Tomorrow I’ll be getting on a plane, so it will be difficult to keep up with my writing.  We’ll spend the first night in Beverly Hills and the next two on Santa Monica Beach.  Hopefully, rain won’t interfere with our activities as it has here in Portland.  We’d like to order some sunshine for the weekend.  Maybe the Cubs will get to join me in L.A., if they can just pull off one more victory against the Nats.  If so, we might go to a game.  While my wife is making some business calls, I will have some time on my own to see the sights and maybe have an In-N-Out burger.   I’ll sit down and put together a plan today.

I’m cooking another “Beer Can” chicken tonight for dinner, so I just pulled out my recipe binder.  The can is gimmicky, but it really works.  The moisture from the liquid works from the inside to make the meat juicy.  I will use a Diet Coke instead of a beer can for the 90 minutes it stands on the grill.  Rain…rain…go away.  I hope that it turns out as good as the first time!  (See Post #234)  I must redeem myself from the under-cooked Cornish Hens of last week, as I continue to try to find my way around the kitchen.  My personal binder is now filled with 16 different recipes that I’ve prepared as part of my retirement plan.

Talk about hassles, I just reset my Apple password for the 10th time this week.  I’ve spent too much time with Apple support, since my phone was working fine but the I-Pad was not.  I think they’re finally in-sync after this morning’s phone call.  I seem to be all thumbs when it comes to technology, but as a friend of mine likes to say, “the older you get the more technology you need.”  It’s frustrating, but I will persevere.  I don’t want to end up like the past generation of retirees, who refused to learn computers, and keep telling myself that technology is my friend.

With all the tragedies that have affected our great nation over the past three months, I have to wonder if there’s a God?   I want to believe that there is one, because that was how I was raised.  We’ve had hurricanes in Houston, Florida, and now Puerto Rico.  We’ve had news of a mass shooting in Las Vegas, and deadly fires in California.  I have to ask myself why I can sit here in the comfort of retirement, while others have to suffer.  I can’t see how any God could spare one man over another.  Maybe God decided to retire some time ago, and we’ve been left on our own.  There are many men who have lived much more prosperous and successful lives than mine.  They always seem to make the right decision and be in the right place at the right time.  War Generals that were battle targets but always dodged the bullet;  Business people that took great risks but more times than not had the “Midas Touch;”  Athletes who always seem to find a way to win.  In each of these cases, someone else has to lose.  How is that determined?  Who gets victory and who gets defeat?  Is this a result of divine intervention or divine favoritism?  These are questions that we all ask ourselves from time to time.  Are we in control of our own destiny, or are we puppets on a string?

I don’t know how to comprehend why some people lose their homes, their loved ones, or their lives.  I’ve already out-lived one-third of our Presidents, as well as 15 First Ladies.  Many of those that I graduated with sadly never lived long enough to enjoy retirement.  I’ve never really been hungry, gravely sick, badly injured, or homeless.   I’ve never had to declare bankruptcy or be needy for money.  How is this all fair, in perspective to those who have endured these challenges?  Does this make me smarter or tougher?  I am certainly thankful, but how does this help others?  Is there really someone or something that hears our prayers, or has that line been disconnected?  Does God have a blog, and if so, what’s the url?