“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 9:1).
31 March 2026
April showers began a day early. I woke up to the sound of clashing thunder and ongoing rain. I started to say the morning started off a bust, but turned it around cheerful for the start of the blessings of a new day. Mama made a fresh pot of oatmeal. So good with the raisin toast and fresh cut strawberries. She spoils me from the get go every morning. It's amazing how green the grass becomes after a heavy thunderstorm. It's my understanding that the dense lightning breaks down nitrogen and the nitrates act as a natural fertilizer.
I was musing about the war with Iran. One can never tell what is going on with the mind of our Commander in Chief, but I suspect if Iran doesn't fold soon, the war will escalate beyond military sites to the destruction of Iranian energy infrastructure and God forbid, military combat troops on the ground. I think that there aren't many more military sites left to bomb, so I think one way or another something is going to have to give. Prayers for the end of the war and for our armed services and their families. I ate the last of the leftover beef and Chinese broccoli for lunch. I think the light daily resistance training is very helpful. I don't see myself ever working out with more than ten pound dumbbells ever again. The rain finally paused during the noontime hour, so we went out and about to the Bolingbrook area. I was able to take an outdoor walk while mama was shopping in the stores. I was able to get in a good hour of fresh air before the rain came pouring back down. I ended up walking indoors to the Meijers and Target. Mmm, mama bought coffee candy! I always think about my mom, coffee candy was her favorite candy. I miss her dearly. I used to always share a Chunky candy bar with Andrea when she was a little girl. I wonder if she has fond memories of that. I know I wasn't close to being the best dad in the world, but I thank God they all still turned out to be fine God fearing adults. I hopped on the elliptical for five minutes at 34 rpm. I made chicken with pea pods for our supper. Lord, wash over and clean me, take me under your wings and keep me.
30 March 2026
Can you believe it, the temperature was already in the upper 50s when I woke up this morning. I woke up early and energetic this morning and grateful for the new day. I even did some leg raises in bed before getting up. I haven't done that in the longest while. There have been a lot of different exercises that I haven't done since my operation. It's time to ease back to doing daily exercises. Mama made me oatmeal and toasted raisin bread for breakfast. Sweet, albeit we were off to an early start to see my endodontist this morning for my one year follow-up, Can you believe it, it's supposed to be in the mid to upper 70s today and tomorrow! I got a big kick out of my next follow-up for my root canal is in five years. I think they were serious too. Lol, I hope to still be alive to find out. Since we were already on Ogden we went to the Sam's Club in Montgomery. I spread grass seeds on the front lawn at a few patchy spots that were most likely caused by winter ice salt melt. I hope some grass seeds take hold before the birds get to all of them. I ate the last of the Domino's thin crust pizza for lunch. You can't beat $9.99 for a large four toppings sausage, pepperoni, spinach and mushrooms pizza. I did three sets of eight reps twice of bicep curls and bench press with ten pound dumbbells on each arm again today. Since it's only light weight resistance training, I think this is fine to do as part of my daily resistance training exercise routine. I changed it up on the treadmill today and it was a tougher go on it than expected. I toggled every two minutes between 2.5 mph and 3.0 mph for twenty minutes and my pulse was 118 bpm. We went for my annual urologist doctor's appointment. Despite all the things this old body is going through, this is by far my least favorite annual. We got to the office early, so we did an outdoor walk around the medical building. It's so nice out in the low 80s! Thanks be to God, good news, my urologist told me that I no longer need a urologist! God is good, his steadfast love endures forever! I hopped on the elliptical for five minutes at 34 rpm. I noticed that I have been slowly creeping up on the rpm. I think it is because the more I use this machine, I acclimate and my cadence nationally increases. The verse of the day is, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:3-4). I am blown away by why God chose to take his precious son and expose him to such public disgrace while he was on earth as a way to redeem a wretched man as myself is beyond comprehension. I fried up a couple of hamburger patties for our dinner and mama sliced up some fresh strawberries with blackberries for dessert. Yessir, I got in a twelve thousand plus steps day! Attire to get ready for bed. I can hear thunder rumbling from a distance, surely a thunderstorm with torrential rain will be moving in soon. Hopefully it will give the grass seeds that I sowed earlier a good soaking and will take hold. Lord, keep us safe from all dangers and calm the storms which may threaten us. Be with, O Lord, in your we seek refuge.
29 March 2026
I woke up to a bright sunshiny day with gladness in my heart for the gift of a new day. Mmm, reminiscent of seafood congee, I heated up my oatmeal this morning with the last of the leftover steamed fish, so good. I did five minutes on the elliptical at 33 rpm. It was already in the upper 50s when we went out the door this morning. It was good to only need to wear a light vest out. We got gas for $4.299 a gallon. It is sad to have to pay so much for gas. I'm certain the gas prices are up because of turmoil in the middle east. Of course everyone wants the war with Iran to end, but not without Iran giving up its nuclear ambitions. The loss of human life in conflict is a profound moral tragedy, but what can we do when folks with evil intentions and have demonstrated their evil ways are shouting, “Death to America!” are close to developing a nuclear weapon. Domestically our nation seems divided and operating chaotically. There always seems to be some kind of protest or another going on. Prayer for our nation's leaders, people in authority and the hearts of man to change so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Mmm, I ate a Portillo's Chicago style hot dog for lunch and begged mama for a quarter of her Italian beef sandwich. I did twenty minutes on the treadmill, I started out ten minutes at 2.5 mph and then bumped it up to 3.0 mph for five minutes before going back down to 2.5 mph for the last five minutes while listeningtosacredmusic. My pulse was 117 bpm. I've said it over and over, I love the cardiovascular benefits I'm getting from this machine. Albeit I've been doing three sets of eight arm curls with each arm every day with a ten pound dumbbell for some time now, today was the first time I benched each arm likewise since having bypass surgery. I know it isn't much, but I am cautious when it comes to resistance training. It is still hard to phantom that my chest was cut open and repairs were made. I am grateful for the gift of life. I stir fried beef with Chinese broccoli and served it with steamed rice. I choose gai lan over regular broccoli any day, so good. The highlight of the day came when our entire family got together on FaceTime to wish Isaac a happy 9th birthday. What a wonderful way to bring a close to the day, God is good.
28 March 2026
Thanks be to God, I woke up this morning excited and grateful for the new day. It's kind of surprising that the temperature is still dropping below freezing when our roller-coaster temps dips. Well it's supposed to climb up close to 50 degrees later today. Mama made me oatmeal with minced steak for breakfast. I was energized and got on the elliptical for minutes at 33 rpm. I love that the sun is out. We bundled up and went out early to the Fox Valley area to do a little shopping and get in my morning walk. Joy, we met up with Peggy and our siblings to do lunch at the Patio's. It's funny talking about family and our kids and grandkids. Lol, before long, we start realizing we are really old. After lunch, we all went to the Chinese supermarket to shop for groceries. Thanks be to God for blessings abound. I ate soma of this and soma that for supper. It was basically whatever leftovers I could scrounge up out of the refrigerator. I managed to find pizza, steak, fish and rice. Thanks be to God for safe travel. Yessir, I got in another ten thousand plus steps day. Today was a very good day.
27 March 2026
Thanks be to God for his unwavering love and faithfulness. Guide my steps and fill me with peace and wisdom. Mmm, mama made me a savory oatmeal with minced leftover steak for breakfast. We had to layered up before heading out about to temps in the mid 30s this morning. Crazy how we have to switch back and forth from spring and winter clothing day by day. I did my morning walk inside the Target. I finally found a couple of rubber baseballs for our grandkids to play catch with. We ate leftover steamed tilapia for our noontime meal. We got a call from my sister and she wanted to set up something with Peggy to teach us how she pan frys her delicious cod dish, we're game! I did twenty minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 mph and my pulse was 114 bpm while listening to sacred music. I worked on the jigsaw puzzle while mama got on the treadmill for thirty minutes. She encouraged me to hop on the treadmill for ten more minutes, so I did it at 3.0 mph and my pulse was 117 bpm. I ate yogurt for my afternoon snack. I'm not sure why we went back to the Target, but I did some more indoor walking while mama did the needed. We stopped for a thin crust pizza at Domino's on the back for our supper. Mama fresh cut strawberries and grapes for dessert. I was a walking fool today and got in a fifteen thousand plus steps day! Today was a very good day.
26 March 2026
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” (Psalm 103:1). Let us rejoice and be glad. What a most beautiful morning! Mama made a fresh pot of oatmeal and minced up the last of the pork chop to put in it for my breakfast. She served it with fresh sliced strawberries on the side, she definitely spoils the heck out of me. This morning is so nice and warm with the temperatures already in the 60s! How can we not get an early start and go out and about and enjoy the day before the rain moves in later in the day. We went out to the Bolingbrook area and I did my centurion walk along the storefronts while mama went shopping in the stores. I was glad we went out early because it started raining just before noon. Today's lunch was exactly the same as yesterday, radish cake and baos. I did five minutes on the elliptical at 33 rpm. Kaboom! Whoa! The whole house shook. Wow, talk about a thunderstorm and raining cats and dogs. I am glad we have a ½ HP sump pump. I made us steamed tilapia with rice for dinner. Yessir, got in a ten thousand plus steps day again. Here we go again with the roller-coaster temperatures dropping down overnight again for a much cooler day tomorrow. I don't know why I foolishly ate another one of those pork and green onion boa for a late night snack. Prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings of the day and for protection against the storm and a good night's rest.
25 March 2026
Thanks be to God for the new day, his mercies are new every morning. I made my the same oatmeal with minced leftover pork chop that mama made me yesterday and splashed on some Cholula hot sauce to kick it up a notch. Mama prepared me some fresh sliced strawberries to go with it. We went out and about to the Fox Valley area and I did my centurion walk along the storefronts in the strip mall while mama went in the stores shopping. We went shopping for groceries at Park and Shop and to Garden Fresh. Mmm, I pan fried the daikon radish cake that Sue gifted us. I also heated up a couple of store bought frozen pork and green onion steamed bun for our noontime meal, delicious! It's ashamed that I have to eat so many different things in moderation. I hopped on the elliptical for five minutes at 32 rpm. I think people have had it with Congress on not fully funding the government. How can they expect essential workers under the Department of Homeland Security to continue working without being paid? I pan fried a Ribeye steak with grilled onions and baby carrots for dinner. Now that's what I call a mighty fine meal. We had watermelon for a refreshing dessert. Yessir, I got in a ten thousand plus steps day. Thanks be to God for an awesome day with fine springtime weather.
24 March 2026
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22–23). I woke up rejoicing at the start of the new day. Every day is a gift from God. Let us rejoice and be glad. What a blessing it is that my wife makes me breakfast in the morning. I am grateful how she definitely spoils me. Mama made me a savory oatmeal with minced leftover pork chop and a slice of raisin toast. Sue stopped by this morning and gifted us with a daikon radish cake! We bundled up and went out and about to the Oswego area. I have forgotten just how windy it could get during the month of March. I did my walking inside Burlington and in the Target. We went and did lunch at Panda Express. There's nothing as good as Chinese American cuisine in my book. Albeit mama had one more store to go to after lunch, I opted to kick back and take a nap in the car. Lol, I had no idea where I was when mama came back to the car and woke me up. I opted to do a cardio workout since I already did a lot of walking. I got on the treadmill for ten minutes at 3.0 mph and my pulse was 118 bpm. I ate leftover pork chop and the last of the leftover scrambled eggs with rice for dinner. I got on the elliptical for five minutes again at 30 rpm. Yessir, I got in a thirteen thousand plus steps day! I am so looking forward to tomorrow and Thursday, when the temperature will start soaring back up into the 70s. The roller coaster temperature swings are insane this time of year. Thanks be to God for his faithfulness and blessings of the day. May he watch over and protect all my loved ones. Be with us O Lord.
23 March 2026
Praise the Lord, for he is my refuge, strength, joy, and peace. I am happy to see the sunshine this morning. We are experiencing crazy roller coaster weather, but we are beginning to slowly climb back from below freezing temperatures up to spring-like temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday. The expected highs will be in the low 40s, not good. Mama made me oatmeal with sausage and heated up some leftover scrambled eggs. Sigh, I'm back to layering up. We went out and about to buy me a new suit. Of course I was reluctant, but mama was right, I definitely needed a new suit. That is only because I lost so much weight. I'm glad mama took me out shopping for a new suit. I tried on a size 36 inch pair of pants and was swimming in them and ended up getting a size 33! That came in as quite a surprise because I still have quite a bit of flabby around the gut. I'm just an average person and think that $200 for a ready made off the rack suit is a ton of money, so I was happy to apply for a store charge card just to get a sizable discount. We went to the Patio's to do lunch and we shared the fried cod platter. I love turning mine into a fish sandwich. I got back on the elliptical for five minutes going at a slow 30 rpm at a 10 degree incline. I just wanted to go slow and easy because the last time I was on it, I pulled the hamstring on my right leg. That was no fun, I want to make sure that doesn't happen again. The verse of the day is, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). Albeit, we exercise and try to eat reasonably and pray for physical healing and for good health, as mortals we don't have the power to hold back death, our days are numbered. I think life is an amazing thing as Christians we are the only ones that are given the ultimate victory, the crown of eternal life through our faith in Christ Jesus. I stir fried lettuce with oyster sauce and pan fried bone-in thin pork chops for dinner. Nobody enjoys gnawing meat off a bone than me, so good! We had watermelon for dessert. Sweet, I got in an eleven thousand plus steps day! Ongoing prayer for safe travel.
22 March 2026
Thanks be to God for the gift of another day and for the safety of the night. What a contrasting day we have today, it is about thirty degrees cooler and the temperature will continue dropping throughout the day. It looks like it wants to rain. Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal and served mine with a cut up breakfast sausage link and with strawberries on the side! The verse of the day is, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3). It's all over the news, talk about poor form and a loose and unfiltered cannon, sometimes it is better to remain silent. Somehow this doesn't surprise me when people instantly react with emotions. I know that I have said and have done things that I wish I could take back. Lord, set a watch and my tongue. I made an English muffin ham and egg with cheese sandwich for lunch. It was a sit around and do nothing stay at home day. I just got up to walk in place every so often to stretch my legs to get the needed exercise. Today is my little girl's birthday, it's hard to believe with a blink of an eye, she is all grown up and will be married in less than a month. I looked in the refrigerator and put together a dish with leftover beef with tomatoes, scrambled eggs and a meatball for dinner. Mama made me strawberries and cantaloupe for dessert.
21 March 2026
I was surprised that it was only in the upper 30s when I woke up this morning because there was talk about the possibility of being up close to 80 degrees today. Regardless, I am thankful for the blessings of a new day, God is good. We got up early and went to Jewels to buy sweets from the bakery for our grandkids. They are coming down for a visit so we are going to celebrate Isaac's 9th birthday a week early. I am thankful that Rob makes time to bring his family down to visit so often. He and Andrea are doing a fantastic job raising up our grandchildren. I made us breakfast sausage links and scrambled eggs for breakfast. It didn't take long for the temperatures to climb up into the low 60s. The kids and dad played baseball in the backyard and I just sat and watched with the patio door slid open. Talk about warming up quickly, we were in the low 70s by noontime. Andrea and mama went out and about shopping and came back with takeout food from the Olive Garden. It's the first time I ate their five cheese ziti al forno and I give it two thumbs up. Peyton had a play date so we had cake for dessert and sang happy birthday before they had to leave. I don't know if it will make it up to 80, but by mid afternoon it was 75 degrees! I went down to the basement and did twenty minutes on the treadmill at 2.3 mph and my pulse was 117 bpm. Albeit it didn't make it to 80 and peaked out at 78 °F at five o'clock! I ate leftovers from our noontime meal for dinner and then went out for a thirty minute walk and enjoyed the summer-like weather. The song, Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts, came to mind. I love nights like this without the mosquitoes. Sweet, I got a twelve thousand plus steps day in, good for me. Days spent with loved ones are a blessing. Grandchildren are truly the crown of the aged. Great is the Lord our God.
