Another Day in America...

Another day in America...another mass shooting.

Listening to holiday Christmas music in the background, I scan my social media accounts, peruse the web and watch TV. All are filled with news on the latest mass shooting, this time in San Bernardino, Calif. (Many forget the second "r" in "Bernardino".)

As I type, we believe 14 people were killed and at least 17 more injured, some critically. Two suspects - a man and woman - are dead and another detained. More will be known in the days and weeks ahead but for now, a community, a nation, a world again mourn.

Los Angeles Times homepage

Sadly, this is not the first mass shooting, nor will it be the last. According to the New York Times' compilations of episodes derived from news reports, more than one shooting per day that left four or more people injured or dead has occurred in the United States this year.

Indeed, you probably can take many of the previous shootings and cut-and-paste the details into San Bernardino. And, you can save it as a template for the next time -- perhaps tomorrow.

In 2015, nowhere in the world is absolutely safe -- your home, your work, your car, even your church. If someone or a group with malicious intent wants to get in and cause harm, he/she/it will.

Where I work, a security guard is stationed at the lobby entrance, and there is keyless card entry for all the departments. I do feel protected with these safeguards but know that in an instant, someone can render the guard unconscious or worse, pick up the phone outside our door and mask his/her identity, and gain access inside. At that point, our security - perhaps our lives - is gone.

As part of my job and at most workplaces, exercise drills are conducted annually. In years past, the scenarios were a natural disaster, fire or equipment malfunction. Now, active shooters and terror attacks are incorporated into the training. Again, I feel educated and protected about how to respond but also know that regardless how many exercises I participate in, I will never be prepared for the real thing.

What's more, as a public information representative, I have a responsibility not just to myself and my colleagues but also to the institution and community as a whole. I must take inventory of the situation and fulfill my responsibilities as assigned in our emergency response plan. I may be removed from harm's way only to be put back in front of it -- an obligation I accept.

You may ask me -- what's the solution? If you go back online or turn on the TV or radio, the answers are endless. More laws. Less laws. More guns. Less guns. Congressional action. And on and on.

I don't have an answer.

I do know all of us would love to die peacefully in our sleep or while watching a beautiful sunset. But we do not have a say. Some will have that experience, while others will die of disease, in accidents and yes -- from violence.

My view -- enjoy your life and don't live afraid. Cherish every day as if it were a gift because one day, that gift will not arrive.

Happy holidays and have a great 2016!

Til the next time...

Sea of Red

I know the when, but not the why.

The year was 1982, and I was in fourth grade at Live Oak Elementary in San Antonio, Texas. Maybe it was because of a friend or a classmate. Maybe it was because of a newspaper article I read or a TV sports segment I watched.

Whatever the reason, that year I become a Nebraska Cornhuskers fan.

Over the next 30-plus years, I'd follow "Big Red Nation" faithfully: online, in the media and in person. I celebrated their national championships of the '90s, was crestfallen when legendary head coach Tom Osborne retired, and was angry when the Bill Callahan regime wiped out decades of progress and national prominence. Following Bo Pelini, the Mike Riley era has begun.

I'd seen the Cornhuskers in person several times throughout Texas and Oklahoma. But I'd never been to "Ground Zero" - Lincoln and Memorial Stadium.

Until Sept. 12, 2015.

After years of thinking about the trip, even drafting initial plans, I finally committed this past spring, bringing my wife Erica along for the ride. It's one thing to plan a vacation to tourist destinations like the Grand Canyon or Disneyland, to cities like New York, New Orleans and here in San Francisco.

But a trip to Lincoln, Neb., to watch a football game? That gets a lot of double takes. True sports lovers know, though, what it means to watch your favorite team play at home, surrounded by thousands of screaming fans - your new "family" - and all the pomp and circumstance before, during and after the game.

So the day before kickoff, we flew from San Francisco to Omaha, then took a shuttle to Lincoln in preparation for a night game against the South Alabama Jaguars.

Preparing to descend into Omaha

With a population of 269,000, Lincoln is not a major metropolitan city, and Nebraska is not a populous state (1.9 million). In fact, Memorial Stadium becomes the state's third-largest city on game day.

