Today is Ruth and my 8th Anniversary... what great memories. And the greatest thing of all is that our love and joy is so much deeper than it was the day we got married. And that's saying a LOT. Today is a day of remembrance shared with Joe, my bass singer in the Gospel Messengers and our Best Man. At our wedding, Joe sang the lead when the Gospel Messengers sang "Only Believe." "All things are possible, if you only believe." I can surely attest to that.

This morning, Ruth and I went for our daily walk on the River Walk here in Derby. We like to get out early to beat the sun and just enjoy the sunrise along the river. And in celebration, we walked the full 3 and 1/2 mile walk for the first time. I've done it before, but this was a first for Ruth. I'm very proud of her because she was at a point a couple of years ago when one mile was almost beyond her capacity. Now, she motors along quite nicely for 3 and 1/2 miles. We walk between four and six mornings a week, and it's a great excercise, a beautiful walk and a time we look forward to, just being alone together. O.K., there are a lot of other people who go on the walk, but it is still a private, relaxed time for us.

Later this summer in late August, I'm taking Ruth to Las Vegas, with a side trip to the Grand Canyon. Ruth really wants to see The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas. They've constructed a large area of Venice, and we'll go on a gondola ride there, as we did in Venice last Fall. Romance never wears thin.

But, that's four weeks away. In the meantime, I'll keep the kettle on here in the kitchen. Seems like we have a lot of people gone at this time of year, so the conversation may get a little thin at times, but it's still a good place to sit down for a minute.

Jerry