20 March 2026
I woke up with joy and gladness for the start of the new day. It's the first day of spring! Praise the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever! The verse of the day is,
“The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:12). I can't think of a verse that can more beautifully capture the joy and renewal of the first day of spring. Spring is by far my favorite season. It symbolizes a time of love, growth, and celebrates the excitement of a new season in both nature and relationships. I started the day off with a splash of Cholula on my oatmeal. Mama made me half an english muffin and half of a hard boiled egg to go with it. We went out and about to the Darien area. The day weatherwise is pretty much the same as yesterday, only warmer!We're in the low 70s, so I did my walking outside along the storefronts like a centurion just like yesterday while mama was in the stores shopping. Sweet, mama bought daddy a new pair of dancing shoes! Now all I have to do is learn how to dance, no joke. We went to meet up with my brother for lunch at the IHOP. Oh wow, my brother showed us all the baseball size hail damage done to his car from the storm ten days ago. He is luckier than my sister, her car isn't drivable. The roof of my brother's house and my sister's house both had damage. Meijers is conveniently in the same shopping center, so we went there to shop and I did an indoor walk there. We went to Showplace AMC to do a matinee to see, Project Hail Mary, on opening day. I am surprised that we have been going out lately to see movies in the theater more often now instead of streaming them or waiting for the dvd. I am glad that mama suggested this humorous family friendly pg-13 movie starring Rylan Gosling. I am glad we went out to see a picture show. Funny how it felt like a date night. We ate the leftovers from our noontime meal for supper. I got in another thirteen thousand plus steps day, good for me. I am excited for yet another warmer day yet tomorrow, God is good!
19 March 2026
Thanks be to God, I woke up to a beautiful morning. We are just days away from the first day of spring . The sun is out and it is actually starting to feel like early springtime! God is good! Mama made me oatmeal with strawberries, raisin toast and half a hard boiled egg. I truly appreciate that she is up early and makes us breakfast everyday. We went out and about to the Joliet and Shorewood area to do some shopping and to enjoy the fresh air and early springlike weather in the mid 60s. Talk about a beautiful blue sky, wow! We went to Portillo's to do lunch. Mama had a BOGO free sandwich offer on her Portillo's Perks app! Albeit we end up with two hamburgers, we still split one of those bad boys, because their hamburgers are too big to eat it all in a single sitting for either one of us without feeling over stuffed. It is hard to believe that once upon a time, I would wash a hamburger with fries down with a large milkshake and wondered if I should order dessert afterwards. We saw that there was an American Best ® in the same shopping center. I was able to have the damaged nose pad on my eyeglasses replaced. We stopped for a fill-up and gas went up to $4.299 a gallon. Albeit I already did quite a bit of walking today, I still felt I still needed to get in a cardiovascular workout. So I got on the treadmill for ten minutes at 3.0 mph while listening to sacred music. My pulse was 118 bpm. I was happy that my sister called. She is going to have cataract surgery some time in April and asked me questions about what it was like, since I had it done a couple of years ago. We split an Italian beef sandwich for our supper and had it with yogurt. I got an thirteen thousand plus steps a day in, good for me! Prayers for health, comfort and recovery, for the unemployed and under employed. And prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings of the day.
18 March 2026
Praise the Lord our God, his steadfast love endures forever! Wow, it seemed like I barely laid my head down to sleep before I woke this morning to the gentle alarm sound on my phone. I did not expect to see about a half inch of overnight snow on the ground this morning. I'm pretty sure that the snow will quickly melt on its own and that there will be no need to do any shoveling. Thanks be to God for blessings of another new day. Great is his faithfulness. Mama made me oatmeal with strawberries and a slice of raisin toast for breakfast. Oatmeal is a wonderful morning staple. We ate the last of leftover sweet and sour chicken and the crab rangoon from yesterday's lunch for our noontime meal. We had cantaloupe, strawberries and watermelon for dessert. I was looking at the news headlines about the price of oil and the soaring gas prices with our ongoing war with Iran. Why are we talking about that, instead of the reasons why we are at war? Never mind about the hearts of man. I think that this Iranian regime is fighting in their “Armageddon" mode. I believe that this ideological radical Iran can not be armed with a nuclear weapon.Their radical apocalyptic rhetoric is frightening. The verse of the day is, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13). We are flawed and live in a broken world. Bless me, O Lord, with hope, joy, and peace from the Holy Spirit as I follow Jesus. Bless me with greater trust. I believe, help my unbelief. I made us stir fried tomato beef for our supper. Be with us Lord, the day is almost over. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day.
17 March 2026
I woke up grateful for the start of the new day. And it was a cold one at that. I hope winter will give up and will allow spring to proceed. I was up super early because we needed to be out the door by seven o'clock to be at Dupage County courthouse by eight o'clock. Mama made me oatmeal, raisin toast and half a hard boiled egg. I was summoned for jury duty today and here I am, sitting in the courthouse waiting room with a group of my fellow citizens waiting to see if we will be called to serve on a jury. I have been musing about jury duty for several days and decided to pen my thoughts with nothing else to do but sit around and wait. I view jury duty as a way to serve my neighbors and contribute to justice in society under our governing authorities established by God. We are called to serve God in their daily lives. Serving and fulfilling duties as citizens on a jury is part of that vocational calling. Whether or not I am called to serve, my prayer is for all jurors to act with prayerful consideration, seeking wisdom and truth. My prayer is for wisdom and for the truth to be revealed. We are well into the countercultural season of Lent and have been reflecting on my thoughts, words, and deeds, and relying on divine grace. Once upon a time, as a young man, I thought I was clever and tried to change the world. Now that I am a lot older and wise, I try to change myself. As a young man, I thought I was clever and tried to change the world. Now that I am a lot older and wise, I try to change myself. Lord, create in me a clean heart and teach me your ways. It was twelve o'clock when they announced that there would be no trials for the day and that everyone was free to leave and handed us a small check along with a thank you. I think most people were relieved and were more than happy to leave. We all fulfilled our civic duty by showing up for the call. We went for lunch at MingHin. Seems like mama likes doing lunch there nowadays. We have been contemplating on buying a new counter top microwave to replace our twenty-three old Samsung microwave. I personally think it works fine, but what do I know? We just use it to heat food. Mama did all the research and opted for a new Sharp brand microwave from Lowes. According to the Lowes online site, there were supposed to be three of the models we wanted in stock at the Naperville store. Sigh, there was only one, and it was damaged. What a wasted trip. I ate the leftover kung pao chicken from our noontime meal for dinner and cantaloupe for dessert. We were listening to the news and it looks like the park district referendum is going to pass. I don't get this town, they sure like to spend and waste money. Seems like there needs to be something more then the primary candidates victory speeches should be more than a I hate Trump followed by thunderous cheering. It has been a long and interesting day and it is way past my bed time. Lord, have mercy.
16 March 2026
Thanks be to God for the new day. I am thankful that we got the low end of the expected two to four inches of overnight snow. Mama made me oatmeal with strawberries and a slice of raisin toast. I layered up with thermal underwear and clothing to go out to tend to the shoveling. Hooray for team Lee! We managed to tackle the wet heavy snow. I made hamburgers for our noontime meal and I had mine with a boat load of grilled onions. Mama prepared watermelon and cantaloupe to have with it. I'm glad that the primary election is tomorrow, I am tired of hearing the same campaign rhetoric against ICE and against and nothing about lowering taxes and wasteful spending. The biggest thing on the ballot for me was the Naperville Park District's bond referendum proposing a $120 million investment for a new unneeded indoor activity center. Vienna hot dogs come in two packs of four. We heated up the other two for our dinner tonight. I built my sandwich the same way I did yesterday. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings sleep to my eyes, grant me peace and wisdom. Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings sleep to my eyes, grant me peace and wisdom.
15 March 2026
“God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend” (Job 37:5). Praise the Lord, for he is gracious and merciful. I woke up to dreary day to the sound of the pouring rain. I am grateful for the new day. One looks at the gift of life differently after they have had their chest split open and is still alive. Mama made me oatmeal with blueberries this morning for breakfast. I am glad that it is warm enough that the heavy rain isn't snow. I looked at the weather app and it looks like the cold and snow is headed our way. The temperature is expected to plummet tonight and stay below freezing for the next two days. The rain let up to a light drizzle so we went out to the Jewels and to Alex's. Mama made us salad for lunch again today. I went down to the basement and got on the treadmill and walked for twenty minutes at 2.3 mph while listening to sacred music. My pulse was 116 bpm. I took a short break and worked on the jigsaw puzzle before getting back on the treadmill for ten more minutes at 2.7 mph and my pulse was 119 bpm. I made hot dogs for supper. I still don't have the needed to build a Chicago style hot dog, so I made due with the must have Vienna hot dogs and poppy seed bun. From there I tossed on grilled onions, lettuce and a bead of yellow mustard. It was pretty tasty. Kaboom! There was a lot of rumbling and yet another torrential downpour. Am I foolish to believe that the sound of thunder is the voice of God? Anyway, it's past my bed time. Thanks be to God for showering us with grace upon grace.
14 March 2026
“Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long” (Psalm 25:5). Guide me on your narrow path, O Lord, for you alone are my salvation. I heated us up hom sui gok on a skillet and microwaved my oatmeal with a splash of Cholula this morning for breakfast. Albeit it is not uncommon for it to snow during the month of March, it was coming down pretty heavily. I am surprised and glad it didn't accumulate. Yummy, it's been a while since mama made us one of her signature salads for our noontime meal. I am filled with gladness that Andrea and Peyton called and FaceTime with us. I wish we get more than a hi and bye from Rob and Isaac. We ate leftover ribs with black bean sauce and rice for dinner. Today was another quiet day of rest. Thanks be to God for the peaceful day without the divisive
worldly noise sown from the politicians and the news media.
13 March 2026
I thank God for the new day and for the peaceful night's rest. We are under a high wind advisory and are facing west winds 30 to 35 mph with wind gusts up to 60 mph. I just looked at the 30 day forecast and it looks like one more final dip below freezing on Monday and Tuesday with several inches of snow before early springtime will normalize. Mama made me a bowl of oatmeal with strawberries and a Hawaiian roll for breakfast. The plan is to shelter in place, so I made it a point to get up every hour and walk in place for exercise. I ate the last of the gon chow ngau ho and some ribs with black bean sauce for lunch. Today was pretty much a boring do nothing day and taking the time for intentional stillness and reflection. I ate the last of the Columbian chicken with rice for dinner. The Lord is my shelter and refuge, I am grateful to have a roof over my head.
12 March 2026
I woke up startled by a thumping sound, I thought mama fell down the stairs. I think she was right, that I most likely heard the garage truck. Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal. Albeit I ‘m still wearing a coat, the sun is out and I have to believe that springtime is just around the corner. The grass is already green and we'll be needing to routinely mow it down soon enough. One of the bad things about living in a blue state where Republicans don't stand a chance in statewide elections. There are so many democratic candidates running and the political ads are bombarding the airwaves. The sad thing is they all sound the same and you can't tell one candidate apart from another. Their message is all the same, “Stop Donald Trump” or “Hold Donald Trump Accountable”. I want to hear something about lowering the taxes or balancing the budget. We went to Whole Foods to buy oatmeal and then went to Michael's to buy Easter stuff. I tried to walk outdoors but it was way too cold. I still feel tired and took a two hour nap past my noontime meal before eating leftover gon chow ngau ho, scrambled eggs and a breakfast sausage link. I went down to the basement and got on the treadmill and did twenty minutes at 2.0 mph while listening to sacred music. My pulse was 122 bpm. I took a fifteen minute break and worked on the jigsaw puzzle before getting back on the treadmill to do another twenty minutes at 2.0 mph. This time my pulse was at 127 bpm. It's clearly more difficult for me to do a cardio workout late in the day. We went to the UPS to return a damaged parcel and then went to the Jewels for mama’s meds. I ate leftover Columbian chicken for dinner. Whoo hoo, I got my ten thousand plus! I can hear the wind hollowing, prayers for protection and a peaceful night's rest.
11 March 2026
Ring, ring, we got a call at midnight that they sat in the plane on the tarmac all that time and the flight got canceled and everyone had to deboard the plane. So we had to drive back to the city to pick them up. We woke super early with four hours of sleep to go to the airport again this morning. I was shocked to see the aftermath images of the tornadoes that touched down from various Chicagoland areas. Thanks be to God who keeps us under his wings and thanks be to God for coffee. I ate egg and sausage. It was drizzling and in the low 40s this morning and will be one of those days when the temperatures will continue to fall as the day progresses. I was glad that their plane took off this time around, prayers for safe travel. I was looking at video clips of our nephew and niece on a Disney Cruise and dozed off sitting upright on a recliner for about an hour. Lol, I made myself a bowl of gruel by throwing leftover egg foo young, noodles and fried rice from when mama and the kids went to visit Andrea, Rob and our grandkids, into a bowl of oatmeal. A splash of Cholula and I was a happy camper. Our upstairs toilet is sometimes filling when we flush the downstairs toilet. We did an internet search and concluded the upstairs toilet flush valve washer may need to be replaced. Thanks be to God Jennifer and RJ made it back to California safely. I made us stir fried pork ribs with black bean sauce. I love this savory sauce with steamed rice. Dang, after supper, I went out to check the mail and to row out the garbage bin and recycle bin to the curb and it was so cold. We were back down to the mid 30s. Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, empty me of my selfish pride and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Heal us physically and spiritually. In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
10 March 2026
Albeit I am getting a good night's rest, I only wish that I can get a tad more of it. I woke up with mixed emotions, glad for the start of a new day and sad that Jennifer and RJ are flying back to California at the end of the day. The temperature is a lot cooler today than yesterday and tomorrow we will go back to reality. Albeit winter isn't giving up without a fight, little by little, winter is slipping away with small signs of spring finding its way and the sound of the turtledove will be heard across the land. Mama just made me a plain bowl of oatmeal, so I took it up a notch with a slash of Cholula. Mama put me to work with the task of spring cleaning up the two return air vents near the entrance to the garage. I'm all for doing a little bit here and a little bit there daily in moderation. We went to MingHin for dim sum and lunch and stuffed our faces with good eats. I went down to the basement and took a leisurely walk on the treadmill at 1.8 mph while listening to sacred music for thirty minutes and my pulse was 109 bpm. A thunderstorm with hail the size of golf balls blew by between 5 and 5:30 this evening. I ate leftovers from our noontime meal and watermelon and strawberries for dessert. We left for the airport at six o'clock. By then, traffic was decent and we were able to get there in just under an hour. Prayers for safe travel. Traffic was super light on the way back and we managed to beat a second storm. Kaboom, it didn't take long before there were loud thunder claps and on going rumbling and torrential downpour. I can hear the sump pump working overtime. Prayers for Divine protection from the severe storm. "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
9 March 2026
I woke up with joyful gladness to the new day the Lord has made. And a most beautiful one at that! I love it when the sun is out and that temperature is expected to be in the low 70s. Albeit I slept well last night, I could still do with a few more Zzzs. Mama made me oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. It was already in the upper 50s when we went to Edwards Hospital for my blood work. My hemoglobin just missed the mark and needed an injection. We went to the Oswego area to run a few quick errands. By noontime we were in the mid 60s! It was nice to walk outdoors and get some fresh air, especially being cooped up indoors all day yesterday. I made us gon chow ngau ho and half a dan tat for our noontime meal. I got on the treadmill for ten minutes at 2.5 mph while listeningtosacredmusic. My pulse was 116 bpm. Lüften! It hit 73 °F and the patio door was wide open! I snacked on fresh strawberries. I watched the My Girl dance video with RJ. Albeit I was never a good dancer, I haven't put on my dancing shoes in years and I asked RJ for a few pointers. I got on the treadmill later afternoon for another short go for ten minutes at 2.5 mph and my pulse was 117 bpm. We went to Fawn's brother's house for supper. Sandy made her infamous Columbian chicken dish that everyone raves about. It was so good that I really had to fight off the urge to go for seconds helping. Today was another long day filled with many blessings. God is good.
