What a glorious day today! Of course, a lot depends on your perspective. Those poor people in Florida may or may not be as enthused, what with another hurricane on its way. Life can be extremely difficult at times, but that just makes the good times that much better. A picture of Jesus on my refrigerator says "I never said it would be easy. I only said it would be worth it". I don't know whether he actually said those words, but I'm certain that he would agree with them. The older I get, the more clearly I understand his word. If only I had the strength to always follow them.

My great nephew Robert is one year old this month. I went to his birthday party on Saturday which was a good excuse for the family to have a barbecue. It was fun and Robert got a lot of presents. I gave him a Barnes & Noble bear which he seemed to like. It's like other bears, but he's wearing trousers and a sweater which makes him look like a more civilized, educated bear. Of course, at the age of one, even a piece of driftwood would be met with a happy expression. Still, I refuse to buy something practical like clothes for a kid. What's the point of having a birthday party, if you're not getting toys? My sister gave him some clothes, including a hat. He's probably thinking, "How lame is that?". Just one of the many reasons that I'm a great uncle, not just a good uncle.