Welcome to Friday August 25 2023

Celebrate God all day, every day. — Philippians 4:4 MSG

Welcome to Friday!

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease

 - Lamentations 3:22

Hello.  It's me.  How are you doing?  How are things going with you?  How was your week?  I hope that you are doing well and that you had a great week.  In fact, I hope that you have had a great couple of weeks since we last wrote.  If the last few weeks have had their challenges, I'm so sorry to hear that, but I'm believing and praying that the weeks ahead will be stronger, better, and more full of love and joy.

We are back to school.  Yes, the girls have all started back to school.  Ava, Paige, and Emma have actually been in school for over two weeks now.  

Ava seems to be adjusting well to the new school year. I'm cautiously optimistic that this could be a great year for her.  She has a few teachers that she isn't the most fond of, but she seems to get enough entertainment out of the teacher to not be bothered by the other aspects of the class.  And get this, I heard her practicing her cello at home with the door open last night.  That's big.  Especially since the "not so fond of" teacher is the Orchestra instructor.  So far so good, but keep the prayers coming and the encouragement pouring her way.  

Emma is doing well.  She likes her teacher and her classmates.  We went to meet the teacher and we both walked away more encouraged than we were last year.  Her teacher is part hippie, and very encouraging of the kids in the fifth grade making this a bridge kind of year.  She let them pick their seats, at least for the first few weeks, and she has been slowly introducing them back to school and the rigors of school work.  Emma has also joined the strings group.  She decided to play viola instead of cello. I do think she was surprised when she saw how big it was.  I think she was planning to carry something smaller, but no luck.  She starts that class in a couple of weeks.  She did tell me that she likes the idea of taking Strings, but she was hoping that she could also take Art class.  I think I'll try to stop by the school and see if it is possible for her to swap Music and Art.  Or as Emma says, I'm already doing Music so they can put me in Art.

Paige is doing well.  She has started her big senior year.  She is currently very excited and doing well.  Her schedule has a few tougher classes, but she is off to a good start.  She isn't in orchestra class this year.  That was quite a fiasco.  The school couldn't seem to get the schedule right.  I have quite the bone to pick with the guidance department.  First they didn't put her in the one class she actually wanted to take, and then they put her in the wrong version of the one class she needs to graduate.  In the end they settled for a schedule that makes no sense.  I guess I was more annoyed by the way the school would not answer our emails, choosing to "work with Paige" on her final schedule.  Last I checked she was still a minor.  Anyway, schedule aside she is good.  She has culinary and the required classes to graduate so that is the most important part.  She also drives herself to school on the days when I don't have to go into the office.  That's only been a couple of times so far, but she seems to enjoy it and has done well.  Her driving is improving as a result.  She is getting more confident and better at navigating traffic and merging.  This past Friday she even drove herself to the football game.  Our next milestone is completing a few more college applications and completing those scholarship essays as well.

Gabbi and Sydney started school this week.  We moved Sydney into school last Sunday.  She has a nice on/off camplus place.  It is off campus in the sense that it isn't technically on the campus.  But it is on campus in the sense that it is a part of UofSC housing.  I think that is why it is so much nicer than the apartments that are nearby, but not a part of the University.  While moving Sydney in we bumped into one of our friends from high school.  I hadn't seen him since I graduated from high school and he came home from the Navy.  Sydney's move in went pretty smooth.  She's off to an interesting start to the semester.  You'll have to ask her about her start.  I haven't had my check-in with Gabbi now that classes have started.  My check-in came before school when I bumped into her while out for a walk during lunch.  She was her car driving to her campus job and I was walking on the opposite sidewalk.  It was kind of cool.  Even more when I add that just before seeing her, I had this feeling that either her or Sydney were nearby.

Cassarra is doing well.  She has a new role at work.  It is a lateral move in terms of the org chart, but it is actually a promotion in terms of who she is working for and what area she is now working in.  She is really coming along and learning a lot of skills at a rapid pace.  She seems to enjoy the job and is really good with seeing things in the processes and people.  She has tons of funny stories, and of course being in a supervisor role she has the not so funny ones.  Last week she had a week that was kind of draining, I guess, because we both wished Tuesday was actually Friday.

Trish is doing well.  She is getting everyone back into the morning and school routines.  That seems to be taking a bit longer than previous years.  I think part of that is because the end of the summer snuck up on us more than usual.  We have the night routines working pretty well.  The girls seem to be good with getting to bed... mostly... but the waking up is still a work in progress for all of us.  Other than getting the routines together she's been working on some hobbies and trying to figure out what's next for her coursework.  

