Looking forward to September

With Hurricane Isaac behind me I am still very mindful and prayerful for those experiences life's hardships due to our latest natural disaster.  While I rest comfortably at this moment I am still stunned at how many people are dealing with high water and the still hundreds of thousands without power.  For those with no access to electricity and air conditioning todays heat indicies will be north of 100 degrees.  So we must remember these good people dealing with bad circumstances as life rolls along.

I usually start feeling much better about the year when we reach the fall.  That really does not come for us til October and sometimes November.  But at least September brings us some hopeful reminders while we remain aware that we are still in hurricane season and officially, it is still summer.  For those wh may not realize this, we can get some of our hottest temps in early September.

Today we do usher in the football season.  My beloved LSU Tigers kickoff tonight as they play North Texas State and attempt to build upon their successes of 2011 that just did not end up the way we all hoped.  For those of us that want to see if that red menance from Alabama is still for real can watch the national broadcast of the red menance vs. Michigan.  In New Orleans Tulane actually seems to be acting like a real college football program again because of the leadership of their new coach, Curtis Johnson, a much beloved former Saints assistant.  All of this simply means it is football season.  And we are just a few days away from NFL football and the Saints will kickoff against the Redskins next weekend.  Unfortunately another staple of this time of year, Friday night high school football, was placed on hold as an aftermath to Hurricane Isaac.

There are many other reasons to be hopeful about September, provided hurricane season calms down.  We may get that 1st cool front.  Also, we begin a different pattern of living as the daylight ends earlier and children get more into the school grove.  That also applies to many church activities as many ministries that take breaks over the summer kick back into high gear. 

Let me get personal and tell you why I really am looking forward to September.  In just about 3 or 4 days my wife and I are hopeful that we will be new grandparents.  That's right!  I think by Wednesday my daughter-in-law will arrive at her due date and we are anxiously counting down the days.  This will be our 1st and it will be a boy!  We are excited yes but wish there was not so much distance between us as they live in N. Carolina.  It's about a 12 hour drive.  My wife and I plan on getting there as soon as possible after the birth and have already scheduled future vacations around our new grandson.  Wow!  This is so cool.

So come on September, be good to us in many ways.  Keep the storms away and bring on that cooler weather sooner than later.  And help us welcome our new grandson as we bask in the joy of new life and the opportunity to be grandparents.  And by the way you can all call me Pops!  I guess that would be Deacon Pops!