GOD IS GOOD!

Late Sunday afternoon, sometime during the second quarter of the Dallas/Philadelphia game, the Lord (Who always knows exactly what we need, and when we need it) gave me a wonderful gift!

It was a beautiful, clear afternoon. It was a little colder than I like, but I know y'all are tired of hearing my bitching about cold weather... The Mrs. had started cooking supper (her awesome broccoli cheese soup & fried corn cakes), and #3 son had gone to the airport to pick up his fiance' from her Christmas visit to Tennessee.

I was getting frustrated with my beloved Dallas Cowboys...depressed really. All of the sudden, for no particular reason, the power went out. Now, occasionally the power goes out, but normally you'll hear a big "bang" followed by honking horns, and you'll know that some danged fool has slammed into a power pole, or a transformer has exploded.

But nothing...just no electricity. It was getting dark in the house, so I lit the oil lamps and hauled one into the kitchen for The Mrs. Then I went around and lit all the candles in the house (being Christmas time, there are more than usual). The house was really beautiful...but getting cold. The central heat was out, of course, but our old house has those wonderful gas space heaters in the bathrooms. I fired them up and it was toasty right away. The Mrs. was cooking, so the heat from the cook-top helped, too.

My youngest son had snagged his flashlight and was leading me through the house as my guide/assistant. He and I sat in the kitchen and visited while Mom cooked. He's really funny...always has a new joke to tell you, and something cute to say. (a beautiful mind that one has)

Supper was almost ready, and on cue #3 son and Jana arrived from the airport. She is such a lovely girl, with a smile & a spirit that truly does light up a room. We all visited for a couple of minutes and got the table ready by lamp light. About the time we sat down to eat the power came back on...dangit! So about an hour or two later, after good food and good conversation with the kids, the Mrs. and I retired.

God is good...and He is merciful. He saved me from watching The Cowboys. I figure now, that since I didn't actually see 'em play as bad as they possibly could figure out how to, I can still be a fan. Whew!

I laid down and watched the Independence Bowl, which to my great amazement did not suck. It was actually an exciting ball game, and it looked like the crowd had a respectable number. I fell asleep after the 3rd quarter, but saw all the scoring. By the way, LA Tech won 17-10.

It was a wonderful evening. God is good...