Thank you, Lord, for causing my mom’s soul to just light up today by orchestrating that bump in with her friend. And thank you for reminding her that life won’t end if she has to move into a new living arrangement, but just might be a new glorious chapter for my folks.

What else can ya do when life hands ya lemons but make a pitcher of lemonade? That’s exactly what my wife did, and I commend her for it. Honestly, as frustrating as the whole ordeal was, it gave us a good bunch of laughs.

Anyway, the nice thing about all those country roads is they serve as a reminder: there’s more than one way to get to where you wanna go. And ya know, that rings true with many things… perhaps all but one, I say.

Whoever the mad scientist was who cooked up this fly killer, I’d like to shake his hand. I'm not entirely sure I want to thank God for the flies. Why He invented—excuse me, created—them is beyond my paygrade. I know the drill: frogs eat flies, other creatures eat frogs, and the food chain keeps turning. Flies also feast on dead flesh and aid in the decaying process. That doesn't change the fact that they are downright disgusting. Blech! Should I be thanking God for the flies

Howdy, howdy, blog fans. Welcome to the flip-side; the B-Side; the sophomore slump track. Or are we at the literal median on the continuum? With 182 days behind us, and another 182 ahead, perhaps today officially marks the dead-center of our deep dive into all things thankful living. Or maybe it doesn't. IDK... I can’t math, so don't quote me on the arithmetic.

Being that it was still nice and cool halfway through the day, I just kept the windows open, and that’s when I smelled it: that crisp, clean rain—nature’s air freshener that just invigorated the whole house. Methinks I’ll just keep them open throughout the night, leading into Day No. 183. And that brings me to the OG reason for this post—well, after the rain, that is. Check out the blog post number. Today is No. 182

Those phone calls, those drop-ins, those dinners and lunches with family—sometimes they might seem like small things we take for granted. But in reality, they're huge things, aren’t they? That small thing of talking with Mom and Dad—today, that’s what I’m thanking the good Lord for.

On this 29th of May, I have much to be thankful for: the peace and quiet while enjoying a meal, the beauty of this world, and the miracle of life. To God be the glory forever and ever.

Every single time we went out to eat in the past, I caved and said to myself, "Ah, I can make it up tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day." Not today. This afternoon, I stuck to the plan and made good choices, and for that stick-to-it-ness, I have only the Lord to thank.

Well, like Popeye, I can't stands no more! So yesterday, the wife and I hit the reset button. For me, this is round three. I suppose saying "try" isn't the most faithful mindset. Twice I’ve gone Keto. Twice I found success and dropped around 45 pounds. But twice, somewhere around month three or four, I let the old habits creep back into the galley. That’s the mindset that requires a hard to port.

It was Travis to the rescue, saving us from a night of chewing on leather. I’ve told him before, and maybe y'all could help me encourage him—that man needs to buy himself a food truck immediately, because he has serious, God-given skills.

Alfred was just one of the over 116,000 American service members who never got to return home and hug their families again. I never knew my great-uncle, and my dad never met him either (Alfred died 19 years before my dad was even born). As far as I know, he’s the only Bonnicksen to have served and not made it back alive. His young life was cut short so that the rest of us could live free.