. Louis Auto Show. I have been attending this annual event for years now. We (including sons, grandsons, and granddaughters too!) always combined this with a visit to a nearby eatery. These days we have been gathering around the long table at our beloved Snarf’s sandwich shop located downtown on Washington Avenue! Snarf’s fresh bread and handcrafted sandwiches never fail to satisfy our pre-show appetites! This would be my ride if I was buying! But, maybe not red! 😉 The show this year, however, was less than satisfying! It was lackluster and disappointing. There seemed to be fewer cars than the four hundred advertised. We were able to navigate the usual brands on display in about an hour. There wasn’t any special vibe concerning any vehicle. Some had exotic exterior colors like a powdered blue Bronco or a gaudy pink as seen on the C1 Corvette in the Barbie movie. These paint jobs seemed more appropriate for a retro kitchen appliance!

Our daughter, Michelle, has undertaken another enterprise of late that has me singing her praises! She has learned how to make homemade sourdough bread and it is delicious! I have already been eating my fair share since receiving a sample loaf just a few days ago. I immediately processed it into thinly sliced servings and bagged them for the freezer. I told Monique that I was ensuring its freshness, but the real reason behind my madness was to discourage me from eating more than my daily allotment! Sourdough bread from the   Happy Heart💗Home Bakery! I love bread and have often said about it, “Carbs are a killer in our diets!” If there has been one carbohydrate that has challenged my target weight over the years, I believe it has been bread. This isn’t scientific, but just a hunch on my part! Maybe, it is me playing the blame game! The facts always surprise me and if you read around the subject, you will find assertions to the contrary. For example, Natalie Rizzo, a registered dietitia

This past week, we just concluded the season on the Christian calendar referred to as Twelfthtide or the 12 Days of Christmas. One of our pastors reminded us on Sunday, New Years Eve, that technically, Christmas was not yet over! I suspect that he had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he addressed primarily the youth and children and suggested that they could still take advantage of this in the remaining days leading up to Epiphany on January 6th!😉  "This was marked down and I couldn't pass it up!" Marc texted. What was your favorite gift of the Christmas season? What gift did you give to another that received a special response? I doubt that it was a fruitcake! Am I right? Just a few days ago, I received a picture and text from our good-humored son, Marc. He was weighing in after Christmas as to why he was able to just now purchase a discounted fruitcake at the local Texas HEB grocery store. I teased him by responding, “You do know why it was discounted, don’t you?!

Our eldest son, Matt, works out regularly at a locally owned gym in west county St. Louis. It has a curious focal wall inside that features the company’s logo against a background of honeycombs. I had to look at a picture of the wall for quite a while before I caught on to the genius of it all. We all know bees are busy, industrious, and sometimes stinging creatures. But did you know how remarkable it is that they build waxy trays of hexagons into which they deposit and store their sweet and delicious honey? Photo credit: The Iron Hive www.theironhive.com Experienced beekeepers will tell you that those multiple thousands of honey-filled hexagon cells are sturdy, enduring, and do not waste any storage space. They are also able to sustain a lot of weight when the hive is at capacity. In addition, the smooth edges protect the larvae from sharp punctures. Overall, this design suits the bees perfectly. Which brings me back to why this logo and background are perfect for a setting promoting