Arriving in "Big Red Country," I was curious about the mood coming off a disappointing last-second loss to BYU on a "Hail Mary" just six days earlier. After we settled in at our hotel on the edge of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, it was lunch at Barry's Bar and Grill and a visit to the campus.

Barry's Bar and Grill

On the day before home games, the Nebraska Alumni Association hosts family-friendly "Football Fridays." Erica and I took the opportunity to connect with fellow Husker fans and enjoy some entertainment, then finished the night with a medium steak at Misty's Steakhouse.

An entrance gate outside Memorial Stadium

Players' entrance onto Tom Osborne Field

Privileged to stand on Tom Osborne Field in Memorial Stadium

Saturday was Game Day. The beautiful 622-acre campus. The team store that bugged out my eyes (and wallet). The tailgaters. The food. The game.

Which hat will I add to my collection?

No visit to Nebraska is complete without a Runza and Valentino's Pizza.

Erica and I next to Nebraska's five national championship trophies

Yes, the game. Entering Memorial Stadium for the first time, I was teary-eyed and speechless. It didn't matter the opponent, time of day or the weather. I was in my shrine - I was home.

Erica and I ready for kickoff

The Nebraska band performs prior to kickoff

Even after the previous week's loss, the stadium was upbeat. The excitement continued throughout the game and late into the night, as the Huskers easily dispatched the Jaguars, 48-9. The evening also featured the induction of the 2015 class of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame and reunion of the 1965 team, which went 10-0 in the regular season before losing to Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

Fourth quarter under the lights of Memorial Stadium

There wasn't much sleep to be had Saturday night. An early morning rise, and it was off to Omaha. I wanted to catch the Miami Dolphins' season opener at the Washington Redskins, and I did - in our hotel room complete with jacuzzi. After enjoying the 17-10 Miami win, Erica and I toured the surrounding area, including a brief trip into Council Bluffs, Iowa, for some gambling and Upstream Brewing Company and Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in Old Market.

Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino

As usual, the casinos took all my money.

Another full day gone. A quick look at the clock, and it already was time to head back home.

Watching the Nebraska Cornhuskers play up close and personal with more than 90,000 friends is an experience I always will cherish - a mark off the bucket list.

Another sports item on that bucket list? To watch the Miami Dolphins play in the Super Bowl, something they haven't done since 1985.

Where is Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, 2016?

Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, 45 miles from our apartment here in San Francisco.

Levi's Stadium, site of Super Bowl 50

Uh, honey?!

Til the next time...

Life and Death

I recently took off a month from work at UC San Francisco. It wasn't because I accrued a lot of vacation or went on a sabbatical.

It was for my father-in-law's death.

Eloy Rodriguez, 76, passed away from complications related to cancer on May 15. He had been battling the disease at length, beginning with a bout of prostate cancer several years ago. That battle he won, but there came another fight in early 2014 with a tumor located near his sciatic nerve. Daily radiation over several weeks had lessened the pain, but little did we know what lie ahead.

Let's Dance!

The night of May 1, his daughter Erica and I were notified by her mom that it would be wise to make a 2,000-mile one-way flight to Harlingen, Texas, from San Francisco. He was in the hospital for a blood clot in his leg, but the mother-in-law had an intuition something was wrong. So did Erica.

We arrived May 3 and went straight to the hospital before even dropping our bags off at home. The father-in-law was resting comfortably, propped up and upset with mom that she had asked for us to come. But, as Erica quickly noticed, that "sparkle" in his eyes was gone.

Just two days later, our worst fears were confirmed - the cancer was metastatic and had spread throughout the body. The sarcoma was at Stage IV, and instead of eliminating the clot, then rehab and additional radiation treatments, it was time for palliative care and hospice to enter the picture.

Of course, the doctors proposed that Eloy had up to six months to live. But no one really knew. What we did know was that he no longer wanted to fight. He was a proud man who didn't want others to see him suffer and have to care for him.

His only request? No pain.

In fact, my father-in-law began planning his funeral, asking - and humbling - me to give a eulogy. There were the pallbearers, honorary pallbearers, funeral home, interment site and more. There also were the financial accounts and other issues to handle once he passed.

Two weeks after that Stage IV diagnosis, he was buried at the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission with full military honors.

