Serve by Design

I just received one of my favorite gifts of the season! And yes, I have already opened it! For two decades now, two of our closest friends in Texas have been making our Christmases extra special! They have been gifting us with a yearly Texas State Capitol Ornament. This exclusive and beautiful ornament annually features a new aspect of the vast history surrounding the beauty, tradition, and folk lore behind Texas’s beloved State Capitol in Austin. This series ornament is in its 29 th year! The monies generated by ornament sales support the ongoing preservation and interpretation of the Capitol for the next generation of Texans and for over one million visitors who come to the Capitol each year. "Jingle Bells" Why all the hoopla about this ornament? You must not be a Texan or have lived in the Lone Star State! Our family is inextricably tied to Texas! Three of our four children were born in Texas during the fifteen years we lived in the Great State while I attended seminary a...

Once a year, I am a Kentucky Derby fan! When I was a boy, I was fascinated by the stories my great uncle talk ed about regarding his frequent trips to the horse racing track at Cahokia Downs in St. Clair County. I was never allowed to be such an enthusiast! We had some compulsive behaviors in our family and Mother did not believe in gambling of any kind. However, I do get excited about the hype surrounding the annual “Run for the Roses!” It may only be a momentary interest, but I try not to miss the annual television coverage at Louisville’s Churchill Downs. adobe.stock.com There was nothing quite like the drama of this year’s epic photo finish! One of the most prized, beautiful, and spirited three-year-old Thoroughbreds, Mystik Dan, won the race around the mile and a quarter oval in a breakneck 2.03.43 minutes of time and his owners claimed the 3.1-million-dollar purse! It was exciting to see Sierra Leone and Forever Young, the second and third place horses, compete side by side in th...