I'm doing well.  I had a long, long week.  Our office is downsizing due to a number of things, but mostly because we decided to go remote when the pandemic started and hired people outside of Columbia.  With 1/3 of the software developers working in other locations, having a huge office space no longer made financial sense.  Part of my job this month has been supervising the construction and making decisions on adjustments and plans.  That has been fun at times, but frustrating.  For example, having to meet the contractors before 8am only for them to say they are running late and will be there at 10.  Here I am breaking land speed records to get to the office after dropping Emma off at school and they casually decide to come after 10. Which, by the way, was actually 11:50am.  I let that happen twice and then I told them, I'll be there at 9am, govern yourselves accordingly.  That "sort of" worked.  The next day I was there at 9, the first contractor showed up at 9:50 and then the rest of his crew came at noon.  At least I didn't have to stay late the day that they decided to show up at 4:20pm.  But I did have to deal with the fact that they didn't do anything they were supposed to have done that day.  I've also had to deal with my boss asking for things at the last minute that have so many ripple effects in the process.  We're pushed out a full week past our completion target.  This, thankfully, will be the last week of the construction.  I have learned a lot in this process and remembered a lot of things from growing up.  It hasn't all been bad.  I got to meet some really cool people in this guy named Tyler who does the same kind of work my nephew Joshua does, and a man named Luis.  He speaks Spanish and English.  The first day we met he kept slipping into Spanish and looking at me with a puzzled expression when I didn't understand.  Then he'd realize he had slipped into a Spanish riff ... "Oh sorry, .... ", he'd say and then repeat himself in English.  He was one of the kindest people I've met since we started.  I also got to try my hand at office design and layout.  I redesigned two office from single occupancy to double.  It received mixed reviews.  One person loved it, one was not a fan and the third said... it makes sense.  To be fair we are redesigning without the ability to purchase any new furniture or exceed the estimated budget.  

Today I celebrate God's gifts of:

1. Trish
2. My girls
3. Family (parents, in-laws, and siblings)
   
4. Date night
5. School
6. Paige driving to school safely
7. Cars that work
8. Sydney and Gabbi's start to school
9. Nieces and nephews
10. Joshua
11. Cousin Solomon
12. Laughter
13. Waking up and writing
14. Getting new experiences
15. Time off
16. Gardening
17. Good food ; Sydney had us try these nachos from a place called "Coco and Beers".  Funny story, it looked like a dump and I said, I'm never eating there.  Wrong.  I've eaten there the past two weekends
18. Movies
19. Time with family
20. Healing and good health
21. My parents health
22. My nephew Bryce scoring a touchdown

Well, I'd better go.  I have to get ready for church.  I almost forgot to tell you that Paige is no longer working at Crumbl.  She decided to take a break to focus on her senior year.  I also forgot to tell you that I'm still working on my garden, but I think I might have killed everything in the process.  I have a bunch of yellow bushes and no vegetables.  We also had an exciting night that featured lego men, lego blocks and water in places where water shouldn't be.  Ava probably tells the story the best, so ask her what happened... 

Anyway, I'll end for now.  May God shower love on us when we need love the most.  May His love rescue us again and again so that we have a great weekend, a great week, and a life that is full and beautiful.

Welcome to Friday!

--

 

So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.  Psalm 90.12

 

How to make it a great week

How to make it a great week:
Step 1: Love God with all your heart, mind and soul, turning to Him in all your ways
Step 2: Believe with all your heart, mind and soul that God loves you, is for you, and is with you working it out for your good
Step 3: Do your best in all things; honor God with your efforts and attitude; be grateful and enjoy God's presence and His goodness
Step 4: Repeat steps 1-4

Praying that we will all have a wonderful week of success accomplishing our goals, doing our best in all things, and being loved by God! Love you—

The list is complete...

"Because you know for sure that persons who are sexually immoral, impure, or greedy—which happens when things become gods—those persons won't inherit the kingdom of Christ and God."
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:5‬ ‭CEB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/37/eph.5.5.CEB

Over the past few days I've been reading and re-reading the verse of today. Contemplating the phrase "what happens when things become gods" or we create idols of things or ourselves and others.

In the Wisdom of Solomon, the writer provides this answer— "the worship of idols" is the beginning and cause and end of every evil." Period! Though the author goes on with an extensive list— "we kill children," "hold frenzied [parties and orgies and celebrate] with strange customs," we "fail to keep either our lives or our marriages pure", "we kill one another, or grieve one another through adultery," and all of our living becomes "a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult [and turmoil], perjury, confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favor, defiling of souls, sexual perversion, disorder in marriages, adultery and debauchery (Wisdom of Solomon 14:24-26)."

