Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 23, 2012 (Thursday), 7:44 a.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Holy canoli! I haven't written in my journal in a while; sorry about that ... when you are spending your days watching over a passel of kids (and grandkids), taking care of your spouse, and working up to ten hours a day, one just doesn't have much in the way of free time.

Hope you understand the lapse in my writing.

We are getting ready to welcome our two newest family members, six-year-old Bastienne Camille (who will be known as Camille) and three-year-old Akihiko Kenji.  Camille has Down syndrome; as for Aki, he is autistic, but is otherwise healthy.  They should be here in a month or two .... and probably even sooner than that.  So we have been bustin' our necks trying to get the house ready for the two new arrivals.

We are all excited at welcoming Camille and Aki into our family.  We didn't think that we were gong to adopt again (I mean, we already have sixty three children; what's two more??), but God, obviously, didn't get our memo yet. God had other plans.  Sooooo .....

The kids are happy at getting to meet their new brother and sister.  The ones left here at home already have been making plans on how to welcome Aki and Camille.  I know the others ae happy about meeting Aki and Camille when (and if) they get to come home for Easter break.  It is going to be a time for massive celebration and joy for our family!

Starting next week the choir will start rehearsals for the upcoming Easter Cantata at church.  They will also be looking for the actors to fill the roles needed for the Cantata.  We will need a new Jesus: the guy who has played Jesus since the Cantata's inception had a heart attack several months back and is still recovering.  We will miss Gary's portrayal; he's really done a fantastic job at playing The Holy One.

We have several new members on the pastoral staff at church.  Pastor Bilkey even asked me if I wanted to be on staff.  I told him thanks, but no thanks.  Don't have the time, for one thing: not with my village to raise and my obligations to work!  Still, I am honored that Pastor Bilkey thought enough of me to ask me.  (He was thinking I could be the Special Needs Pastor.)  

I still meet "The Guys" once a month at Golden Corral, where the men of our church family (including the pastors) get together for a time of food, fun, and fellowship (and prayer),  Here is where we pray for all the needs of our church family and lift each other up as well.  We always have a wonderful time and the servers at Golden Corral always treat us with such kindness and great service!  They make sure our plates are kept full (or taken away if we don't want anything more) and that our drink glasses are always kept full as we sit, talk, and pray.

I love my Christian brothers so much!  We are more than just good friends: we are family!  We are brothers in Christ!

Tomorrow is our monthly meeting at GC.  I can't wait!!  Good food always sounds great to a bunch of hungry prayer warriors and pastoral staff! :)

Normally we do this on Thursdays, but since I have to work today at the wonderful world of Wally World, Pastor Bilkey had to move it to Friday (tomorrow) instead.  

Well, I'd best take the dogs out, then get myself showered, cleaned up, and ready for work.  I just pray that the weather holds out: we could have a chance for severe storms today, including the possibility of tornadoes.  I pray and hope not!  We have really had a rash of severe weather threats lately!  Today, though (before the storms roll through), is supposed to be warm, with temperatures in the mid to upper seventies.  Too bad I can't get out to enjoy it as I'll be holed up at work!  Oh, well; grateful that I have a job TO go to, especially during these hard economic times!

Take care and may God bless you as much as He's been blessing us!

~Bill.