I hope you enjoyed the week. As this week comes to a close, I am always thrilled to say something to you that I hope will inspire and encourage you to keep moving forward. As I thought about what to say to you today, my mind went to the word “success.” Success is defined as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. It is a favorable outcome that may be in the form of the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.” Okay, but then I asked myself, what does success look like for the Believer? Are they the same? Indeed,...

Oh, how I miss seeing many of you. I miss seeing the hustle and bustle around the office. I miss being able to pop into your places of work to watch you work and just to have a little chat. I miss the interaction! I am sure many of you may be feeling the same way. The ongoing isolation can leave even the best of us feeling lonely. How do we cope with the feelings we may be experiencing?

I open this message today with one word, HOPE. Over the last couple of days, I have looked around my home office at the certificates and awards hung on my wall from various state governors, with plaques from military generals, and with flags flown over South Carolina, Texas, the State Capitol, and Iraq. All were given to me as I retired from a 25+ year career with the federal government. I found myself staring at the American flag in my office, given to me because I served in Iraq supporting our troops there.

Can you believe we are only one week away from Christmas? This year is the first year that I have been so frazzled, and I am not handling it very well. Yet, I remind myself, this is the season to rejoice! Still, I find myself stressed, disorganized, and anxious all because the way I perfectly plan Christmas every year has blown to pieces this year. One thing the pandemic has taught me, however, is to be still and ride it out. I cannot control the mail. I cannot control deliveries; I cannot control going out shopping for the perfect gifts....

So, here we are in lockdown again. For some, you are fine at home; not having to rush to get out the door to the office. For others, it is the isolation and not seeing friends and clients you love that causes apprehension and even sadness. For the latter, do not forget that people miss you as much as you miss them. For the former, enjoy; we will be back at it soon enough; rushing to exercise, shower, get dressed, grab something, and head out the door to beat the rush hour traffic.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, even with restrictions. I also hope you have experienced a great week, enjoying your job and those you serve. For some reason, I keep thinking I have been with LSSSC for only a couple of months or so. I had to calculate how long I have been on board and realized that I had been here for eight months! Boy, how time flies when you are having fun! It seems like just yesterday; I participated in interviews and tons of meetings only to onboard. I loved it back in April, and I love...

"This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad!" What a wonderful day it is and will be if you will look toward the future with the hope Christ gives. I know many are facing challenges this year and may not have celebrated the holiday with family and extended family. However, don't lose hope; tomorrow brings the opportunity for a chance that we may be able to do so soon. Fingers crossed~

It's been a tough week. COVID is on the rise again, and you are encouraged to stay home. I know you love your work and would rather be in community with your colleagues and friends. I understand that desire however, I also want you to be safe.

I hope you have had a wonderful week and that you have experienced nothing less than the love of God and the people you have encountered. I tell you what has been excellent, the weather! It is nice to experience a little cooler weather. Isn’t it?

What a week it has been with everyone waiting on the announcement of who our next President will be. Talk about high anxiety! On top of the wait's pressure, we receive overwhelming amounts of news updates. The commentary may not all be positive and if we are not careful, the inundation of so much information can distress us to the point of breaking. On top of this, we have to deal with work, family, and this virus!