Eloy's gravesite on a typical sunny Rio Grande Valley day

The deterioration was incredible. Within just a few days of our arrival, he grew weak and could barely talk. Seemingly hours later, he lost motor function and was unable to move. Then, he was gone.

Along with the doctors, nurses and support staff at Valley Baptist Medical Center were an army of friends and family who provided continual care, all the while ensuring there would be no pain. His wife and his daughter began 'round-the-clock vigils.

My job? Be strong and provide humor and laughter to break up the somber scene playing out before us.

Finally, at 1:12 a.m. on May 15, he took his last breath. Three days later came the rosary, for which I was honored to provide the following eulogy:

Eulogy for Eloy Rodriguez 

The obituary reads, “Eloy Rodriguez was born July 28, 1938, in Raymondville, Texas, and went to be with the Lord on May 15, 2015…Eloy was definitely a force to be reckoned with. He accomplished so much during his 76 years, personally and professionally.”

Those accomplishments included acquiring a son-in-law: me!

I’m Scott Maier, son-in-law to his only child, his daughter Erica. I’m very fortunate to have her – and legally – as he continually reminded me that I “stole” her from him. I tried to point out that now he had a son, too, but to no avail. To him, a bank president, I was just another person now on his “payroll.”

I remember the first time I met Eloy back in fall 1999. It was the often dreaded “meet the parents” visit, especially as a young man where you picture seeing the father with a shotgun and list of rules for you to follow for dating his precious little girl.

Instead, I was met with a firm handshake, a smile, and a welcome inside. He showed me his model toys and collection of hats. A hat collector myself, I tried one on. Oh no! Would that be my demise? Nope, or I wouldn’t be here today. (wear hat for effect)

Less than a year later, Erica and I were married, and for the next 15 years – more than a third of my life – he was a constant. A constant pain in the neck at times. For some reason, he never would stop calling me “Clarence.” Maybe he didn’t want to confuse me with my uncle, Scott Williamson.

Oh, the adventures we had during this time. He and his loving wife Blanche helped the two of us move throughout Texas on several occasions and came up to visit nearly each location.

One of the first moves was from McAllen to Denton in 2002 for Erica to attend the University of North Texas. The effort involved loading up a U-Haul, with him the driver, Erica the passenger, and Blanche and I tagging behind in my car. There were some laughs and some curses along the way, but when we arrived 13 hours later, he had earned the nickname “The General” for leading the way.

But we didn’t just hang out in Texas, either. There was New Orleans and Memphis with my sister Melanie. The countless trips to Vegas, though he never won and each time we left vowed to never return again. New York City to see his daughter run the New York City Marathon – something he shared not only as a father but also as a runner and marathoner himself.

The trip to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival – that one we get him on camera a year earlier at a Texas brewery saying he’d pay for the airfare. That’s no small feat for someone who always was asking, “How much is this gonna cost?” or “How did I get conned into this?”

Yes, I had my occasional run-in with my “farucking” father-in-law. He could be stubborn as a mule. Once, he pushed my buttons a little too far when we were loading up to leave their Harlingen house. I snapped and flung a bag into the air, and Erica and I left in disdain. Tears were shed, words were said, but it – like all the other scuffles – were soon forgotten.

In fact, Eloy and I played off each other all the time, much to the surprise – even shock – of family and friends. “God, you’re so ugly?” “When are you gonna pay?”

Because of my sweet tooth, he continually rolled his eyes every time I ordered dessert at dinner or asked to stop at Dairy Queen or a raspa stand. “You’ll get diabetes,” he said. Well, Dad, this one’s for you! (take bite of candy bar)

Eloy loved being the center of attention, and he can be no more in the center than now. But let’s not think about his final weeks in the hospital battling a horrible disease that took him from us. Instead, let’s all focus on the good times and memories we had with him and keep them in our “memory bank” – see the banker’s reference I threw in there?

Eloy Rodriguez will be missed, and we’re all better for knowing him. I am forever blessed for having two fathers who love me very much.

We’ll meet with him again someday. But for now, be comforted knowing he is looking down on us, shaking his head and asking – “How much is this funeral gonna cost?”
 

Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery

Throughout it all, both Erica and her mom were tough as nails. They had come to accept his passing, but change is never easy in realizing your father for 38 years and your spouse for 51 years would never come through those doors in his Harlingen home again. We even bought an adjustable bed and prepared the front of the house for his possible return so he could pass in peace, but the effort was in vain.

As a public information officer for academic health institutions for more than a dozen years, I visit hospitals on a regular basis. Sometimes, it's to assist with a media query. Other times, it's to meet with a doctor on upcoming media opportunities. Or, it's a chat with a patient for a marketing or homepage profile.

Among the beats I cover is palliative care and hospice. In fact, the week I left, we released an announcement I had written that UCSF would be collaborating with a Bay Area hospice, Hospice by the Bay.

Now, I was on the other side - a family member of a patient. I could see the challenges facing the patient, the family, and the doctors. It's one thing to visit the hospital for a standard operation or basic inpatient care. But how do you provide the best care for someone you know will leave the hospital only when the funeral home collects the body? It was both fascinating and emotionally draining.

The fact Eloy had cancer also jarred in Erica and I the recent Ken Burns documentary on PBS - Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. The three-day, six-hour journey based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Siddhartha Mukherjee examined the various aspects of cancer, with one common thread - while we know more about it than ever before, a cure or treatment eludes us more than ever before. The bastard always remains one step ahead.

Indeed, we have joined the millions of others affected by this devastating disease, either directly or indirectly, in making the cry, "Fuck cancer!" But it is not the first time.

In early November 2014, my stepsister Sherry Kozlowski passed away after her cancer rapidly spread. The 6-year-old daughter of my best friend Jason Gabriel, Charlotte, has undergone extensive chemotherapy for acute leukemia. And there are others.

The only good thing, Erica said, was that the cancer would die with her dad.

But blessings can be found even in the darkest times. Erica, her mom and I were amazed at the impact Eloy had on people's lives - not just family and friends. A bank president active in the community, he was a big fish in a small pond.

Time and again, visitors shared their condolences and their story - how a loan helped them buy a house, start or expand a business, or provide financial balance. It may have been a brief interaction decades ago, but that moment in time was remembered forever.

Tapestry showing just some of Eloy's many loves

Suffice to say, it was a very difficult and stressful four weeks. Fortunately, UCSF understood my need for time to decompress in an effort to return to sanity and normalcy, and I returned June 1. Erica stayed behind for a couple weeks to make sure her mom was ready for her new independence.

Yes, May 2015 is a month I'll never forget. It was 31 days to experience life - and death - in its rawest form.

Til the next time...

A two "Super Bowl" Sunday

Wow, February already?!! It's been quite a while since my last post, so let me begin with a much belated "Happy New Year" to you and yours.

The Christmas and New Year's holidays with family and friends back in Texas were enjoyable and over way too soon. Whether it was Tyler, San Antonio, Austin or Harlingen, the seven-day trip provided an opportunity to reconnect and recharge - as well as put a few hundred miles on the rental car!

You can't go wrong with Texas-sized yellow Round Rock Donuts!

Meantime, everyone knows Super Bowl 49 (or XLIX) was Sunday (Feb. 1), and kudos to the Patriots for another world championship (Marshawn Lynch?!). It's only been 30 years since the Dolphins last Super Bowl appearance, so I'm used to the phrase "There's always next year." The 2016 title game, though, is right here in the Bay Area (Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara). One can always dream...

But the football game wasn't the only "Super Bowl" that day. After a decade of planning, UC San Francisco opened three new hospitals totaling more than $1.52 billion in the eastern part of the city - Mission Bay.

I was fortunate enough to be a part of history, as UCSF Medical Center transferred approximately 130 patients from its Parnassus and Mount Zion hospitals to UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay on the opening day of the new medical center. All together, 40 ambulances were involved in the move.

Yours truly talking with a colleague in our Parnassus command center.

The new facilities include the the only operating hospital helipad in San Francisco and the world’s largest fleet of autonomous robotic couriers (let's hope they don't become sentient!).

Wall of tiles in the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital at Mission Bay as part of the "Art for Recovery Project."

That's my Texas tile in the middle! Who says I'm not an artist!?

I could recap the day's events, but my colleagues did a much better job. Here are just a couple of their stories:

UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay Opens, Welcomes 131 Patients
"Operation at Mission Bay all clear."