8 March 2026
Let us sing joyfully with thanksgiving to the Lord. Thanks be to for the new day. I woke up super early this morning. It felt like I just laid down for bed when the alarm went off. We needed to go to the airport to pick up our daughter and her fiancè. Mama heated me up a bowl of oatmeal and I splashed on some Cholula to give it a kick. I hate driving in the city, the speed limit is ridiculously low and they enforce it with a tight margin with huge fines, what a scam to generate revenue. I was glad that it was early enough so that the sun was not in my eyes going into the city. Albeit traffic was light the reckless speeding weavers were out in full force. I don't know how they are able to avoid all those potholes in the roadway. Thanks be to God for the safe travel. I made scrambled eggs and sausage links for breakfast. I got on the treadmill and did ten minutes on it at 2.8 mph this morning. My pulse was 119 bpm. Mama went with Jennifer and RJ to the northern burbs and I stayed behind to watch Vinnie. With all the rain and warmer weather, it comes as no surprise to me that the grass is starting to turn green. I heated up the last of the leftover beef with Chinese broccoli for my noontime meal. I worked on the jigsaw puzzle but only managed to connect a few tabs. I got on the treadmill a second time in the early afternoon and did another ten minutes on it at 2.8 mph and my pulse was 118 bpm. After Vinnie finished his nap, he was full of energy and demanded a lot of attention. I just noticed he was sporting his Portillo's dog collar bandana. I was surprised that it took quite a while for him to get tire of playing fetch. Lol the dog is a lot like Nala, wanting to be in your personal space and likes being petted. I got on the treadmill the third time in the late afternoon and did twenty minutes on it at 2.4 mph and my pulse was 114 bpm. I think it is funny how I favor listening to sacred music while walking and to secular pop music while on the elliptical. I think I'll need one more go on the treadmill to reach the daily goal. It's not an easy thing to do being cooped up indoors all day. I microwave leftover pizza for my dinner. I got in my fourth and final go doing twenty minutes on the treadmill at 2.4 mph. I was definitely having a tough go on it. My pulse was 123 bpm. I definitely don't recommend getting on a treadmill at night after eating supper. Away, I did manage to get in a ten thousand plus steps day! It's late and way past my bed time. “when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy” (Psalm 63:6-7).
7 March 2026
Bless the Lord who gives me strength. I woke up to another cloudy day, but grateful for the day none the less. I have to take mama's word that a huge thunderstorm passed through the middle of the night because I slept through it like a baby. I need no reminder that every day is a blessing and a gift from God. Mama made a fresh pot of oatmeal! I love it whenever she serves it with fresh raspberries. We went out and about running errands this morning. We went to the Jewel Osco pharmacy for my meds. Then we stopped by the Old Navy for a pickup. Then we went to Home Depot for 15 amp circuit breakers. Then we went to the Target for what nots. Then for Chinese groceries in the Chinese supermarket. It was the first time in a long while we found a lot of things we like. Finally made our last stop at the Jewels for a few items we didn't think we needed earlier before heading back home. That was a lot of running around on a busy Saturday morning. I definitely rather be out and about on a weekday. I made us hot dogs for lunch. Albeit we didn't have the ingredients to build a Chicago style hot dog, I made due with Vienna hot dogs on a poppy seed bun with a bead of yellow mustard and Cholula hot sauce. I give it an 8.5. Since I had reset the clocks after turning back on the electrical power, it was a good time to turn the clock up an hour for daylight saving time. There is really no such thing, because time is relative. Albeit we didn't need gas, we went out again to fill the tank up because we are going to Midway tomorrow to pick up Jennifer and RJ at the airport and will be going to the northern burbs for a visit. Sigh, gas went up another dime to $3.699 a gallon. We passed near a Jets Pizza, so we ordered their Detroit Style 8 Corner sausage pizza for our dinner. I got on the treadmill and listened to sacred music for thirty minutes at 2.4 mph. My pulse was 117 bpm. I have no doubt I will be setting a new record by the end of the day. I retired almost ten years ago and I was 205 pounds at the time. I had a desk job sitting on my butt for close to forty years. When I retired, I lost 40 pounds just from not sitting on my butt all day and moving about, in just a year taking walks in the Riverwalk, around the neighborhood or the Fort Hill Activity Center indoor track with my wife. I held and maintained that weight for quite a few years. When the pandemic came about, Fawn got us pedometers and we set a ten thousand steps a day goal. Most days we got near that and on lazy days we set a minimum of seven thousand steps. That meant walking in place on rainy days at home. I lost another thirty pounds and leveled off in less than a year. I'm now 135 pounds and around 140 pounds during the holidays. My daughter Andrea and son-in-law Rob gifted me a treadmill last year, that made a ten thousand plus day almost a given. I celebrate whenever I get fourteen thousand steps a day like a walking fool. My record was just over seventeen thousand steps a day several days ago. Whoo hoo today I set a new personal walking fool record! I got in a twenty thousand plus steps day! Time to go to bed, tomorrow is going to be a big day. Prayers for a peaceful night's rest and for safe travel.
6 March 2026
Passion of Christ, strengthen me against temptations and impure thoughts. My emotions are like a roller-coaster during the season of Lent. I wake up with a joyful heart lifting up prayers for thanksgiving, grateful for the gift of life. In my mind, Lent is not just about somber reflection. Lent allows us to confront our sinfulness and how it is met with God's overwhelming grace and love. Mama made a lot for me for breakfast this morning. She made me oatmeal with raspberries, eggs and a slice of toast. I am excited for this weekend. Not only will the weather be like springtime, Jennifer and RJ will be town visiting. We expect to be in the 60s and 70s! I finally got around to cleaning the oily, hazy film from the inside of a windshield. Because of the heavy shower and thunderstorm, I got on the treadmill this morning and listened to sacred music instead of going out and about to walk. I did ten minutes at 2.3 mph, the ten minutes at 2.4 mph and did the last ten minutes at 2.5 mph. My pulse was 116 bpm. I heated up a leftover hamburger patty from yesterday's lunch and made myself another hamburger patty melt for today's noontime meal. I got back on the treadmill for ten minutes at 2.8 mph about an hour after lunch. My pulse was 117 bpm and it felt like I was back at physical therapy, huffing and puffing. I spent some quiet time self reflecting and began wondering how near Christ was to me because of my indifference toward the treatment and deportations of illegal aliens and their families. I pray for the safety of our troops, but don't give a second thought most of the time to the slaughtering of helpless innocent lives in harm's way. I snacked on cantaloupe and kiwifruit mid afternoon. The sun broke out and we thought about going to the Chinese supermarket and the Target. But just like that, the break disappeared and the torrential rainfall started pouring down again. That quickly put an end to that idea. A couple of circuit breakers went bad and wouldn't reset. I need to go to the hardware store tomorrow to buy new ones to replace them. Mama cleaned and prepped the gai lan, so I made stir fried beef with Chinese broccoli for our dinner. I had a taste later in the evening for the frozen store bought mini char sui boa so I heated up a couple of them for a late night snack. Why am I eating a late night snack? That would be a bad gluttonous habit to start carving food at night. Lord, strengthen my self-control, and calm my cravings. I choose to make wise, healthy choices that honor You. Bless us and keep us through the night. Amen.
5 March 2026
Joy comes in the morning. I lift up my eyes to Lord, my trust is in him. Mama made me oatmeal with raspberries for breakfast. We headed out early this morning to the Sam's Club pharmacy for my meds and for meat. We stopped for gas and it skyrocketed to $3.499 a gallon. That doesn't come as a surprise to anyone with the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. We went to the Oswego area and I got a lot of fresh air walking like a centurion along the storefronts while mama was in the stores shopping. More and more during these troubled times, I find myself praying the serenity prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.” I made us classic onion burgers for lunch. I turned mine into a delicious patty melt, so good. I thought about picking up a Jets pizza, but now I’m glad that I didn't. I got good news from my cardiologist. He reduced my statin dosage by half. I'm glad that I don't need to take that humongous pill everyday now. I made spinach and eggs and served it with rice for our dinner. I had to limit the spinach in my portion because of high potassium. I'm a walking fool, I got fourteen thousand plus steps in today. Thanks be to God who watches over our comings and goings. His steadfast love endures forever more.
4 March 2026
I was surprised how quickly the night passed. It felt like I just barely laid my head down to rest when it was time to wake up. Happy National Sons Day! Thanks be to God for the gift of children. Mama made me oatmeal with raspberries this morning. Raspberries go so well in oatmeal. Good news! Prayers answered, Bob's biopsy results came back negative! Same goes for me, my lab work was stable and in range again, hopefully my cardiologist will reduce the high-intensity statin therapy after bypass surgery dosage. Mmm, mama took out some of her pasta sauce from the freezer and I boiled some linguine for our noontime meal, so good. I couldn't help myself and went back for seconds. I have been musing about Iran since the onset of Operation Epic Fury. Iran has been hostile towards America for many decades. Since the Iranian Revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi monarchy, has been calling America the “Great Satan” and shouting “Death to America” since 1979. Rightly or wrongly, I hope that this Iranian terrorist regime that has facilitated the killings of so many Americans for decades comes to an end. It is clear in my mind that this regime sponsors terror and is a threat to world peace. It is my understanding of the goal is to make sure that when this is over, this regime can no longer build ballistic missiles to hit America or terrorize the region and end support to Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, the other proxy terrorist networks, and they can never go back to operating uranium enrichment facilities. I did thirty minutes on the treadmill at 2.3 mph and my pulse was 118 bpm. The maximum heart rate for someone my age is approximately 145 bpm. Moderate exercise target is 116 bpm. Albeit there was a thunderstorm forecast for tonight, I could tell it was going to rain early in the day. I'm just glad the temperature is warm enough that it rained. I ate noodles and cantaloupe for dinner. I'm glad that Alex called and that I had the opportunity to FaceTime with him. We are blessed with mindful children that routinely call their mama almost daily and on some days multiple times. The verse of the day is, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). This is very encouraging to know that we will never be alone as we boldly move forward navigating through every unknown back to Eden.
3 March 2026
Bless the LORD, O my soul. Thanks be to God who gives me strength and guidance during the day and protection and peaceful rest’s rest. Mama made me oatmeal with raspberries, half a hard boiled egg and a slice of toast for breakfast. We went out grocery shopping at Mariano's before heading out to Oakbrook for a follow-up appointment with my cardiologist. I had no idea that we had overnight rain.
We stopped at the Marshall's and HomeGoods and I got in an indoor walk while mama shopped. We ate lunch at MingHin. I think that this Michelin Guide restaurant is quite good. Their lunch menu is extensive and is reasonably priced. We ordered the sweet and sour pork and the beef brisket with vegetables. The verse of the day is, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slabut Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11). Christ in everyone? I have been musing about humility. This involves thinking that no one else is any better or worse than myself. Humility combined with good works involves serving others selflessly, without seeking recognition. Often times, our good works are like filthy rags soiled by pride. I think it is natural to want to matter and be appreciated. Albeit, I believe that the good works that do are acted out of love, and not with the aim of appreciation, the reality is, I can really want that appreciation too. As a father and a husband, I hope that my family finds my advice and encouragement matters. Anyway, my wife puts up with me and all my children turned out fine despite of me, so something went right. I thank God for my wonderful life. Lord, guide my actions and relationships with a spirit of humility. We ate the leftover food from lunch for our dinner. That is how huge the portions were. I had lab work done today, prayers for good results.
2 March 2026
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8). My trust is in the Lord. Teach me your precepts. The temperature was in the low 20s when I opened my weather app, but when I selected hourly, I was happy to see that the expected high would warm up into the mid 40s. A look ahead in the week looked remarkably more promising! Mama made a fresh pot of oatmeal and served mine with fresh raspberries and a hard boiled egg. We went to the Fox Valley mall to participate in early voting and to do a mall walk. We heated up and ate leftover stir fried ribs for lunch. I got on the treadmill and did ten minutes at 2.7 mph. That's a pretty good short cardio workout for me. We stopped at a few stores on the way back home. I got a short walk at the Target while mama went to Ross. I also got in a little bit of walking inside the TJ MAX. What a beautiful day it turned out to be. Our last stop was to Burlington, by then it was 50 degrees Fahrenheit! I am glad that I decided to walk along the storefronts on the strip mall. We split an Italian beef sandwich for our supper. Talk about a walking fool, I don't know if today was the most steps I ever walked in a given day. I'm guessing that it is most likely not, given how slow I walk in my senior years. But I can say with certainty that walking seventeen thousand plus steps I did today is the most I have walked in a given day since mama gifted me my pedometer. I guess I will be sleeping soundly tonight. Lord, grant me a peaceful night's rest.
1 March 2026
Praise be to God for new beginnings and new mercies, for this new day and the start of another new month. Mama made me the usual oatmeal with raspberries and a slice of toast for breakfast. I've been musing about and have had the bombing of Iran and their military response on my mind. I normally shy away from the news as much as possible, but I deliberately googled Iran news, not knowing what I was hoping to see or not to see. I don't like the notion of war, but… It is the “but” in my mind that is troubling. It stems from seeing so many videos of people in the streets of various Middle East countries unapologetically chanting, "Marg bar America" (مرگ بر آمریکا) is a Persian phrase literally translating to "Death to America". I've also heard that it is widely interpreted as, "Down with America," symbolizing opposition to U.S. foreign policy. I find that hard to believe, when someone is chanting and waving a deadly weapon. Pink Floyd released, The Dark Side of the Moon, on March 1, 1973. One of my favorite tracks on the album is, “Us and Them.” I think this song highlights the futility of conflict, and the senselessness of war. I lift my heart to you. O Lord, and pray for all wars to end. Touch the hearts of those in conflict and guide them toward peace. Protect the innocent and comfort the grieving. Teach us to choose love over hate. Amen. We went to the Meijers to buy fresh fruit and juice. We splitted a Portillo's hamburger again today for lunch. I changed it up a little on the treadmill and did thirty minutes on it at 2.2 mph while listening to sacred music. I was surprised that it was a little tougher than I expected to be. I worked on the jigsaw puzzle for about an hour before bumping it up and doing another ten minutes on the treadmill at 2.7 mph. At this rate it won't be long before I'll be back up to par with what I was doing when I was doing physical therapy at RUSH. We stopped for gas. I was surprised it was $2.959 a gallon. I'm sure it is going to likely go up substantially very soon. Albeit a lot of work, I made us stir fried pork spare ribs black bean sauce for our supper. I love this ultimate Chinese comfort food, so good. Andrea and Peyton FaceTime called us. I'm not sure what Rob and Isaac were doing in the background, all we got was a hi and a bye from them on the call. Oh I take that back, I got a, “I love you!” Our hearts leaped with joyful gladness. God is good, his steadfast love endures forever. Whoo hoo, I got in a eleven thousand plus steps day, good for me!
