I was asked to speak at my friend’s church. It was not the first time I have done that, but each time is special. It’s something I can do for him and I like doing things for friends. Who does not like doing things for friends? It does not cost me anything but some time and effort. And it does not cost him anything. It’s a gift---a gift of talent and friendship. The theme of the day was Receive My Blessing. I did not have to focus on that, but it seemed like an appropriate thing to do. As I began to think about it, my mind wandered in any number of directions. It was obvious to me that the key idea was the notion of blessing. I laughed when I thought that blessing is not something that plays much of a role in our culture except when someone sneezes! It always amazes me ...