Yep, it was a busy but very rewarding Sunday - just another day for Erica and I in San Francisco.

Til the next time...

One Year Later: A Look Back

I like to reminiscence. So much, in fact, that my wife calls me "Time Capsule."

Well, it's been a little more than a year since I started this blog, so what better time than now to reminiscence on a year full of excitement and transition?

For starters, it's been about four months since we left the Lone Star State and landed in San Francisco, but with as much as we've done since April 22, it seems like years. We've settled in, yet there's so much to do and see every day - in the city and in the entire Bay Area - that we still feel like tourists. The neighborhoods, the food, the culture, and on and on.

The iconic cable cars of San Francisco

After my nearly yearlong break from work, it's been nice to return to the world of academic/health care public relations at the University of California, San Francisco, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. It's a fast-paced, exciting team environment, and I enjoy interacting not only with UCSF faculty, staff and students but also patients and the community.

The Laurel Heights campus of UCSF

Along with the weather (it's about 40 degrees cooler here right now in summer compared to Texas) and time zone difference, the biggest adjustment has been vehicles - or the lack thereof. It amazes me I haven't driven a car in almost four months, courtesy of public transit, ride sharing and my two feet. I'm really thankful that I began regular walks a year ago in the Brazos Valley, though there was no way it could have prepared me for all the hills and steep inclines. Up, up and away!

Erica and I bundled up for the Fourth of July at Golden Gate Park- Yes, Fourth of July

Living in the Bay Area also means following their sports teams. I must admit I've abandoned the Astros a little bit, what with it being almost a decade since their World Series appearance and now season after season of 100+ losses. I've grown to like the Giants and Athletics, and at one point, another "Battle of the Bay" World Series seemed possible (minus the earthquake, I hope). The Giants are doing their best to prevent that from happening, though, and now attention has started shifting to football.

This time last year, I made my football predictions for the upcoming season, so I'll do it again now. Looking back, I did OK, knowing the Miami Dolphins probably wouldn't make the playoffs and Texas A&M and Nebraska would have good, but not championship caliber, seasons. Alabama and Ohio State in the BCS title game? Yeesh!

The Dolphins are in line for another average season, and I really don't know what to do with 'em. Bullygate, steroid suspensions, injuries, a new offensive coordinator, an entirely new offensive line - it all adds up to trouble. With two chances to clinch a playoff spot last year, they choked, and I see the same this year: 7-9 or 8-8. Then what? Fire the head coach? Draft a new quarterback? Change entire offensive and defensive schemes? Been there, done that, and nothing's changed. Sigh.

No, I will not jump on the Niners bandwagon, though I'm sure my best friend will rib me about it every week. They have a strong shot for another NFC Championship, if not Super Bowl, with the Seattle Seahawks standing in the way. The AFC also could be a repeat of a season ago, with the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots leading the charge. No Super Bowl prediction from me, however. The Oakland Raiders? Yikes!

Though I lived in the Brazos Valley for eight years, I never became a Texas A&M Aggies fan, and I'm not now. I am curious how they'll do without "Johnny Football," with some pundits predicting them next to last in the SEC West. I see a Beck Bowl or Texas Bowl appearance, not the best place to be immediately after a $450 million renovation to Kyle Field.

Here, it's Pac-12 country with Stanford and Cal. They have nice stadiums, but that's all I know and care to know about the Cardinal and Golden Bears.

Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto

And Nebraska? Same as the year before, and the year before that, and... Bo Pelini is a good coach, but injuries, suspensions and a new quarterback don't exactly have me brimming with hope, especially with Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa on your schedule (all on the road). I see another showing in the Capital One Bowl, perhaps against LSU. I am curious to see their Sept. 13 night game against Fresno State, which is just 190 miles southeast of here. I'm not going, but the matchup has drawn a lot of interest.

Oh, national title? In this new playoff system, I'll go with Alabama over Florida State in the "College Football Championship Game" (sponsor pending), and let's see how wrong I am this year.

OK, it's another beautiful, cool day, and I'm here inside typing away on the keyboard. Time to get out before Karl the Fog makes his daily appearance. Boy, does he like to cover things up!