28 February 2026
Praise the Lord! Prayers of thanksgiving for this new day. Crazy weather, it was in the upper 30s when we woke up this morning and instead of the temperature climbing throughout the day, it is expected to slowly drop down into the upper 20s throughout the day. Mama made me oatmeal with and a slice of toast this morning before hitting me with a bombshell. She told me that we're going to see some kind of new Elvis documentary movie. Clearly, it didn't matter what I thought of the idea. The show started at 11:15, so we snacked on yogurt and a hard boiled egg before heading out to the AMC 16 AMC Showplace movie theater. K, I changed my mind about, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, mama was right. I'm glad that we went. The doc was OK and the concert was really really good. I didn't realize the magnitude of his musical diversity and showmanship. His vocals are unreal. Not only does he sing a lot of different types of songs really well, he makes them his uniquely his own. I made up gon chow ngau ho for a late lunch. It didn't not surprise me that Iran hasn't moved toward abandoning their nuclear ambitions, but I am surprised that the US actually pulled the trigger after warning Iran that something bad was going to happen to them if they didn't. Prayers for world peace and incessory prayers for my family and loved ones. I heated up leftover rice noodles from our noontime meal for my dinner. As we conclude another day and another month, I am thankful for the joy and the blessings of the day. God is good.
27 February 2026
I woke this morning excited with a grateful heart and with prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of another new day. I looked at the weather app and was surprised to see the temperature was only in the upper 20s. How the heck will it be in the mid 60s later in the day? One thing for sure, the sun is out and that is always welcome this time of year. I have been feeling more energetic the past few days. I don't know if it is because I am getting more exercise or it is because I pushed back to take my meds and waking up a half an hour later. Mama must be wanting me to not lose any weight. She made me oatmeal with raspberries, a slice of toast and half a hard boiled egg for breakfast. We went out to the Chinese supermarket and found a nice bundle of Chinese broccoli, pork riblets and ground pork, fresh rice noodles and fresh Hong Kong style pan fried noodles. What a beautiful day to be out and about. I was surprised that we got a takeout from Panda Express for our noontime meal. I worked on the jigsaw puzzle again and played sacred music again today and kicked it up another notch. I did four minutes at 2.1 mph and six minutes at 2.7 mph three times! I ate kiwifruit and pita chips for my afternoon snack. I ate up all the leftover food from our noontime meal for supper. I don't know how anyone can eat the insane amount of food from Panda Express in one sitting other than a young buck. Thanks be to God for blessing us with a springlike day in the middle of winter. Lord be with us and let the quietness of your peace surround us..
26 February 2026
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8). I lift up my soul to you O Lord, teach me your ways. Mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal. I am glad that I heated up the last of the steamed fish and tossed it in my bowl of oatmeal, it tastes like a bowl of fish congee. We went the Fox Valley and did a mall walk before going to the Patio's for lunch. We got the usual and split the beer battered cod. I love building my own into a fish sandwich, so good. Sigh, we stopped for gas and it jumped back up to $3.199 a gallon. I get triggered every time the gas prices is more than three bucks a gallon. We went to the Oswego area and I did some more walking at the Target, Meijers and Burlington. Mama cut up a package of cherry tomatoes so that I could make us stir fried beef with tomatoes for our supper. Getting up and stepping in place and moving about the house at least once every hour is paying off, I got in another fourteen thousand plus steps day! I'm even making use of ten pound dumbbells. As this day comes to a close O Lord, I rest in your presence. Thank you for walking with me. Thank you for the strength in my body and the quiet assurance that you are near. I lay down everything that weighs heavy on my heart and give them to you.
25 February 2026
Thanks be to God for the new day. My trust is in the Lord who saves me. The days are once again getting noticeably longer as we move away from the winter equinox but the coldness of winter remains and the sun is so deceiving. We got up early because we had errands to run and appointments to keep. Mama made me a big red, white and blue breakfast, literally. She made me oatmeal with raspberries and blueberries and half an egg sandwich. After our early morning appointment, we went to the Meijers and I got in my morning walk. We got a char broiled burger from Portillo's to split for our noontime meal. I went down to the basement and broke open a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle this afternoon while listening to sacred music playing in the background. I took three breaks and hopped on the treadmill and did five minutes at 2.1 mph and five minutes at 2.6 mph each time. I ate fresh strawberries and pita chips for my afternoon snack. We stopped at a different Meijers on the way home because mama wanted to look for more Easter gifts on the way home. That gave me the opportunity to do more walking. I heated up the leftover fish and the leftover bok choy and mushroom dish for dinner. Mama has been encouraging me to get up at least once every hour and do some type of exercise for five minutes. I did a fourteen thousand plus steps day! I think that qualifies me a walking fool for the day! Prayers for health, strength and wholeness. So many of my friends and family are struggling as we continue aging. May the Lord grant us many years.
24 February 2026
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). O Lord, you who call us from darkness into your marvelous light. I woke up thankful that the Lord has brought me in safety to this new day. Preserve us O Lord that we may not fall into sin. I feel uplifted on this bright sunshiny day that promises to finally be above freezing. Mama made me oatmeal, blueberries and a hard boiled egg for breakfast. I don't know when or why I stopped lifting my ten pound dumbbells, but I was somehow inspired to start back easing my way to doing resistance training and doing squats. We went out and about early and I did my morning walk at Walmart and Burlington. Albeit temperaturewise is higher today than it's been in a while, it sure feels a lot colder because of the blowing winds. I made us teriyaki chicken for lunch. I remember liking to go to the Yorktown shopping center and getting teriyaki chicken at the food court in the mall when the kids were small, so good. Good news, Fawn just told me that Marlyn told her that their daughter Nicole is pregnant! Prayers for divine protection for the mother and the baby in the womb and for a health delivery. I gave muse to things people focus on to give up and fast during Lent other than what is on the plate like anger, pride, gossip and negativity. Moving away from toxicity towards holiness involves distancing ourselves from toxic people and habits and embracing holy habits. Dinner was outstanding. For some unknown reason, I was craving fish all day. I even considered going to the Patio's for their beer battered cod for our noontime meal. Anyway, I stir fried bok choy and shiitake mushrooms and made Cantonese style steamed tilapia and served it with steamed rice. What a wonderful umami bomb! After supper we sat and watched President Trump's first State of the Union Address to lawmakers and the American people. Love him or not, Trump has a reputation of speaking informally, spontaneously and off the cuff. There was some chirping, admonishing, and lifting up and a pirate story to boot. It did not surprise me that half the room did not stand and clap like the Republicans did for almost all of the POTUS address. He even asked, “How can you not stand?” Because this President was so long winded, when they did stand, you have to wonder if they did the stand just to stretch their legs and did some walk out on his address or just couldn't hold any longer and had to use the restroom. Whoo hoo, I got in eleven thousand plus steps in today! Well it's been a long day and time to stop penning and get ready for bed. Lord, grant us healing as a nation during these uncertain times. Grant wisdom for our leaders and peace among our citizens. Heal our societal wounds, and foster a shared peaceful future under your divine providence.
23 February 2026
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7). Thanks be to God that are rescued from a life of disobedience by divine grace. O let every aspect of our daily lives glorify his holy name. I woke up well rested from a peaceful night's sleep. I am grateful for the gift of a new day. It is tough to grumble about the cold weather we are facing when the folks in the northeastern part of our nation are facing heavy snow and the intensity of damaging winds. I'll take a sunny day with freezing temperatures over facing a bomb cyclone that is expecting to dump well over two feet of snow any day. Lord, have mercy. Prayers for divine protection, warmth and safety. Our nephew is in Mexico, prayers for divine protection against evildoers. Lord, have mercy. Mama made me oatmeal with blueberries and a hard boiled egg this morning for breakfast. I think it is interesting that the three Chinese American Olympic medalists have been relentlessly compared and contrasted on social media. I don't get the need to create drama by criticizing Eileen Gu for representing China and Zoe Atkins representing Great Britain in the Winter Olympics when it is easier to simply congratulate the athletes and cheer on Alyssa Liu. I don't understand the importance of the Olympic Games, but do appreciate watching the finest athletes compete, they just need to stay out of speaking about things they know little or nothing about. "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3). I heated up leftover beef with bitter melon for my noontime meal. We are to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. It's that time of year to work on filing our income tax returns. Hopefully we can get some of our withholdings back instead of paying even more. Naturally living in a blue state we end up paying higher taxes to support socialist inspired policies. I surprised myself by kicking it up a notch on my twenty on the treadmill. I did five minutes at 2.1 mph and fifteen minutes at 2.6 mph! With that said l, I think that a 5-10-5 interval is more suitable for me at this time. I snacked on fresh strawberries and a slice of toast this afternoon. I made egg sandwiches for our dinner but was still hungry, so I finished off the last of the leftover beef with bitter melon. Oh wow, according to the Washington Post headline, “Blizzard blankets Northeast with some snow totals reaching 3 feet” Providence, Rhode Island reporting 37.9 inches. That is an insane amount of snowfall. Lord, strengthen those who are weary and encourage those in despair.
22 February 2026
“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:12-13). Brr, today will be another cold day staying below freezing. But we're not talking about the weather, we're talking about the coldness of our lawless hearts in denial. I believe that the incendiary political rhetoric from our US leaders are linked to real-world violence and fosters a climate of lawlessness. O let us stand firm and return to the Lord our God with repentant hearts. Mama made me oatmeal with blueberries and a slice of toasted raisin bread. The fifth station of the cross, Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His cross. It reminds us of the need to help carry the burdens of others. Mmm, I made us stir fried beef with bitter melon for our noontime meal. I changed it up on the treadmill today and walked five minutes at 2.1 mph and then walked ten minutes at 2.6 mph and back to five minutes at 2.1 mph. The synergy of listening to sacred music while walking uplifts my soul. Mmm, mama made us each half an egg sandwich and strawberries for a snack. We stopped for gas at $2.799 a gallon. We ate leftover beef with bitter melon for dinner and ate strawberries, raspberries and grapes for our late night snack. I just noticed a big part of my journal entry is about what I ate today. Many people focus on various eating rules during abstinence and fasting during the season of Lent. I think most people choose not to eat meat during fasting, but choose to instead eat fish. It is my understanding that abstinence is a form of penance which expresses sorrow and contrition for our wrongdoing. It is not clear to me how the practice of self-denial could help us to grow in holiness. I believe focusing on abstaining from sinful practices is what really matters. Lord, grant us wisdom to contemplate the passion of Christ so that we can differentiate truth from the falsehoods in our lives. Watch over us and grant us peace as the day is almost over. Let our prayers rise to you, O Lord.
21 February 2026
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). Strange how most folks hide our sinful nature from our neighbors while others are unapologetically downright ornery. God is omniscient, covering sin is ultimately futile. Lord, have mercy. With a repent hearth, I confess that I am sinful by nature. I have sinned against you in thought, word and deed. Lent is a paradoxical liturgical season blending reflective sorrow for sin with the quiet hopeful joy. The first week of Lent emphasizes reflection on temptations, inner purification and preparing for Easter. I could be wrong, but I believe some people believe that thoughts are only temptations and that only the outward actions of sin in words and deeds are addressable. However, I believe that sin is an issue of the heart, not just outward actions. O let us guard against impure thoughts. Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal and tossed blueberries in my bowl. I didn't come with a toasted slice of raisin bread because we were planning to have fried egg sandwiches for lunch. I got on the treadmill this morning alternating five minutes at 1.8 mph and five minutes at 2.6 mph for a twenty minute go. We ate fresh raspberries and grapes with our noontime meal. We bundled up and went out to the Meijers grocery shopping. I got in two more ten minute goes on the treadmill at 2.0 mph this afternoon. That might seem like a slow walking pace, but sadly it's still faster than my normal walking pace. I would like to get my normal walking speed up to 2.5 mph some time soon. More importantly, I got to listen to sacred music a couple more times. I finally went down to the basement and broke apart and boxed my last jigsaw. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to start on one of three new jigsaw puzzles I haven't got to yet. The fourth station of the cross is, Jesus meets his sorrowful mother, on the road to Calvary. Mary's shared profound sorrow serves as a reminder of Jesus’ humanity and the emotional suffering he endured in addition to the physical pain. I made us stir fried chicken with Chinese broccoli over rice for supper. I'm in bed and I can hear the wind hollowing. Guess I'll wrap it up and call it a day. Yessir, I got in a ten thousand plus steps day! Be with us O Lord as we journey back to Eden.
20 February 2026
Lord, being human I sin. You being God, have mercy on me. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of the howling wind. I am glad that I was able to immediately fall back asleep. It's insane how much of a temperature drop we got, winter is back. Mama made me oatmeal with raspberries and a slice of raisin toast. I watched a video of Alyssa Liu's Olympic gold women's figure skating performance, wow! I made stir fried beef with green beans for our noontime meal. I did twenty minutes on the treadmill toggling two minutes at 2.o mph and two minutes at 2.5 mph. I think it's way easier to do 3.0 mph for ten minutes during the a.m. I ate a black cherry yogurt for an afternoon snack. Brr, I hate it when the temperature drops below freezing. It's gonna be tough trying to reacclimate to the winter cold. The third station of the cross is, Jesus falls to the ground under the weight of the cross. This represents the crushing weight of our sins. I am thankful to Jesus for enduring the suffering on our behalf. We went to the Jewels pharmacy for my med and to shop for fruits and vegetables. I ate a leftover egg and heated us up some daikon radish cake to curb our hunger. Mama got the dvd Wicked: For Good about a month ago and we finally got an opportunity to sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watched the sequel. I thought the music and overall movie was just as Wicked, but liked the big screen and the theater sound system was a much better experience.
19 February 2026
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Thanks be to God for new mercies. Teach me your ways, O Lord. Let your light guide my day, and your spirit bring me peace. Clearly I shouldn't stay up late as I did last night because I woke up a tad tired this morning. It's not clear to me if the gloom and doom looking day has anything to do with it. Mama made my oatmeal with raspberries this morning along with a slice of raisin toast. Raspberries in my oatmeal is my favorite way. The forecast is calling for a thunderstorm later this afternoon, so we headed out and about early to the Darien area. It was cool and windy so I just walked inside the Walmart and TJ Maxx. We finally finished off the last of the leftover food from our New Year's Day celebration at Peggy's for our noontime meal. The second station of the cross is, Jesus takes up his cross. Jesus bears the weight of the cross and the sins of the world. Often times we are quick to spot the flaws of others and fail to our own sinful shortcomings. During this season of Lent, instead of focusing on the thorns of others, let us turn the focus inward and repent.
I made Chinese fried style eggs with oyster sauce and stir fried lettuce for our dinner. Time to get ready to go to bed, I woke up tired and I need some rest. Prayers for a peaceful night's rest.
