Now that is one very chill and relaxed cat.

Sometimes, courage is the determination to keep it going one more day. It may be too tired to roar, but it can still say, “I will try again tomorrow.” Sometimes, the best remedy for a long day is a good night’s rest.

So, take courage, dear heart. Tomorrow will be a fresh start.

The good people at WordPress informed me that yesterday marked 8 years since I signed up for a blog post account  way back on July 25, 2010 and started this wild and wacky journey. 2,927 posts later and I’m still going strong.

They say that time flies when you’re having fun. Or maybe time’s fun when you’re having flies (which seems much more  appropriate in the middle of a hot, humid, and sticky summer in the South.

I’ve had fun. I’ve been amazed often by what comes out when I sit down to write (or more accurately, lie down in bed to write). I’ve been overwhelmed and astonished at the people I would have never guessed who tell me they read my posts. Some days it’s mostly me staring at a screen and having a mental blank.

I’ve probably repeated myself a time or two (or ten), and probably shared some of the same quotes, pictures, and memes more than once. It’s hard to keep track after a while. Plus, sometimes, everyone needs a second reminder of what they probably already know. I know I do.

I don’t take any of you for granted. I truly am grateful and thankful that anyone other than my mother reads these (and I’m thankful for her, too). Sometimes, it’s really me writing these just for me, and if anyone else shares in the experience, that’s sorta like the proverbial icing on the cake. Which you pretty much need if the cake is going to not suck.

To express my thanks, here’s a picture of some very patriotic sheep. You’re welcome.

“We believe that God forgives us our sins; but also that He will not do so unless we forgive other people their sins against us. There is no doubt about the second part of this statement. It is in the Lord’s Prayer; it was emphatically stated by our Lord. If you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven. No part of His teaching is clearer, and there are no exceptions to it. He doesn’t say that we are to forgive other people’s sins provided they are not too frightful, or provided there are extenuating circumstances, or anything of that sort. We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated. If we don’t, we shall be forgiven none of our own” (C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory).

My takeaway from tonight’s Kairos message is simple. Jesus plainly stated in Matthew that if you go to the altar with your sacrifice– that is, if you go into worship service– and remember that you have someone you need to forgive or ask forgiveness from, stop what you’re doing, leave that offering, and go make it right with the other person.

The question Chris Brooks left us with– and which I leave you with– is this. Who do you need to forgive? From whom do you need to seek forgiveness? Maybe you need to put down your device and make a call or visit right now.

It comes down to you being the one to make the first move as you remember that God in Jesus made the first move toward reconciliation while we were yet sinners. God forgave a lot more in you than you will ever forgive (or be forgiven by) anyone else.

Forgiveness, as I heard, is opening the prison door of bitterness and anger only to find that the one released is you. Forgiveness means that you no longer swallow the poison of bitterness and hostility, expecting the other person to die.

When you forgive, you are most like Jesus.

Today, I did my usual triathlon hike of Radnor Lake State Park. I started off with the Ganier Ridge Trail, move on to the South Cove Trail, and finished off with the Lake Trail. I hiked for 3 hours, 11 minutes. That might explain the sore feet.

The weather was perfect. I can’t remember the last time it wasn’t stupid hot with ridiculous humidity in late July. It was actually quite pleasant, almost feeling at times like fall with a constant breeze that had just a touch of chill in it.

Exercise is the most underutilized antidepressant. So is nature. Combine the two, and you have one of the more perfect remedies for a stressful day (or in my case, just an excuse to get away from noise pollution for a while).

I didn’t see the usual amount of wildlife, but I did see plenty of beauty. I got more than the allotted amount of steps in for the day. I got my endorphin rush.

Correction: I actually hiked four trails today. I didn’t include the South Lake Trail, but looking at the park map, I see that I hiked that one as well. Good to know.

I believe I’ll sleep good tonight.

“We need a witness to our lives. There’s a billion people on the planet, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you’re promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things, all of it, all of the time, every day. You’re saying ‘Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness’” (from Shall We Dance).

I’ve been to lots of weddings over the years. Extravagant weddings and simple weddings, weddings with caviar and weddings with baked beans. Some lasted while some fizzled out.

Today, I was honored to be a part of one of the most God-honoring weddings I’ve attended in a very long time. It was obvious to me that the bride and groom loved each other but also that they each loved Jesus more.

We had communion and worship at this wedding, which made it not all about the bride or the groom. It was all about God. That’s what weddings are supposed to be about.

Oh, and there were plenty of Star Wars references thrown in, which only served to enhance the awesomeness.

Planning the perfect wedding is all well and good, but planning a good marriage is better. Ask the bride and groom at the end of the wedding day what the ceremony was like and they’ll likely say it was all a blur. Ask a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary what their marriage has been like, and they’ll have plenty of stories and advice to give.

I know which I want more. And I think I’ve seen two people who are committed to building a good, God-honoring marriage that’s built for the long haul.

My heart is definitely full tonight.

I tried something a little different than my usual Saturday outings. I went over to Nolensville and ate at Nana’s Diner. Afterward, I went for a bit of a stroll.

For a moment, I had the tiniest hint of fall. It was slightly less warm and the teeniest bit less humid. It was glorious.

I know there are something like 1,000 days until fall actually kicks in, but for a few moments, I entertained for a second thoughts of flannel and bonfires and s’mores and all things pumpkin spice.

I’m sure the reality of being in the middle of summer in the middle of the South will kick in soon enough, but for now I have this little nugget of a memory to hold on to.

That’s it.

It’s not getting the spouse or the bigger house or the nicer car or the better office.

It’s Christ in me, the hope of glory.

I sometimes still can’t believe that these two are the same cat. The first is when I brought home a little nameless kitten from the Williamson Animal Shelter way back last June. The second is the same cat, who now goes by he moniker Peanut, who has grown and fattened up and generally made herself at home.

I do like grown-up Peanut a lot, but sometimes I wish time could stop or at least slow down a bit for a little while. And maybe that I could always live somewhere where it’s perpetually fall.

But I do so enjoy little Peanut. She’s loads of fun.