Serve by Design

I have had some unexpected blessings this week! It’s had me thinking, “I wonder if these people have been listening to my pastor’s messages?” Just this past Sunday, Pastor Roger was encouraging the congregation to identify a person or group that we could bless this week. Then, he asked us to get specific with a plan of how to bless them with our time, expressions of comfort or encouragement, or in some monetary way. A Welcoming Spirit! image credit: vecteezy.com My blessings started when a young adult lady insisted that she hold the door open for me to enter the coffee shop. I am usually accustomed to holding doors for others! I was delighted later when this same young lady helped me interpret what the barista was saying about my order. A day later, a second blessing involved Ms. Lori, the lady in charge of the laundromat. She grabbed my comforter and large blanket from the oversized dryers and insisted that she do the folding! And a final blessing was given by Bob, a casual friend, ...

We are celebrating our family role-model, hero, and teaching superstar! Yesterday, the Sherman-Williamsville cusd#15 formally expressed their appreciation to Monique. She has officially retired for the second time! The first was in 2013 after devoting 21 years to teaching at Sherman Elementary School. The second retirement occurred this fall as she wrapped up 12 years of substituting at the same school! Superintendent Tip Reedy assisted by Jenny Brennan, Taylor Payne, and others from the office staff formally recognized Monique’s years of service with a special thank-you note and gift bag at the district office in Williamsville. It was an opportunity to express appreciation and to take a picture of the event that was later posted on the school’s Facebook page. Monique was blessed by all the attention and especially all those who “liked” the post and/or made a comment! Teachers are a combination of natural aptitude and training. Monique has felt her calling to teach since the early ch...

We were there! Well, not really, but we excitedly followed the news source coverage of the Artemis 1 launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this week! This launch represents a major step in NASA’s return to the Moon. The Artemis 1 Mission occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning and was launched toward lunar orbit with the expansive Orion capsule as its payload. This twenty-six-day test run (without astronauts) was propelled to its destination by the most powerful rocket in NASA’s arsenal to-date! The launch exploded from the pad with a whopping force of 9 million pounds of thrust! A look back to the future! The Keppler’s made a return visit (our third!) to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, August 2016, when the idea of a Mars mission was beginning to gain traction. During that occasion, we had our picture taken next to a prototype of the bulbous, gum-drop shaped Orion spacecraft. This four-passenger spaceship is being designed to transport astronauts to the Moon and later, to...