Happy Birthday Dad!

My dad keeps a journal that he sends out to friends. Today is his birthday and these are his words:

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,

‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will

never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’

"( John 8:12)

Hello Everyone:

Today was a special day for my parents 74 years ago. They had a son born on this day and they named him Joe. I was blessed to have had them for parents and for the guidance that they were able to provide to me for many years. When I asked how did they pay for my birth at the Fort Worth hospital my mother said that they had made a good cotton crop and they were able to pay cash.. It must have been a good year.

I have been out doing some traveling for a few days. There is no place like Seymour, Paducah, Plainview, McAdoo, Floydada, Quarterway, Halfway and little Earth, to name just a few. Then on to Cline Corners in New Mexico and an accidently meeting with a fine person and long time friend from my days in the FWISD. After a brief stop in Ruidoso we went on to Santa Fe. At the hotel in Santa Fe I really enjoyed having "high tea" on the porch each afternoon and talking to people from Michigan, California, New Mexico and Texas..It was wonderful to be out of the heat and be able to wear a light jacket at night and in the morning.

At Quarterway outside of Plainview I visited a modern cotton gin. The owner gave me a gin cap with a cotton bowl and the gin name on it. The gin office looked just like the one in my hometown of Grandview 50 years ago where my dad worked.... some things never change. My dad was a cotton gin man for many years and loved to raise cotton on the farm. The owner of this gin has a large Ford pick-up crammed full of things and a big Harley Davidson and he does Christian ministry to other bikers when he is not at the gin. Everything that would cause most of us to lose our faith has happened to this man and his family yet he stays close to the Lord. His personal testimony was very inspiring to me.

In Plainview I was very blessed to have two visits with a dear saint who is 84 years old and lives alone. She lost her husband 10 years ago to cancer and a beautiful 45 year old daughter was killed in a tragic car accident 7 years ago. We shared our experiences and our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. She kept telling me that God makes no mistakes. When we had prayer and left her home.....I kept thinking how much that I had been blessed by this visit and by a lady that I considered a member of that " great cloud of witnesses" that surround us.

I have so much to be thankful for. Last summer I had difficulty getting out of my home and going to do things that I had to do. All of my progress has been due to prayer partners like you who have been with me every step of this journey. I can never thank you enough for your love and support. I thank God for each of you and for how you have blessed my life.

Joe

"Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so"

PS: Next week I go to MD Anderson Cancer Center for a six months check up.

Happy Birthday Dad! The angels danced the day you were born.