The truth is, anything that is not born, rooted, grounded, and maintained by the worship of God is a sin that emanates from when things become gods" or we create idols of things or ourselves and others—

So, though my mind wants to exclude things not listed explicitly by Paul in His writings, or debate with others whether or not the list is complete, the ultimate truth is that any evil and idolatry shows that I have abandoned the true God.

What is black excellence?

What is your definition of black excellence? Is it the 93 I scored on an exam in a 500 level computer engineering course? Or is it the successfully coded homework for computer algorithms or the homework for artificial intelligence that my professor graded with a smiley face? Is black excellence getting a B+ on an exam I didn't study for, an A+ on computer programming II, or graduating magma cum laude? Perhaps, it is rising to the role of VP?

If those resonate with you, then let me tell you about my first Physics exam. My first Physics exam in college could vote and buy cigarettes but not alcohol. It was the first time since eight grade interim reports that I had scored lower than a B+. And that's because in the chaos following hurricane Hugo, my teacher and I disagreed about an extension for an assignment. So naturally I dropped that class.

But then I proceeded to attend every class session and the professor's office hours for the rest of the semester. I attended class when I was tired and when others skipped. I attended the class and I studied for and took every exam. I stayed in the course even when the professor, aptly named Dr. Data, asked me why was I still coming to class since I wasn't on his official roster, and even after he asked "if it was fair to use his office hours for someone not enrolled in the class." In my mind, Physics was required, so Physics would be mastered.

By the next semester, my first exam grade made others curse, blew the curve, and was a few points shy of perfect. I kept attending class and office hours, finished with all A's on nearly every exam, and never looked back. It taught me so many lessons, including:

• Setbacks are never the end unless you decide that they are
• If you don't like the result, do something about it
• If you want it bad enough, do the work— all of it
• Don't let discouragement and detractors stop you
• Hard work is always rewarded (that might not be with an A or B or even a C, but the reward is there)
• Reaching the goal may not be easy, but if it is the dream and it is God's will it can be done
• Try again and again
• Detours and delays are apart of the process

Looking back, that 19 made me question a lot about myself, a lot about how hard I was willing to work, and a lot about who I let have a say in my dreams and future. A lot about who gets to say I can or cannot. And a lot about whose voice do I listen to, the world or the God who created and rules the world. It also helped me find a gear for new levels of greatness, and to realize that I always have a choice in my success. Look, the world is always lining up to tell you what you can't do, but ask yourself who are they to tell you that you can't do what God has said you can do.

And, you will have to remind yourself of this over and over again, and remind yourself about God's grace over and over.

As for that 93 I scored on an exam in a 500 level computer engineering course, I never finished the course. The material was boring, the challenge wasn't there, and the course wasn't required. As for the other accolades and future accomplishments, do you think they would have happened if I hadn't experienced the detour in Physics and learned how to dig deeper?

To me, the dogged refusal to quit, that's Black excellence.

Reflecting before a Happy New Year!

As the new year approaches, let's take a moment to sit back, take a deep breath and look at the year that was and will soon be in our rearview. 

As you look over the days and moments, let joy and laughter fill the air, and even let tears and sobs have their share. Smile a bit. Laugh a bit more.  Celebrate and rejoice some, mourn and grieve some. Give space to the moments that scared you and those that excited you, and to the so many different emotions in between.  

Reflect on the things that did not turn out the way you envisioned, those that did, and those that exceeded your wildest dreams.  Consider the lives and relationships that you lost and of those you still have.  Have a brief look back over the different memories—those you want to forget and those you hope you never do. 

Quietly meditate on how, despite a year of bizarre moments, waves of heaviness and anxiety, and the vast crapload of things that hit us unexpectedly, His light and love continued to touch us, warm our souls, heal us, and give us hope.

Y'all, God was there for us, is still here with us, and He will be with us all the days to come— sovereign, wise, loving, good, and present in all the moments and days ahead; whether seemingly good, bad, or in between.

So as we close out this year, may we cry out to Him for our pain and sorrows, but also take time to bless Him loudly and joyously for His great faithfulness. Praying that God will boldly seek us out to receive a harvest of His rich, uncountable and magnificent blessings all throughout the year ahead. 

Love you

—— 

"That's the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT)!"