Happy Veterans' Day!

Happy Veterans' Day! The results of the election may tarnish this day in the future. After 23 years in the Army Nurse Corps, it is still near & dear to me. A few of my co-workers have yet to retire. A couple of the children I taught in Sunday School are now military in Iraq & elsewhere. It's great that a couple of days a year are set aside to help us to remember to pray for them.

We celebrated this day so far by wrangling our big ram, who shoots blanks & our largest, most skitish ewe into the trailer & taking them to the cull market. They weighed 470 pounds together. Louis is now on his way to St. Patrick Hospital to talk with a Jewish man who just had Triple Bypass Surgery. He asked for a Jewish Chaplain & Louis received the call. Such unexpected "open doors" are cropping up more often now that Beth Tephila has been in the Missoula community for over ten years.

In less than 24 hours, we will be flying to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Our niece, Camila, is turning 15...which is a huge "coming out" time for daughters in the Hispanic culture of her Mom. It's as big as a daughter's wedding. We have been invited to a masquerade ball at the Marriott with 300-400 of their closest friends & relatives. We will be waaaay out of our comfort zone. Mixing with large groups who are drinking, dancing, telling off-color jokes & making superficial conversation is something I usually try to avoid. Our brother & sister-in-law would not take "no" for an answer. So I am now asking the Lord to keep my mind off my own discomfort by directing me to others in the group who appear to be left out.

Louis is excited about the trip, since his brother has offered tickets for seats on the 50 yard line to us for the Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders game. We have never attended an NFL or AFL game, much less had such wonderful seating. I'll take my camera along. Who knows what photo I'll be able to share with you.