18 February 2026
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). I woke up this morning filled with a joyful heart. Mama made me oatmeal and toasted raisin bread again this morning. I can eat this every day, so good! We went out to the Oswego area to do a little shopping. I had high hopes to get in another outdoor walk because it was a bright sunny day in the mid 60! I ended up walking indoors at the Sam's Club because it was too windy. We stopped for gas and I was happy to see it was down to $2.749 a gallon. We made one more stop at the Ross and I got in a little bit more walking in there while mama shopped. We then went to Alex's and bought some of the leftovers from Peggy's to eat for our noontime meal. We both spent time on the treadmill, mama does thirty and I do twenty minutes on the machine. I'm not sure what she watches while she walks, but I enjoy listening to sacred music while I walk. I use to think it was stupid to walk on a treadmill but changed my mind when I started doing physical therapy at RUSH. I am forced to walk faster and get a better cardiovascular workout. I used to like getting on the elliptical, but I've found that to be difficult since having my bypass surgery. Mmm, mama prepared kiwifruit and raspberries for my afternoon snack. Mama boiled a pot of ginseng roots and we bought some to gift her sister and to check up on Bob on the way home. It is tough to see so many friends and family facing some form of cancer. Prayers for health and healing. Lord, heal our bodies and soul. We're still enjoying leftover food from yesterday's fine meal for our supper. The first station of the cross is, Jesus is condemned to death. Jesus is the innocent victim bearing the judgment deserved by humanity. The accompanying prayer is, "We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world".
17 February 2026
I woke up thankful and excited for the new day. I looked at the weather app and we are expecting a few more days of exceptionally good springlike weather in the 50s and 70s before returning back down to the 30s. Mama made me oatmeal with blueberries and a slice of toasted raisin bread. We went to the Danada area to shop and get in a little bit of exercise before heading over to celebrate Chinese New Year with my siblings at Peggy's along with Jason and Johnathan. I thought the last time hosted a most excellent noontime meal, but she out-done that meal with so many well prepared traditional Chinese New Year celebratory dishes like a master chef, impressive. Just like last time, we went on and on for hours enjoying each other's company. We took home a ton of leftovers. I guess enough food for the both of us to eat for at least several days. So needless to say it was our supper.
16 February 2026
Christ first! It's the only thing that matters. Waking up with gratitude for each new day is a gift of knowing that your days are numbered. In our old age we face the brevity of life with clarity and increase appreciation for simple daily joys. Mama made a fresh pot of hot oatmeal and served me a bowl with toasted raisin bread. Mmm, they go so well together. Unbelievable, today's highs are in the mid 60s. Do I dare imagine spring to be just around the corner? I made a fresh pot of rice to go with the leftovers from yesterday. The weather was just too nice to be staying indoors, so we went out to the Walmart just to get out of the house. It was to be out and about wearing a light jacket. I got on the treadmill and listened to sacred music. This practice is a blessing that allows me to spiritually reflect and calm my mind from the noises of a broken world. We cleaned out the refrigerator and polished off the last of the leftovers for our supper. Lol, my plate looked like we were eating at a buffet with a little bit of this and a little of that. "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
15 February 2026
Praise the Lord, O my soul! Today promises new beginnings. We woke up excited for the new day. Mama made me a small bowl of cold cereal to start off the day. We were out the door super early to run a few errands and to get in a few steps. We went to the Jewels for pastries and to the Target for a pickup. We stopped for gas and it was $3.099 a gallon, well at least that is down from our last fillup. I heated up the breakfast sausage links and made scrambled eggs for breakfast. Isaac just loves eating breakfast sausage. He is a growing boy for sure. The sun was out and we were in the low 60s so we hosed the road salt off the car and we took the kids to the Wolf's Crossing Community Park to play. I was glad Rob picked this park to explore. I thought the park was pretty nice. The weather was so nice the park was pretty much at capacity. The kids liked getting on the zip line. Albeit I think there could have been a few more safety features that could have been implemented, I think this park is one of the safest playgrounds I've seen. We can laugh about it now but I wonder how we survive the unsupervised concrete playground we played on growing up. We rode and fell off bikes without helmets. The ladies went out shopping and came back with takeout food from the Olive Garden for our late lunch. I noticed that I haven't put much effort or time musing or penning anything in this journal that is meaningful in a very long while. All I tend to do is pen about is the weather and the food that I eat. Jotting down what I eat here is a way to keep me somewhat honest to limit unhealthy choices. Perhaps I just live a simple quiet life. I hope to be at least a small flicker of light in darkness and not poison in the well. Lord, grant me wisdom only and teach me your precepts. I went down to the basement and did a twenty on the treadmill. We stopped at the Ross and Burlington on the way home and I did a nice outdoors walk on the strip mall while mama went in the store. That easily put me over the ten thousand plus steps day. Thanks be to God for the joyful blessings of the day.
14 February 2026
Happy St. Valentine's Day! “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Most people wouldn't agree with me that our ability to love is not innate. Thanks be to God, his love is the source and foundation of our capacity to love. Mama made oatmeal and raisin toast this morning. It's one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal in the morning. Aww how sweet, Peyton wanted to come down and visit us this morning, but I’m too busy preparing some dishes ahead of time for Andrea to take home after our family a gathering tomorrow. I started off with making Cantonese style pan fried noodles, spicy tofu, and stir fried pork spare ribs. Cooking is a big undertaking, we make a great team in the kitchen. We had to stop for the riblets for our noontime meal. Chrip, chrip, mama thought the ribs were pretty good, who am I to argue? After lunch, I made stir fry beef with Chinese broccoli and I fried up a package of breakfast sausage links and we called it quits. It looks like a partial government shutdown is on the way with each side blaming the other. Surprise, surprise. I only had time for a short go on the treadmill today. I ate cold cereal for supper and fresh pineapple chunks for dessert.
13 February 2026
I woke up this morning excited for the new day thanking God for his new mercies and faithfulness. I heated myself up a bowl of oatmeal and tossed in a little bit of hamburger and a splash of Cholula, so good. I looked at the weather forecast and was thrilled to see the temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s for the next six days! We went up to the northern burbs to watch our grandkids and stopped off at McDonald's to pick up a couple of happy meals to spoil them. Oh sweet, there was a Walgreens next to McDonald's, so we went and bought Chunky for Andrea. Of course we bought enough so that she could share it with Rob and the kids. It has been a wonderful tradition since Andrea was a small child. We loved how light the traffic was and how few the numbers of reckless weavers there were on the roadway. I'm guessing a lot of folks are either opting to work from home or simply taking the day off altogether. I ate the last of the green beans and chicken with rice for lunch. I tried my hand at trying to solve a pyraminx rubik's cube but failed at even one of the four faces in a single color. Isaac told me that he could do it, but I said no way and dismissed him with a chuckle. I asked Rob and he told me Isaac did in fact. Sure enough Isaac was able to solve the entire puzzle and I apologized for doubting him. The sad part is he tried to teach me how to do one face but the mechanics were too complex for me to follow along. Peyton wanted me to watch her in their basement playroom. I did a twenty minute walk on the treadmill while she played. Then she challenged to air hockey. That was fun but it made me nervous that I might hit her hand. The temperature got into the mid 50s by two o’clock, so we walked to the park and the kids rode on their scooters. We all ate mama's spaghetti for supper. I'm always a happy camper whenever I chow down on a fine meal. No one does it better than mama. I got a chance to play Chinese checkers with Isaac. Albeit the kid drew first blood, I'm pretty sure my end game would have proved too much for him. Rob and Andrea came back home before we could tell how close the game was or was not. One thing for sure Isaac wasn't a push over. I hoped our grandkids enjoyed the day with us as much as we loved watching them. Easy peasy, I got in a twelve thousand plus steps day. Thanks be to God for the safe travel and all his blessings.
12 February 2026
Morning joy! I am grateful for the gift of life, his mercies and steadfast love endures forever. The days are getting noticeably longer. I made two hamburger patties for our lunch and browned the rest for mama to make her infamous pasta sauce. I used my patty to make myself a patty melt. It has been a long while since I had one of those bad boys, delicious. We went out and about to the Chinese supermarket hoping to buy fresh rice noodles but we didn't have any luck, four times out of five they didn't have any. We did manage to find one package of decent looking pork riblets, fresh bitter melon and Chinese gai lan. We went to the Target and walked while mama shopped. The weather these past few days with the sun out and the temps in the mid 40s is outstanding for this time of year. It's unbelievable that we will be in the 50s this weekend. Sigh, we stopped for gas and it was$3.279 a gallon. We did our goes on the treadmill and I no longer have any aspirations of keeping up with Fawn on the treadmill. Mmm, I boiled the spaghetti and toasted the garlic bread to go with mama’s pasta sauce, so good. I had to fight off the urge to go for a second helping.
11 February 2026
Praise the Lord, bless his Holy Name! Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal and fixed me a bowl with blueberries in it, so good. It was only in the upper 20s this morning and we needed to layered up before heading out early to mama's hair cut appointment. We splitted a steamed pork bao to snack on when we got back. We ate leftover chicken and green beans for our noontime meal. We went out to the Target store and I got in a decent indoor walk. I couldn't believe how much dog hair was on our clothes from visiting my sister yesterday. Although it still took some effort, I'm glad the Evercare Pet Hair lint roller worked. I got on the treadmill even though I am a tad tired just to get in another ten thousand plus steps day in. I fried eggs for a simple supper. Happy haircut. I feel so good every time mama gives me a haircut.
10 February 2026
I woke up this morning grateful and excited for the new day. I was surprised at all the food mama prepared for me this morning. She made me oatmeal with steak, raisin toast and blueberries. What a beautiful sunny morning with the temperatures already in the low 40s. That's actually quite acceptable for the early part of February in the Midwest.We went out and about to a few stores in the Darien area and got in a decent walk before going to my sister's home to meet up with my brother for lunch. I was totally wrong about what I was expecting my sister was going to make. She made tofu sandwiches and Cantonese steamed tilapia for our noontime meal. I thought the tofu sandwich was ok and had a lot of potential to be a great sandwich, but those fixing would have made it a lot less healthier. It's sad that we all have to watch our diet more and move away from unhealthy choices nowadays. Funny how our conversations have moved to health related topics in our old age. I love all my family and friends, prayers for many years. We stopped at the Walmart on the way home and got in another decent indoor walk. The verse of the day is, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). I often think that we are confused and that our thinking is so muddled that we fail to reflect God's will. O Lord, gracious giver of all good gifts, bless me with wisdom, teach me your ways and guide my heart. Made us stir fried chicken with green beans for dinner. I had a relaxing evening watching a few old Bonanza clips and getting up every so often to step in place just to get my ten thousand plus steps day in. Thanks be to God, today was a very good day.
9 February 2026
O happy day, let us walk in the light of the Lord! I woke up this morning in good cheer, happy to be alive in God's goodness. It doesn't take much for me to be happy. Just to see the morning's light, or not to see overnight snow brings about a smile. The expected high temperature is in the low 40s, I hope that truly comes about. I was still full from yesterday's game food and didn't feel like eating but mama insisted I still eat something, so I ate a bowl of oatmeal with a splash of Cholula. We went to Edwards for lab work and it was mixed. So I ended up getting an injection to treat my anemia. The verse of the day is a promise from God, “even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:4). Prayers of thanksgiving for healing and for our Lord’s ongoing care and faithfulness. I fried up a bone-in ribeye for our noontime meal. Albeit I still wasn't hungry, that didn't keep me from gnawing meat off the bone. We went to the Jewels and I did an indoor walk while mama did the grocery shopping. Mama was on the phone making Chinese New Year's plans while walking on the treadmill and ended up doing a thirty minute go on it. That made my twenty minute go on the treadmill look like a cake walk. I was hungry as a bear by the time dinner time mowed around. I heated up myself leftover steak and rice and had it with peas and carrots. I was glad the kids called and FaceTime with us, my day is complete. It is getting late and the day is almost over. Stay Lord, be with me, I am weak.
8 February 2026
I am thankful for the gift of life. Praise the Lord who created the heavens and formed the earth to be inhabited. Mama made me a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries and a blueberry bagel for breakfast. I initially didn't have any plans to watch the Super Bowl this evening, but Fawn said we got invited to her brother's to watch the game and “told” me we're going. So I guess I am going to watch the Super Bowl after all. I finished up the last of the beef with bitter melon for lunch. We went out to the Jewels to buy pie and fruit to bring as dessert for tonight. Dang it feels so cold with the wind. I thought both defenses were really good, but the Seahawks went into the locker room with three field goals. Both teams' total yards were pretty sad. Talk about good game food. It was the first time I ever ate Detroit style pizza, two slices and I was stuffed. I'm pretty sure we're going to order a Jets pizza sometime in the near future. I watched the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show and thought the music and the production was very good. I thought it would have been helpful to have English captions. So what is the controversy all about? The game finally opened up during the quarter. Congratulations Seahawks Super Bowl Champions. I am glad that we got to spend some time visiting family.
7 February 2026
“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:12). I woke up this morning with joyful gladness for the new day. Praise the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever. Waking up to the morning sun is exhilarating. I love that we are finally experiencing warmer temperatures. We are expecting the temperatures to be in the 50s today, 60s tomorrow and in the 70s overmorrow! Lol, if only it was so. We are back down in the low 20s, but at least the sun is out and the sky is blue as can be. Mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal this morning and made me a bowl with fresh blueberries, so good. I gave up on watching the Olympics. It is so sad that transgender male athletes are allowed to compete in women's sports. I made us beef with bitter melon for lunch. I got on the treadmill and did a twenty minute walk while listening to sacred music. We went grocery shopping at Meijers and I got in a decent indoor walk while mama did all the shopping. We made a fresh pot of rice and heated up the leftover beef with bitter melon for dinner. I listened to oldies and reminisced about days gone by. Every so often I got up and stepped in place until I got my ten thousand plus steps day in. The song of the day is, Crystal Blue Persuasion - Tommy James. Today was a very good and relaxing day. Prayers of thanksgiving as the day is coming to an end. I’m grateful that God works out everything for my benefit. Remind me, O Lord, whenever I am buried in ungratefulness.
6 February 2026
Praise the Lord O my soul. Prayers of thanksgiving for this new day. I was surprised to see a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning because the expected high is supposed to be in the upper 30s. Mama made me more shredded chicken and oatmeal with blueberries on the side for breakfast. I kicked the oatmeal up a notch with a couple dashes of Cholula and poured milk on my blueberries. My sister called and invited us to lunch midweek. She got a new tofu recipe that she is excited to try. The way she described the dish sounds like she is going to make some kind of tofu katsu. We ate the last of the leftover tacos for our noontime meal. No Promento, I just went for it and did a twenty minute go on the treadmill. It actually is pretty easy to do while listening to sacred music. I saw pics of Peyton at kindergarten orientation day. Yet another reminder of just how fast time passes by. Mmm, I made us a classic Cantonese comfort food, scrambled with char sui over rice, so good.
5 February 2026
Albeit it looks like gloom and doom with the grey skies, I woke up feeling pretty good. I am thankful that I have lately been sleeping peacefully at night. Yessir, mama heated me up the oatmeal with shredded chicken and served it with fresh blueberries on the side. I broke up the small piece of jalapeño bagel I saved to toss in the oatmeal just the way I like, so good. We went to the dealership for our oil change appointment. The odometer just recently turned 100,000 miles a couple days ago. Every time we bring the car in for servicing, I look at the car in the showroom. The cars are so insanely loaded and the MSRP had me shaking my head. I don't think anyone can buy a new car for under $40K. We went over and sync our calendars. One would think all that is behind you when you're retired. It is nice that the dealership washes the car as part of their service. Brr, albeit the temperature is in the low 30s it feels like it's in the teens with the windchill. Dang, I had to stop for gas and it's still going up. It was $3.199 a gallon. We picked up tacos for our noontime meal. I didn't realize that mama was doing twenty minute goes on the treadmill. Hmm, I guess that I might need to step up fifteen minutes on that bad boy, or not. We heated up the last of the leftover Chinese food from MingHin for our supper. The highlight of my day was facetiming with the kids, God is good.
