Super Saturday

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The party began about 7:00 p.m. The card party. For those of you who don't know what a card party is, let me explain. When a guy is having a birthday and he is far from friends and family, his wife emails some of the people she knows he really likes and asks them to send him a card. Now, this process is made much more simple since the birthday boy's mom is happy to have the cards sent to her home, and then secretly forward them all to me.
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Saturday, while Bill checked the oil in the truck, I placed 45 cards throughout our RV. Some of them I hid and we played "Hot and Cold" when he couldn't find them right away. I don't know who enjoyed the card party more: me or Bill. We both smiled and laughed, and thought happy thoughts about all the wonderful people who sent Bill such nice cards to help him celebrate No. 50. As he found more cards, Bill kept saying, "This is a lot of cards!" We are blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. And there are other people that we hold dear that I was unable to contact. When it comes to having quality people in our lives, we are some of the wealthiest people alive.
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Here in Minnesota, we have recently made several new friends. Two of them - Brother and Sister Thacker - took us to dinner. Brother Thacker pastors the church we are ministering to this week. They are thoughtful and kind people; it was a privilege to spend time with them. They are veterans in the ministry, having pastored several places. They also served as missionaries to Zambia for 16 years. In addition to his pastorate, Brother Thacker currently serves as the Minnesota District superintendent. They are fun, down-to-earth people and we connected with them right away.
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Here's a sampling of some of the cards that made us grin:

"Bill, One dollar a year. So, when you are 100 years old, I'll give you $100.00, but you'll have to remind me because I'll be 122 years old, and probably forgetful."
From Catherine (my mom) who included $50.00 in the card. I hope she does live to be 122!!

"The burning bush was real.
The burning candles on your cake are real.
And the burning fire of the Holy Ghost through your ministry is real!"
This from the Heaths in Morrill, Maine, very "real" people, genuine, sincere, and always kind.

"Congrats on reaching 50. Don't let peole say that's old. There are plenty of things older...King Tut, the Model 'T,' giant redwoods in California, and the earth itself. The best thing is that they are still around too!"
This was from Stephen and Muriel Mathias (Cape Cod, MA)...and their three clever cats.
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All said, it was a splendid day. Thanks to each of you who helped us celebrate with your cards and thoughts. You helped make this a day to remember!