gems

We got to talking after breakfast on the lawn in front of the suite. He was from Cincinatti, Ohio. Been married for 46 years. He was up in Chicago to watch his grandson in a baseball competition and to visit an uncle. Al and I chatted about our lives and the gnarly traffic and martial tensions. Mostly laughing about the circumstances. I met his son-in-law Farley and we parted ways by shaking hands. I felt a whole lot better. Thank you Jesus for bringing the friendship Al and Farley to me this morning.

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As my load of laundry spun dry this morning, I sat on the floor with my nose in a book. As a painter myself I enjoyed following the Impressionists, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec,  Edouard Manet, Camile Pisarro, and the new kid on the block, Lucien Lessard. This morning there was something about the blue pigments that made Vincent Van Gogh lose his concentration. There was some thought that the lead in paint poisoned a number of artists. Hmm. Sacre Blue was many things in the book. A puzzle for sure. And the dying artists all had their paths crossed by the colorman. Clever and funny. Good stuff.

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The clerks at the Schaumburg gas station said the day had been quite busy for them. As I lingered at the door I shouted to them, "Blessings to you!" To which, one of the clerks said, "Yes, I need that. Thank you, thank you." Pausing at his response I replied, "Double blessings!" Then, walking over to the counter I stretched my hand out to shake his hand. And the fellow said to me, "Do it the Hindu way." He took my hand, leaned his head forward, and placed my hand on top of his head. "Do it the Hindu way." And he received it as A BLESSING. I was humbled and amazed, Jesus. How cool was that.

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