4 February 2026
Thanks be to God for this new day. I had a peaceful night's rest and enjoyed the still and quiet this morning. I am glad that I made a concerted effort to avoid turning on the news. The absence of turning on the manufactured chaos by the news media is proving to be good for my mental health. Mmm, I heated up myself a bowl of oatmeal with shredded chicken and bits of jalapeño bagel just yesterday. It is so good. I have enough chicken and bagel to look forward to having it again one more time tomorrow. We went out and met up with my brother for lunch at MingHin to celebrate Peggy's birthday. I have enjoyed dim sum at this Michelin star restaurant many times, but this was the first time we ordered lunch dishes along with a few dim sum dishes. I thought the food was pretty good and I couldn't believe how huge the lunch portions were. We were all stuffed and ended up boxing a ton of leftovers. I rejoice in breaking bread brother and celebrating Peggy. Superbowl is coming up and the topic about the halftime show came about. The only recollection of watching a halftime show last was when Lady Gaga performed. Lol, that was back in 2017. There seems to be some kind of ruckus about Bad Bunny headlining the halftime show this year and an alternative halftime show by Turning Point USA headlining Kid Rock. I never even heard of Bad Bunny before, but I've heard of Kid Rock but know nothing about him or his music. This is a non issue for me, because I don't intend to watch either. I extended my time on the treadmill today just to burn off a few more calories. Listening to sacred music while walking allows me to do that effortlessly. I think Rob will be happy to learn that Fawn routinely has been making use of the treadmill since the beginning of the year. Normally she does stepping in place, but now she is doing both. It could be because we haven't had the opportunity to go walking in the Prairie Fit Fitness Center. My honeydo for the day was cutting down cardboard boxes for recycling. Where the heck did all these new boxes come from? Needless to say supper was leftover food from our noontime meal. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day. Stay with us O Lord, the day is almost over and evening is drawing near. You know our needs before we ask, hear our prayers.
3 February 2026
“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him” (Nahum 1:7). O happy day, I woke up with a joyful heart. Our God is a mighty fortress. I love it when the sun is out and the temperature is in the upper 20s. It will only be a matter of days when we will finally see a day in the 30s. We have been in the deep freeze way too long. Mmm, mama tossed some shredded chicken in my oatmeal this morning and served it with some fresh blueberries on the side. Blessings galore, God is good. Receiving good and stable lab results after medical uncertainty is a profound relief often met with gratitude and prayers of thanksgiving and celebration. We FaceTime with my sister and our niece offering words of encouragement over the good news that the results of her latest lab work showed significant improvement. We ate leftover chicken and broccoli for our noontime meal. We went to Menards to buy a few pvc exhaust vent covers and installed them at Alex's. Needless to say, while at Alex's, I got on the treadmill and listened to sacred music. It uplifts my soul and relaxes my body. Andrea and Rob called to see if we could watch Isaac, his school has a Teachers Institute Day. This made me think about all the days my parents watched our kids over the years. I have no doubt about the joy in their hearts as they wore their crowns. We heated up and ate the last of the leftover chicken and broccoli for our dinner. The Lord is my strength and my song. Today was a very good day. He has dealt with me and my family abundantly.
2 February 2026
Praise the Lord for his faithfulness, his mercies never cease. Happy Groundhog Day and the funny annual tradition of people waiting around in the freezing cold wanting for Punxsutawney Phil to predict the weather. The standing joke is inherently humorous and absurd that a rodent's shadow determines if winter lasts six more weeks or if spring arrives early. I'm just happy we didn't get any of the chance of overnight snow. Mama bursted my bubble this morning and said our grandkids aren't coming down until the following weekend. Mmm, mama made pancakes and cold cereal with strawberries for breakfast. I got a call from my brother and I am glad that he changed his mind and will be able to join us for lunch later in the week. I ate yogurt and a cheese dog for lunch. I look forward to and enjoy my time on the treadmill listening to sacred music. We went out grocery shopping at the Jewels and got their Monday fried chicken special, for our dinner along with half a jalapeño bagel. I just googled the Super Bowl and saw the Seahawks are 4.5 points favorites over the Rams. So I'm guessing Fawn was correct in predicting the Seahawks would win the Super Bowl Championship before the playoffs.
1 February 2026
Morning joy, Happy February! But it still feels like January. It'll be another week before we will finally come out of the deep freeze and will see a melt. Never mind the cold, the good news is the sun is shining and thanks be to God, we are alive! Mmm, mama cut fresh strawberries this morning to go with my oatmeal, delicious! I find it interesting that some communities welcome ICE while other communities go berserk. Some people believe there is national outrage over the actions of the federal agents while others believe the non compliance forces the agents into a bad situation. Rightly or wrongly, Renee Good and Alex Pretti placed themselves in a bad situation and found out the hard way and are no longer with us. It is hard to believe all I heard is the ‘F’ and ‘F’ word over and over by potty mouth by ICE protesters. Even the mayor of Minneapolis used profanity during a press briefing. I could be imagining it but I believe a growing number of politicians are doing likewise. That is a bad and concerning look. Why is profanity allowed to be aired? What happened to decency anyway? Sigh, I worked myself up. There is too much noise and unrest in the world. Cast out the lies and fear mongering, O Lord, and bring us clarity. Help me to build upon your truth rather than the chaos of this world and calm my soul. I need to stay away from the news for the remainder of the day and listen to sacred music. Lord, in your peace, guard my heart and mind. Correct and guide me in your ways. I ate the little bit of steamed fish that was left from last night’s supper for lunch but it wasn't enough, so I nuked a char sui bao to complete my noontime meal. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy for my meds and stopped for gas. Sad to see the price of gas going up $2.899 a gallon. I hope it is only a short intermittent price spike. I think it may have to do with our tension with Iran. I stir fried chicken with broccoli for supper and had fresh strawberries for dessert. I am glad mama looked up at the heavenly celestial bodies and pointed to the 2026 Snow Moon, it was spectacular! Can you imagine seeing what it was like on the fourth day of creation? Mama told me “they” are coming down next Sunday. My heart leaps with joy. We love when Rob brings Andrea the kids down for a visit. I love cooking for them and having them around. I am thankful for the blessings of the day. The day is almost over. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. For the unemployed and unemployed. For health, comfort and recovery. For the lost and our brokenness. Lord, we lift up our broken world. Open our eyes, soften our hardened hearts and draw us to your love.
31 January 2026
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Praise the Lord! His steadfast love endures forever! It's hard to believe another month has gone by and a year since my bypass surgery. Winter is a peculiar time of year. Life and time passes by faster than we like on its own. Life is only but a short moment, without us wanting to be done with winter and moving on to spring and hearing the voice of the turtledove over the land. It's hard to tell if we got a dusting of new overnight snow or if the dusting is from the howling wind. Mmm, mama made us hot oatmeal with blueberries and mini pancakes for breakfast. The news reporting about the funding bill is confusing to understand, but some kind of two week package deal is heading back to the House. The issue has something to do with DHS funding. I as so tired of all the bad news and was hoping what was happening in the second phase of the U.S. backed Gaza ceasefire would bear some good news. But instead there seems to be a breakdown in the truce, sad. Prayers for our national leaders to seek wisdom and godly discernment. May the Lord guide our leaders’ hearts. I made us hot dogs for lunch. I know that it is good for me, but… I limited myself to one cheese dog and snacked on black cherries. It was a blessing to listen to sacred music on Lutheran Public Radio while exercising on the treadmill. I gave my brother a wellness call and hoping to do lunch mid week. I am glad that he is doing fine. As we age there are so many physical issues to contend with, just maintaining is reason enough to rejoice and be glad. The Lord our God sustains us. I made us Cantonese style steamed tilapia for dinner. It's too bad I can only eat in moderation or I would eat steamed fish more often during the winter months. Steaming food is a good way to warm up and humidify the house. O Lord be gracious to me as the end of the day is near. Grant me, my family and loved ones good health, security and protection.
30 January 2026
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Thanks be to God for this new day and for his steadfast love and faithfulness. I got a good night's rest with a full eight. Hopefully we are now pass subzero temps. We have been in a winter cold for quite some time. Acclimating to the harshness of the winter cold all the layers of thermal clothing to the point that waking to single digits with highs in the teens is actually doable to the point the only thing I dread is snowfall. Mmm, I heated up myself a savory bowl of oatmeal with a scoop of tomato beef and chased it with fresh raspberries. Thoughts and prayers for the legendary Razorbacks and Fight Irish college football coach Lou Holtz in hospice care. I finally was able to make a decent Cantonese style stir fried vermicelli for our noontime meal. Yummy, we ate hom sui gok for an afternoon snack, so good. It started snowing on and off all afternoon. We went out to shovel the snow before it got dark. By then, we had about two inches of stuff on the ground. It was a good thing that it wasn't heavy snow and we were able to tend to all the needed. No problemo! Hooray, for team Lee. I guess that I should say, “ningún problema!” I made myself a toasted fried egg and cheese sandwich for dinner but I was still hungry, so I heated up a small helping of leftover vermicelli noodles and rice, perfect. The day is almost over, blessed are O Lord. For you alone make me dwell in safety.
29 January 2026
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:19-20). Lord, thank you for this new day. Forgive my shortcomings and fill me with your holy presence. Grant me strength and wisdom to guide through the day. A four year old Facebook post of mine that had to do with a cold winter day reminded me that some things don't change. I gave muse to “global warming” and am more less convinced of it with this continuous string of really cold days in our neck of the woods. I'm just grateful for sunny days and days without snow this time of year. Thanks be to God for his provisions. Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal. She made mine with the usual fresh raspberries and a slice of toast, delicious. It came as no surprise that the Senate failed to advance the massive funding big package, but at least they are in a last ditch effort to avert an extended shutdown. We heated up leftover tomato beef for our noontime meal. We went out to the Chinese supermarket and bought a 25 pound bag of Three Ladies Brand Jasmine Rice. Albeit most of their Chinese vegetables weren't all that, I was happy to see that they actually had decent bitter melons. We snacked on kiwifruit and pita chips. I give up on the reporting of current events. None of the news anchors or news entities are untrustworthy. I truly don't know what to believe or not believe. I made myself a fried egg sandwich. It didn't surprise me that Fawn ate her eggs without the bread. We FaceTime with kids and were in good cheer. Andrea had blood work done yesterday and there appears to be a bruise on her arm where the blood was drawn. Lord, I lift my family to your loving care. Restore our health and heal our wounds.
28 January 2026
I woke up with good cheer. Winter days are so weird. It is so sad how I let trivial things sometimes set my mood when I wake up. I am happier when the sun is out compared to cloudy days, when the temperature is above freezing compared to the coldness of subzero temperatures, rain compared to snow. Our day should automatically be filled with joy and gladness just simply waking up to the day the Lord has made. Thanks be to God, his mercies are new every morning. I made myself a bowl of cold cereal with blackberries for breakfast. I've been musing about how broken our world is. The Senate is not scheduled to vote on the remaining group of funding bills. I was so naive to believe that once our borders were secured discussions concerning immigration policies reforms could be addressed. But so many illegal aliens have entered our country under our previous president. The invitation of sanctuary city open borders policies that don't even want to deport illegal alien criminals. How crazy is that? I think that the other extreme is heartlessly not even wanting to provide a pathway for dreamers. Heavenly Father, we lift up our leaders to you. Guide them, O Lord, with wisdom and integrity that they may reflect your goodness. I heated up the leftover chicken with snow peas for lunch. We layered up to go out to shop for groceries at the Jewels and Meijers and got a nice indoor walk. It was nice to FaceTime with the kids. I love that technology has allowed people to make video calling readily available to everyday people. I made stir fried tomato beef for dinner, but I didn't care for that and just ate the last of the leftover chicken with snow peas for supper. Time to stop penning and get ready for bed. "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
27 January 2026
Praise be God for mercies renewed, his steadfast love endures. Mama heated up my oatmeal with the last few pieces of steak and I had it with some fresh raspberries for my breakfast. I was surprised that the looming possibility of a government shutdown wasn't among the top news stories for today. Stories pertaining to Minneapolis ICE and the vast winter storm was still dominating the news. I suppose that it is not news worthy until the Senate moves on it or as it moves further towards the deadline this weekend. I made us stir fried chicken with snow peas over rice for lunch. It appears today was a bust and the Senate adjourned for the day without accomplishing anything. I ate the last of the leftover spaghetti for supper. Thanks be to God for the gift of life, especially this past year. I checked in to the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago a year ago today on the eve of my coronary artery bypass surgery. I am so grateful for the divine blessing of family. I am nothing without their love and support. It's time to call it a day. Lord, teach me to number my days. I acknowledge your sovereignty over time and finding rest in your care.
26 January 2026
I woke up this morning grateful for the new day. The day is noticeably getting longer. There was no need to turn on the lights when I got out of bed this morning! The bright sun is so deceiving, it remains brutally cold in our neck woods waking to subzero temperatures with single digits highs for the day. Mama made me the usual hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and a slice of toast for breakfast. Here we go again, the possibility of a partial government shutdown is looming again in the Senate. They have until the end of the month to approve the remaining government agencies. I think the issue has to do with funding for the Department of Homeland Security as part of the remaining bills. If another shutdown is imminent, it would be futile and likely have little to no impact on current ice level operations and deportations because of the funding allocated by the big beautiful bill act that was passed last year. We had leftover beef with green beans over rice for our noontime meal. I had to shovel the snow at the bottom of the driveway that the municipal snow plow blades push back from the street. We ate leftover pizza for supper. “Lord, we lift our leaders to You, asking that You grant them wisdom and discernment in their decisions, aligning them with Your will and truth".
25 January 2026
This morning's peek out the window revealed that we got about an inch of overnight snow. At least we woke up to above subzero temperatures and can expect the high temperature for the day to be in the teens. A look ahead on the ten day forecast shows we will remain in this deep freeze, not good for the start of the month of February. Mama must have took out the boneless ribeye steak from the freezer last night. I pan fried up that bad boy for our noontime meal. We got another half inch of snow before it stopped falling and went to shovel it off the driveway, sidewalk and back porch. We always make an awesome team. Life is truly good, we gratefully rest in his peace. God has dealt bountifully with us. The fatal shooting of Alex Patti was all over the news again today. For the life of me, I don't understand why so many people literally risk their own lives to impede law enforcement officers from apprehending illegal alien criminals who could give a crap about the protesters defending them. Imo, it doesn't get much more stupid than that. Call me crazy, but I think this President may be forced to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. Who carries a loaded gun with extra magazines not expecting to be in a gun fight? Bob and I went to the Notre Dame home game against Purdue and had a great time, so we are planning to go to South Bend in 2026 to watch the take on Rice in their home opener. We went to get pizza from Domino's for game food and cheered on the Patriots. I'm not a fan of any particular NFL team and know very little about the teams. Andrea is a Patriot fan and her joy is my joy. The game was a low scoring 10 - 7 played in a blizzard. Congratulations to the Patriots for AFC their Championship win. We FaceTime with the kids. I think the Seahawks vs Rams game will be a better game to watch because both their games were super close both times with each having a win during the regular season. Fawn thinks that the Seahawks are a better team, we shall see… Mama called the close thrilling 31 - 27. Congratulations to the Seahawks for their NFC Championship win. I'm clueless why Isaac and Peyton wanted the Seahawks to win.
