We just finished a time of fellowship with a wonderful group of people from our church. I am reminded how important it is to surround oneself with positive people and people who are dedicated to service to others. It was a time of laughter, sharing, and caring. So thank you for making this day a special one for myself and my spouse. There are just times one needs to let down some and not take things so seriously for a time.

I did want to share something that happened once again at our Weight Watchers meeting Thursday. The leader talked about a friend of hers that decided to give something up for Lent. This friend wanted what she was giving up to be meaningful and something that she truly wanted to succeed at. She thought about it quite a bit and came up with the perfect sacrifice that she wanted to do for Lent as well as after. She decided to give up excuses! What a wonderful idea that would be for all of us. I was listening to an interview with Michael Phelps about the incident with him smoking marijuana. Here is an iconic person who made a huge mistake in judgment. I was impressed that Michael did not minimize what he had done and was willing to take responsibility for this lapse of judgement. He did not blame others. I do not in any way condone what he did, but I am impressed that he was willing to be accountable.

Too often in this world of ours, I find that people would rather offer excuses for their behavior and choices rather than being accountable for their decisions. I too have made some serious bad choices in my life. I would love to blame my parents, my environment, my government, my education, etc. I learned that if I make a mistake I need to own my choice. If I mess up, it is not my parents who made me do it, not my friends, not my church, not anyone but myself. And it is only I who can make a change so that I do not mess up again. I can do this with God's help and God's empowerment. I still need to be willing to make a difference in what I do. So I am asking God for help in not offering up any excuses and pray for His guidance in my life.