I’m still exhausted. Being sick will do that. Add in a few nights of not sleeping so well. Let’s all be thankful that tomorrow is Saturday. And God’s people said, “Amen.”

I still count myself as extremely fortunate. I ended up with an apparently light case of pneumonia. A friend of mine ended up in the hospital with it.

In the light of recent events, I think all of us should take more occasions to celebrate our own lives. There’s no guarantee of a tomorrow for you or anyone you love.

Let me add my own two cents worth. Yes, black lives matter. For way too long in this country, African-Americans only counted as 3/5 of a person and were looked upon as property to be bought and sold rather than people made in the image of God. That is a grave injustice that we as a country are still paying for.

Ultimately, every life matters. Everyone made in the image of God matters because everyone matters to God.

Ultimately, God’s love will conquer hatred and violence and ignorance and apathy. Ashes and defeat are not the end of the story. Victory and hope are.

So, I repeat again: every single life matters. I matter. You matter. Never forget that.