24 January 2026
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). I went to bed early last night and woke up well rested and great full this new day. Why don't I routinely go to bed and get adequate sleep is beyond me. We woke up to subzero weather again today, but at least the high for today will be in the single digits. Mama made me a hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and a fried egg for breakfast. What the heck is going on in Minneapolis? There was a fatal shooting involving an armed man and federal agents. It doesn't surprise me that there are conflicting stories about what happened. I stir fried an iceberg lettuce to go with the last of the food made for our noontime meal. I'm guessing Fawn will have the NFL Conference Championships tomorrow. Every once in a while we don't have a taste for anything in particular. We went to the Jewels to buy pork chops but ended up buying flank steak instead because flank steak was on sale and was marked down 30%. I made us stir fried beef with green beans over rice for dinner. It's time to get ready for bed and call it a day. Getting a full night's rest is a priority. "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8)
23 January 2026
Christ first! I woke up before my alarm went off to the sound of the howling wind. Who signed up for this subzero extreme cold? Brr, -11 °F like they said it would be and the expected high for today will be -5°F. Leave it to a blue state and CNN to bang the drum and talk about climate change and global warming during a brutal winter storm. I had the usual oatmeal with raspberries and a slice of toast for breakfast. Out of boredom, I was looking at, The Way Too Early Top 25 2026 College Football Ranking: Notre Dame is once again in the top 10. ESPN #3, On3 #4, CBS Sorts #5, Sports Illustrated #2, The Athletics #7, Yahoo Sports #9, USA Today #5. I believe 2026 will be a scorched earth revenge tour with no mercy leaving no doubt about the Irish. Now that's what I'm talkin’ about, I got to hand it to the Irish ($$$). The new MOU between ND and the CFP ensures Notre Dame gets preferential treatment, guaranteeing them a playoff spot if they rank in the top 12, even without joining a conference. This provides security for Notre Dame's CFP access, without relying solely on at-large bids. We continued eating the leftovers from Peggy's luncheon for our noontime meal before layering up and to go to Alex's check on things, especially to make sure water pipes are ok. Of course I got on the treadmill whenever we go there. Albeit there is still plenty of food that Peggy made in the refrigerator, I was glad mama took out some of her pasta sauce from the freezer and I boiled some spaghetti noodles for our supper.
22 January 2026
I woke up this morning grateful for the blessings of another new day. The day started out as usual with mama making me a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries. Today I had my oatmeal with half a bagel and a little bit of cream cheese. I'm in the mood to start a rant about why I think winter is the worst season. I'm amazed at people who live in arctic regions. I can't convince my wife that we should move to someplace warmer. It's funny how I always peek out to see if it snowed overnight every morning during the winter months. Winter is the worst season due to its harsh cold, pervasive darkness and don't get me started on snow and laborious shoveling. I tend to worry about water pipes bursting when we have so many days below freezing. Surprise, surprise, lunch and dinner was the same as yesterday. I saw several video clips of sacrilegious anti-ice protesters storming during a worship service in St. Paul Minnesota. Albeit arrests were made, I think that is the least of their worries, "God will not be mocked”. I'm somewhat surprised that charges against Don Lemon were rejected by a Magistrate Judge, DOJ has put him on notice, so he's not off the hook. The temperature is rapidly spiraling downward and we are already in the single digits. We are expecting to be waking up to -11 °F. Lord have mercy. Prayers for open shelters, stable heat, electricity, protection and needed provisions.
21 January 2026
“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8). My trust is in the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever. Guide my steps, O Lord. Lead me back to you. I was so happy this morning learning that the forecast calling for one to three inches of overnight snow didn't come to pass. I was dreading having to dig out this morning to go out to visit Peggy this afternoon. Albeit today will be another typical cold winter day in the Midwest, we ain't seen nothing yet, because today will be the warmest day for the remainder of the month. Super cold weather is headed our way and we can expect to wake up in a couple of days to -11 °F Friday morning with windchills of -45 degrees. It came as no surprise to me that we were in for a whole lot of good eating and a fun time at Peggy's. But I didn't expect her to out do herself cooking a seven course Chinese banquet meal, my tummy was a happy camper. She boxed a ton of leftovers for us to take home. There is enough food to easily eat for the next several days.
The verse of the day is, "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing" (Psalm 145:15-16).
20 January 2026
Christ first! It is good to wake up to the civil twilight and be up and out of bed at sunrise to bright sunny days. Albeit I don't particularly care for cold winter days, it is what it is and albeit I don't sound like I am grateful to be alive, I most certainly am. I am thankful for God's provisions. I wake up in a warm home with comfortable clothing and get to start off every morning enjoying a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries with a slice of toast. We have been in a deep freeze for over a week with no sign of above freezing temperatures in the fifteen days forecast. The string of upcoming subzero temperature days is somewhat concerning. We went grocery shopping at Meijers and at the Jewels and then made a stop at Alex's just to make a house check. I heat up leftover beef with bitter melon over rice and mama finished the last of her leftover tour of Italy meal from the Olive Garden for our noontime meal. I have known for some time about the health issues that my sister has been facing. She shared her status with the rest of the family earlier this morning. It is good to seek intercessory prayers and the support from our loved ones. We gave my sister a wellness call and had a short chat since we will be joining her and my brother at Peggy's house for lunch tomorrow. My leg felt better today, so I went down to the basement twice and did short five minute slow goes on the treadmill. We made a fresh pot of rice and fried up a couple of eggs to go with the last of the leftover beef with bitter melon for our supper. Mmm, we had fresh blackberries and black cherries for dessert. The other day while watching cartoons with the kids, the background music score was Thaxted - Gustav Holst. Right away, Rob noticed the hymn tune was their selected wedding mass recessional hymn, We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God. That thought came to mind as the day is almost over as I pray for "everything” because so much is happening globally as well in my small corner of the world. We must focus on surrendering all aspects of life while acknowledging God's sovereignty and trust that he will handle all our concerns that we lay before him.
19 January 2026
Keep us under your wings O Lord, as we start the day off with subzero weather conditions. Your mercies are anew each morning. As much as I don't care for snow, the light fluffy overnight dusting of snow didn't dampen spirit. I am grateful for this new day and am thankful to be alive. O let us rejoice and be glad in it. There's no talk of climate change or global warming today. The day started with mama making me the usual hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and a slice of toast. Fawn went out and tended to all the snow all by herself before I even got dressed to go out. We went to Alex's just to check up on the house and to heat up and eat the leftover food from the Olive Garden. Sigh, we can't even trust schedulers to book doctor's appointments correctly. My previous Urologist with Duly retired so they scheduled with a different doctor. Why in the world would they schedule me to their Wheaton office? Sigh, I had to reschedule to the Naperville office at the end of March. Albeit imo, there were more than a few teams that shouldn't have gotten a bracket in the CFP and to no one's surprise, they were all eliminated during the first round. My frustration with the college football playoff committee the past few years is due to their bewildering justifications and controversial inclusions and exclusions of teams. The only thing that could make this year's Natty better is if the Irish were playing. With that said, I can hardly wait to watch the National College Football Championship game between Indiana and Miami tonight. I am like most people and favor the Hoosiers over the Hurricanes and hope they can win their first college football championship ever. Either way, may the best team win. Peggy called and invited us for lunch sometime this week. She is a very good cook and always hosts an elaborate meal. I made us beef with bitter melon over rice for our supper. Congratulations to Indiana for completing a 16 - 0 perfect season and earning their first national championship. Anyway, I need to stop penning and get ready for bed. Thanks be to God for all his benefits.
18 January 2026
Christ first! I normally wake up in the morning to the sunlight or to the sound of a gentle alarm. Mama must have an internal alarm clock because she is always up in the morning before I am. This morning I woke up to her calling me to wake up because we need to be out of the house by… I looked at the weather app and it was 8°F and the high temperature for the day was in the upper teens. It was screaming for me to put on my thermal underwear. Albeit I still feel the muscle strain on my hamstring muscles, it seems to be slowly getting slightly better day by day. Prayers for comfort healing and recovery. Mmm, mama made a bowl of hot oatmeal with shredded steak for my breakfast before layering up to brave the cold. I am glad that my Elmer Fudd hat has a visor on it because the sun is shining brightly on the southern horizon. The sunlight is such a blessing during these short winter days. I made us scrambled eggs and nuked back the bacon, hash browns and breakfast sausages. Surprise, surprise, Andrea and mama went out and about and I watched Bluey cartoons with the grandkids and Rob. The ladies came back with food from the Olive Garden for our birthday celebratory noontime meal. The last couple of times I like getting their spaghetti. Rats, I forgot to tell them that I wanted the meatball meatballs parmigiana appetizer. We celebrated Andrea with a tiramisu torte cake. It happens to be one of our family's favorite cake. Andrea is a Patriot fan and was cheering them on. Albeit the visiting Rams are favorite over the Bears for the divisional playoff game tonight, I'll be cheering on the Bears later tonight. Regardless of who wins this game, they will have to face the Seahawks who smoked the 49er last night 41 - 6. One of the hardest things about being old is that our bodies become more and more frail. All my family and friends seem to be struggling with one thing or another that is ailing them. Mercifully accept our prayers, O Lord. Heal us and we shall be healed; save us and we shall be saved. I ate the other half of my leftover salmon with rice and mama ate the last of the leftover streak with rice for our supper before watching the Bears game. It was a back and forth game with the Rams beating the Bears 20 - 17 in overtime. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day. Time with my family brings joy and gladness to my heart, my soul sings praises, to you be the glory.
17 January 2026
Praise be to God his steadfast love endures forever. His mercies are new every morning. I looked at the weather app and saw that highs for the day will be in the upper teens. The bright sunshine is so deceiving. Mama made me the usual hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and toast for breakfast. I was listening to the news about tariffs against European nations in bid for Greenland. I don't understand President Trump's rationale for the United States to seize control of Greenland when we already have a US military base there and is free to put more troops there at any time. Why is ownership of the island so important? Am I missing something? I think this President has enough on his plate to end the chaos in Minneapolis that is being fueled imo by local officials’ rhetoric seeming to encourage violence against federal officers. I started cooking food for Andrea to take home tomorrow to have later during the week. I made Cantonese style pan fried noodles, teriyaki salmon, spicy tofu, bone-in ribeye steak and beef with bok choy. Mama, cut all the fresh fruit and prep the vegetables. I ate salmon, spicy tofu and of course gnawed on the meat off the ribeye steak bone for lunch. I was given the task of assembling the birthday table centerpiece, gotrdun! Lol, no all out birthday party decorations like the grandkids get. We ate beef with bok choy over rice for our supper. We decided to get ahead of tomorrow's breakfast and made the bacon, breakfast sausage links and the hash browns. Boy oh boy, that was a whole lot of cooking for the day. Mama had the hard part, cleaning all the pots and pans and cleaning up my mess. We are so looking forward to tomorrow to see Rob and our grandkids and to celebrate Andrea's birthday. I am grateful for all the blessings of the day. The Lord showers us with grace upon grace. May he heal us physically and spiritually.
16 January 2026
Thank you, Lord, for this new day and for your unending mercies. To you be the glory. I woke up this morning feeling as if I pulled the hamstring on my right leg and dreadful if it snowed overnight and if we needed to shovel it. So far about two inches of snow has fallen, hopefully it will stop snowing soon. I looked at the weather app and it looks like the temperatures will start plummeting into the single digits this weekend. I suspect that we will have subzero temperatures at some point over the weekend. Just thinking about that makes me shiver. I was happy to see mama got up early and made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal. She made my oatmeal with raspberries and I had it with a slice of toast, so good. Thanks be to God for our kind and mindful neighbors. Yi took care of the snow on our driveway and sidewalk with his snowblower. Fawn went out back and tended to the snow on deck, it was a good thing that the snow turned out to be light and fluffy. We ate leftover pizza before heading out to the Chinese supermarket. I was glad that the city did an excellent job tending to the road ways. It seems more times than not that the trip to the Chinese supermarket turns out to be disappointing as they rarely have the things we set out to shop for. We especially hope to find rice noodles to make gon chow ngau ho for our grandkids. However, we didn't walk out empty handed, we found bitter melon, baby bok choy and tofu. I made us fried eggs with oyster sauce and we ate it with leftover rice for supper. After supper we FaceTime with the kids and we wished Andrea a happy birthday. It was a good way to bring the day to a close. Anyway, time to get ready for bed. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
15 January 2026
Waking up to the nautical and civil twilight is finally coming about and it beats waking up in the darkness. There is joy and gladness in my heart that God blesses and continues to abundantly deal with me. Mama poured me a bowl of cold cereal and a slice of toasted bread. I should have known better, I went out to retrieve the recycling bin and then went back in the house to change. I wasn't dressed warm enough and needed to put on my thermal underwear to provide an additional layer of clothing. Thanks be to God for the technology put into warm comfortable clothing. It made a huge difference when we stepped out to go to the Sam's Club and to the Oswego area to shop. We always buy our salmon from the Sam's Club whenever Andrea requests it. It's hard to believe that our baby is turning forty tomorrow at seemingly the blink of an eye. We will be celebrating her birthday this weekend. Albeit difficult to do a lot of walking wearing my slippers resistance shoe I did manage to get in a decent walk at the Sam's Club and at Meijers. We got gas for $2.479 a gallon. That's a few pennies less than our last fillup, so that's a good thing. We went to Alex's and heated up leftover pizza. Of course I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill and listened to sacred music played on the Lutheran Public Radio. Before heading back home we went to the Meijers near the Promenade and to IKEA. I got in some more walking in while mama was shopping. I ate a salad and the leftover chicken with green beans for supper. I got on the elliptical again today, good for me. I've also started doing a few wall push-ups. I really need to start doing light resistance training again and become more committed to healthy habits. Yessir, I got in an eleven thousand plus steps day in! Intercessory prayers for divine help, healing and guidance for all my loved ones. Prayers for our broken world and for your presence. Today was a very good day. I thank God for all his provisions, his steadfast love endures forever.
14 January 2026
"He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow" (Psalm 147:16-18). Lord, I praise your majesty over all of creation. I confess the spiritual coldness of my hardened heart. Teach me your precepts for your mercies being renewed every morning. It was still snowing when I woke up to the howling wind and a coating of snow. I'm guessing that the snow must have just started falling, because it is coming down pretty heavy. I hope it ends soon. Brr, winter is back. Just seeing snow makes me shiver. Mama made me a hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries. We ended up getting about three inches of fluffy snow and I was able to tend to shovel the snow without much difficulty. Albeit I was layered up, there was a good reason to be shivering being out in the cold wind. We went to Alex's thinking that we needed to do some shoveling there. Albeit traffic was light, we still came across two separate car collisions and one car off the road in a ditch on the way to Alex's. To our surprise, there was barely any snow on the ground and no shoveling was necessary. I made us stir fried chicken with green beans for lunch. I went downstairs to the basement and had a go on the treadmill. We stopped to pick up a Domino's pizza on the way back home for our supper. I hopped on the elliptical to get in a little more cardio exercise for the day. Happy heavenly birthday to my sister Mary, you are missed. May she rest in your heavenly embrace, O Lord.
