"Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and angels know of us." - Thomas Paine

Today was a much better day. No uncontrolled bleeding, hurried trips to the doctor, cauterizing (the smell of burning flesh)...
This afternoon I went to the plastic surgeon, something I've obviously never done before. Fascinating! If he gets the all clear from the dermatologist in time he'll do the procedure Monday afternoon. I'll be sedated, and after learning what he's going to do I'm glad for that. He says for about a year I'll look a little Frankenstein-ish from a right profile, but eventually the scarring will diminish. And the choice between melanoma and a scar is the definition of no-brainer.

Alas, because of the restrictions the dr. put on me after yesterday's blow-out I had a pretty boring day. So, some room for reflections from my road trip...

I have great kids. Both our sons are men of character, and strong husbands & fathers. Their wives (our daughters) are examples of godly women and great moms.
The thing is, I know parents who were just as diligent about raising their kids, brought them up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," and ended up with prodigals who show no signs of comin' back home.

I was 20 when we got married and Pam was 19. Even with a Vegas wedding (she grew up there) we had to have our parents sign the marriage license because we were so young. We had no clue what we were doing and weren't anywhere near mature enough to make a decision of that magnitude. Yet here we are 43 years later and having as much fun as we ever did. Ease.

I know guys who went to college, maybe grad school, got strong degrees and entered the workforce, only to be laid off and go months, years, without full employment. Their family finances hit the bottom and they lost their homes & more. I lost a job I thought I was ideally suited for and was going to be my life's work, but three months later I was pastoring a great group of people and felt fully engaged.

I could go on, but you get the point. We've lived in two incredible century-old houses, I've had a series of outstanding cars, enjoyed running marathons, riding centuries, and doing triathlons (poorly)...

Why? Why should I (we) be so blessed?
Never mind the bad theology of saying this, I sometimes feel guilty for all we've received.

T'ank you, Fadder.