Just a typical sunset on Ocean Beach

Til the next time...

Welcome to The City

Wow! It's been nearly two months but seems like just yesterday that my wife (Erica) and I learned we'd be moving to San Francisco. And what a trip it's been!

First, we had to get squared away with leaving Aggieland. That included our apartment contents being loaded into a pod storage container for transport. With all of our stuff, there was slight concern the door wouldn't close! But it did, and after saying "Bon Voyage" to Bryan-College Station after eight years, we went on a 10-day "Texas tour" visiting family and friends.

All our Earthly possessions fit in here - barely

Then, on April 22, we finally landed in San Francisco, our new home. As it was more than six years since our last visit, we first saw the sights before settling in. It was a very different experience in getting around without having a car, but thanks to our legs (soon-to-be rock-hard calves) and ride-sharing programs like Lyft, Uber and Sidecar, our four wheels haven't been missed.

Clowning around in front of the Golden Gate Bridge

Soon enough, it was time to tackle my new job as senior public information representative at UCSF and look for a place to live. Many said the search could take weeks, if not months.

Laurel Heights Campus of the University of California, San Francisco

Once again on this journey, God has stepped in and blessed us. We  found a nice 1/1 in less than a week, and it's an 8-minute walk to work. The new place secured, it was time for the boxes to arrive. Erica's obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has now kicked in to unpack and get settled before she takes a hard-earned "vacation," primarily at one of the numerous little movie theaters in the area.

Our new residence in Laurel Heights

All this time, we've really warmed up to The City, especially with food. Surprise for us Texans! We discovered good barbecue at Memphis Minnie's and Mexican at Little Chihuahua, along with brew pubs and breweries like Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery, Social Kitchen and Brewery, Cellarmaker Brewing Company, 21st Amendment Brewery and Thirsty Bear Brewing Co.
 

Memphis Minnie's

The Little Chihuahua

Watermelon Wheat at 21st Amendment

Right now, the biggest adjustments for us are the cooler weather (though the recent record-breaking hot spells have had temps in the 90s) and time zone difference (baseball games at 9 a.m.?). Nonetheless, we've been blessed with this opportunity and would not change our experience for the world.

Well, off to Union Square for some more fun and adventures. Til the next time...

Don't Lose Faith in the Quiet

Noise. It's all around us. Seems the only time we can escape is when we're asleep, and even then, most of us -- including myself -- don't get enough.

Noise is a distraction, including in our walk with God. We need to take time, picture ourselves on a beautiful golf course during a tournament and...

It's hard, I know -- but the results are always rewarding.

I raised the "Quiet Please" sign months ago during my job search. From my last blog post, I've been blessed with the opportunity to work for the University of California, San Francisco.

It didn't happen overnight.

After several weeks, months -- years -- searching and filling out numerous applications online, I landed a handful of interviews all at once in mid-October and early November, followed by more after the new year. They came from California, Baltimore and Boston. I was amped and sure things would move quickly. I knew that within weeks, if not days, we'd be on our way.

I was wrong.

The interviews were done, then the quiet came. No follow ups. No "yeses." No "nos." No second interviews. No cancellations or holds. Just quiet.

I didn't like it. And after a while, I got agitated -- at myself and God. Why would he line things up so quickly, then not have them come to pass? To me, even a rejection was at least better than silence.

But it wasn't the first time I'd needed to wait, and I'm not alone. As a follower of Joyce Meyer, a charismatic Christian author and speaker, I recalled she addressed "When God's Timing is Taking Too Long." In the past and now, I read and re-read that article to find peace and maintain faith.

I also have the support of my wonderful wife, who herself was finding it difficult to wait. That changed in an instant through an intimate moment with God.

Over the past few months, Erica has gotten up in the early morning hours to exercise and research for her developing screenwriting career. But one morning, God told her to put the script down she was reading so he could talk.

He said, "Don't lose faith in the quiet."

At that moment, Erica was at peace. And when I needed support -- something to lean on -- she reminded me of that simple statement.

It worked, and here we are today.

Believe me, this won't be the last time I'm challenged with patience. We all are. The key is, when it looks like nothing is happening in the natural, that's when God really is at work behind the scenes. Just stay in faith.

Til the next time....