13 January 2026
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Great is your faithfulness O Lord, great is your faithfulness. It's great to start the morning with the hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries on the side that mama made. Sue stopped by and gifted us some taro cake. Albeit, I shouldn't have, I ate a small piece. Clearly, I am not disciplined enough to resist. Oh no, the polar vortex gave way and an arctic blast is headed our way. Temperatures will begin plummeting and we will be facing single digits before the weekend. Mama ate the leftover beef with broccoli and made me a salad. I also ate a yogurt with our noontime meal. I enjoy eating salads and have no problem eating it as a meal several times a week. I went out to the garage and cut down some more cardboard boxes from the holidays. Mama perfectly made a fresh pot of rice, she got that down to a science. I finished the last of the leftover beef with broccoli and I stir fried spinach for mama to go with her rice and leftover black beans. I am glad that Fawn encouraged me to start using the elliptical again today. I ended up hopping on the elliptical three times. I clearly get a better cardiovascular workout on elliptical than the treadmill because I ended huffing and puffing after each go. The song of the day is, Oye Como Va - Santana. Cha-cha-chá, back in the day. The day is almost over. Lord, place your healing hands on me and restore my health and fill me with your peace. I also lift up my loved ones with health concerns to you O Lord, who are in need of healing. May your peace guard our hearts as we wait.
12 January 2026
I woke up this morning well rested and with a grateful heart. I am so glad that I didn't have to fast for my lab work this morning because mama made me a savory bowl of oatmeal with steak and a small bowl of raspberries on the side. I have been watching what I have been getting since my last doctor's appointment with my hematologist. I hope that with a better diet, my numbers will show some signs of improvement. While waiting to see the doctor, Fawn showed me videos of Isaac playing basketball. I'm guessing he is playing basketball in a park district league. I am glad that my hemoglobin was where it needed to be and that I didn't need an erythropoietin injection. I was happy to see that my potassium level improved but was disappointed that it was a hair out of the normal range, so I still needed to keep at it and perhaps need to still do better with my diet and exercise. I think it will be just fine the next time I have my blood work done.
O what a beautiful day, considering we are in the month of January. The sun is shining, the sky is as blue as can be and the temperature is in the 40s. We went to Portillo's to get mama's half birthday freebie cake and we splitted a hamburger for our noontime meal. Mama encouraged me to go down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill the third time! We each got $7 off our purchases because the Bears beat the Packers, so we stopped at the Jewels and bought us a couple of ribeye steaks! What a nice promotion, Go Bears! I made us stir fried beef with broccoli over rice for our supper.Good for me, I got in a ten thousand plus steps day! Prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings of the day and for good health for all my relatives and friends.
11 January 2026
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14). Albeit tough getting up this morning to take my meds from staying up to watch the Bears Packers playoff game, I am grateful for this new day. I was expecting an inch of snow to fall overnight, but that didn't happen. Mama made me a savory oatmeal with streak and raspberries on the side for breakfast. We went to the Jewels to buy two dozen eggs on sale for 99¢ a dozen! Then went next door to the Target to buy a specific toy. We were in and out of both the stores so quickly that I didn't get much walking done. Mmm, mama made me one of delicious iceberg salads loaded with raspberries, blackberries, grapes, sliced apples and a hard boiled egg for my noontime meal. I tried to do a senior siesta, but didn't actually fall asleep. I did keep my eyes closed, so they somewhat got rested. I ate a small portion of steak and rice for dinner. What is happening globally, nationally and locally is very concerning and is cause to pause. Lord, we turn to you with hearts full of gratitude and concern for our world. Fill our world with your light. Lord, be with us.
10 January 2026
“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8). Teach me your ways O Lord. We woke up to overnight rain now with drizzling rain mixed with snow. The temperature is supposed to drop as the day goes on. Mama made me a savory hot bowl of oatmeal with steak and half a toasted blueberry bagel. Unless the bagel is fresh, toasting is the way to go. Initially the plan was to stay at home today but we saw that we are expecting accumulating snowfall late tonight into tomorrow morning, so we changed our mind and went out and picked up some tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana on the way to Alex's. I ate one lunch and the other for supper. While at Alex's I went down to the basement twice to hop on the treadmill. On the way back home we went to Ross, T.J. Maxx, and Meijers. Of course I did my indoor walking and ended up getting a decent amount of steps in for the day. I'm not much into the NFL and usually fall asleep watching, but I watched the Bears Packers wild-card game cheering on the Bears the entire exciting game and had a steak sandwich and a small piece of lo bak go as game food. I was only rooting for a Bears win because my brother and sister are Bears fans. Their joy is my joy. A lot of people are either Bears or Packer fans in our neck of the woods. Away, I'm really tired now from staying up two nights in a row and need to get ready for bed now. All praise to you, O Lord. Great and wonderful are all your deeds.
9 January 2026
I woke up early this morning to the sound of the pouring rain with joyful gladness just to be alive. The sump pump has been working overtime since yesterday afternoon. There is no need to remind me that our days are numbered and of God's faithfulness. Albeit today is expected to be a cooler day, who is going to complain about rain and temperatures in the mid 40s in January? Mama made me oatmeal with strawberries and half a blueberry bagel for breakfast. We went out and about this morning and went to the Home Depot to get another downspout extension and a couple of precast concrete splash blocks for Alex's house. It's no fun struggling to lift a 50 pound block at my age. It's a good thing mama was able to help with the needed. I snacked on yogurt and a small char sui boa. Of course, I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill while at Alex's. It wasn't until about three o'clock before we had the opportunity to eat a late lunch. We heated up the leftover chicken and green beans. I was looking at news updates on the ICE fatal shooting and the aftermath of the shooting. The diverging accounts of what led to the shooting by the news media and by politicians is so mind blowing with only one reality. I fried up a ribeye steak for our dinner. I made myself a ribeye steak sandwich and watched the Peach Bowl. Indiana dominated the game and destroyed Oregon 56 - 22 and will be going to the Natty and will face Miami at Miami. Anyway, it's past my bed time. Prayers for comfort, health and recovery.
8 January 2026
Thank you Lord for the gift of life. We are going out and about today so I checked the weather app and was happy today's high temperature is expected to be in the upper 50s! Mama made me oatmeal with strawberries and half an asiago bagel for breakfast. I know it's weird to pen what I eat in my journal entries, but it is a way for me to track and keep me from overeating and from too many things that I shouldn't be eating. We went out shopping at Target, Ross, Walmart and the Jewels. I got in a lot of walking time while mama was shopping. It's so strange to be out and about in early springtime weather. Mmm, Peggy gifted us lo bak go! I think she makes it even better than the dim sum houses. It's too bad I only could eat just a small piece because my potassium range was above normal. I also ate a steamed pork bao for my noontime meal that my sister gifted us. Initially I just thought that it was OK but today I think I acquired a taste for this kind of boas. I was surprised that I fell asleep sitting upright on the recliner while strolling on the Facebook app on my phone. The sound of the pouring rain woke me up from my nap. Mama made the rice and I stir fried a savory chicken with green beans dish for our dinner. I made it a point to get up and walk around the house for a couple minutes at a time every so often just to make sure I got in a ten thousand plus steps day in.
7 January 2026
We had overnight rain again and woke up to morning drizzle. Our January thaw is holding with clouds and fog. These past few days in the mid 40s have been a blessing. Old folks like me tend to moan and groan when the temperatures drop below freezing. Despite the lack of sunshine, my heart is filled with joy and gladness for the start of the new day the Lord has made. Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal. She dressed up my bowl with fresh strawberries again and toasted me up a slice of white bread. We went early to the Sam's Club pharmacy to pick up my meds. I got in a decent indoor walk at the Sam's Club. We then went out and about to the Oswego area and I got a little more walking in the big box stores while mama was shopping. We stopped for gas and I was happy to see it was $2.499 a gallon. I wonder if it had anything to do with what is happening in Venezuela. I ate leftover beef with pea pods and mama ate the leftover beef with bitter melon. I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill. I was shocked to learn on the news that there was a fatal shooting in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. I made us stir fried lettuce and fried eggs with oyster sauce for our supper. The only thing that could have made this meal better was to have made some jasmine rice to accompany this savory classic Cantonese meal. Help, save, comfort and defend us Lord.
6 January 2026
Despite the overnight rain and the sky remaining cloudy, I woke up this morning feeling good. Happy Epiphany! God is good! I thank God for rain in January instead of snow. Mama made us our usual hot bowl oatmeal with strawberries and a slice of toast for breakfast. I think oatmeal with fresh berries is a good way to start each day, especially during the winter months. I was surprised that the sun briefly came out this morning, because the weather app hourly forecast showed that it is supposed to be cloudy all day long. I stir fried us beef with bitter melon for lunch. We went to Alex's again today because FedEx failed to deliver an expected package yesterday like it was supposed to. I finished breaking down all the cardboard boxes from the Christmas holiday. I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill. I like that I am able to get a good cardiovascular workout on it by walking at a faster pace. On the way home we stopped at the Target and I got in a decent indoor walk while mama was shopping. I heated up the last of the spaghetti for my supper but it wasn't quite enough, so I ate half an asiago bagel with a tad of cream cheese and an apple. The song of the day is, I'm So In Love With You - Al Greene. Anyway, I am thankful for the blessings of the day.
5 January 2026
Christ first! I woke up grateful and excited for the new day. I looked at the weather app and was happy to see that we will be having above normal temperatures in the 40s this week. Any day above freezing in January is a win in the Midwest! Let the big melt begin! What a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine. We went to the AutoZone to buy a replacement headlight and replaced the bulb in the parking lot. Replacing the highlight bulb on the driver's side was way easier than replacing one the passenger side, gotrdun! I ate a hamburger for lunch. I got on the treadmill twice today and bumped up the walking speed to 3.0 mph. I was happy to FaceTime with the kids. I learned from Alex that At&t is moving from downtown Dallas to a 54 acres campus in Plano. I googled it and learned the campus is expected to be ready by the second half of 2028. That is good news indeed. Mmm, I fried up a ribeye steak for our dinner. Albeit the steak was an inch an inch thick, I was surprised that the ribeye steak was small and weighed only 0.68 lbs. That's a good thing, because meat is so expensive nowadays. I am thankful the temperatures will stay above freezing overnight. I know little about Nicolás Maduro. My understanding is that he was indicted with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges. It's hard to believe anything on the news, because I don't trust the biased mainstream media. I think it is best just to place our faith in Jesus amidst a chaotic world by anchoring our heart in his unchanging nature. I reflected a little more on my shortcomings. I commented on Facebook on President Joe Biden when he was considering running for a second term and I questioned his cognitive abilities and fitness to remain in office. I was asked by someone I didn't know, if I was qualified to make a cognitive assessment and that my comments weren't christlike and didn't reflect the same person that pen here in Larry's World. I know we are to put people in the best light. Perhaps I could have and should have voiced my concerns about the sitting President in a kinder way. Intercessory prayers for all in our brokenness. For comfort and peace as we face heavy loads and difficult circumstances. For physical and spiritual healing as our fragile bodies become weak and our souls become compromised.
4 January 2026
Praise the Lord! I woke up grateful for the new day the Lord has made. It is good to be alive. I started the morning off with the usual hot bowl oatmeal with raspberries and an Eggo. I ate mama's spaghetti for lunch. Albeit the Colts didn't win, it was an exciting game and Riley Leonard was impressive in his debut start. I snacked on a hard boiled egg mid afternoon. I cut down a bunch of cardboard boxes and couldn't fit them all in the recycling bin. I did good and got on the treadmill twice. Déjà vu, we went to three more stores for returns without shopping again today. We went to Ross, Meijers and Burlington. This time I got in a decent indoor walk. Rats, the driver side low beam highlight burned out. I remember what a bite in the butt it was to swap out and replace the bad bulb on the passenger side almost two years ago. I made beef with pea pods for our dinner and mama sliced up an apple for my dessert. Mama spreaded the new blanket out for me that Alex gifted me for Christmas. Prayers for a good night's rest.
3 January 2026
Glory to God in the highest! I woke up early and well rested. Mama made me a bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and broke me a small piece of Chinese sponge cake. We went to the city to pick up Rob at Midway and drove him to his car at Alex's. I am amazed at his willingness to help Alex drive back to Texas and fly back. Thanks be to God for taking him under his wings and safely bringing him back to us. I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill. I ate chicken with green beans over rice for lunch. It is hard to believe we went out and about to Walmart, Kohls and Target just to return a few items without shopping. I didn't get much walking in so I went for a second go on the treadmill. The verse of the day is, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). Clearly, we live in a morally confused time. Satan distorted the distinction between what is right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral for many. Lord, teach me your ways, guide me in your truth. I ate half an Italian beef sandwich and a small plate of spaghetti for dinner. I usually have very little to no interest in watching NFL games until the playoffs. But I'm planning to watch and cheer on the Colts in their final game of the season against the 10.5 points favorites Texans. It is rare that a rookie quarterback ever wins their debut game, but I’m sure Riley Leonard will be giving his all. If anyone can pull off an upset, he's your man. LOL, Peyton is a hoot, mama showed me a video of her saying how boring I am. I love her all the same, our grandchildren are our pride and joy. I am grateful for the blessings of the day.
2 January 2026
I woke up to this 9th day of Christmas grateful to be alive. Most sacred heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you. Mama made me a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and an Eggo to boot. Went out and about for groceries at the Jewels, Walmart, Whole Foods and the Chinese supermarket. I am thankful for warm clothing because it was cold, but at least we have beautiful blue skies with plenty of sunshine. I can hardly wait for warmer weather and for the sun to move up higher from the horizon. It looks like a Portillo's food day and some. We stopped at Portillo's to take out their buy one get one free beef sandwich and their hamburger for 50 percent off. I ate half the burger for lunch and I intend to eat the other half for supper. It was good getting on the treadmill. My honey do for the day was vacuuming. Thanks be to God, Alex and Rob made it safely back to Dallas. I going to call it a day and get ready for bed because we will need to be up and out the door early tomorrow morning to pick up Rob at Midway. Prayers for a good night's rest and for safe travel.
1 January 2026
I surprised myself that it was intuitive to create and link this new page to this site this year. "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen” Most scared heart of Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner. I woke up this morning grateful to be alive. I am filled with good cheer and gladness and with sadness at the same time. Alex will be leaving tomorrow and will not be back until his sister and RJ's wedding reception. It is amazing how selfless Rob is to do all that he does as a family member. Brr, I don't care for cold winter days. We bundled up and went to Alex's and stopped off at Meijers to buy a pound of beef for mama’s pasta sauce. I boiled the linguine pasta. Alex made the rice and I pan fried the porterhouse steak for our noontime meal. We watched the Rose Bowl hoping to see an exciting game, but the Crimson Tide was no match for the Hoosiers. The final score was Indiana 38 Alabama 3. Many people thought that Notre Dame should have gotten a CFP bracket instead of Alabama, but I am wondering why James Madison and Trulane made the cut. I ate pasta and a salad for supper. I am surprised that today ended up being a two bowl game day. We watched the Sugar Bowl game between #3 Georgia and #6 Ole Miss. This turned out to be the exciting game I was looking for. Congratulations to the Rebels for their amazing last second 39 - 34 victory. It was tough saying our goodbyes. Prayers for safe travel and protection for all who travel, especially for Alex and Rob.
