Cloud Nine?

"We seek to remind people that clouds are expressions of the atmosphere's moods, and can be read like those of a person's countenance. Clouds are so commonplace that their beauty is often overlooked. They are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul."

That is a small part of the manifesto from the Cloud Appreciation Society. Be sure you check out their photo gallery, which has more than 4,000 photos of clouds, including some that just took my breath away.

My wife and I hope to contemplate some clouds ourselves soon. Next week my vacation begins and the week after that, we are off on a super special 25th anniversary trip. I'll dish all the details next week.

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CLOUD NINE?

He was a young man who hated to cook. She was a beautiful waitress who brought him food with a smile. He was in love from the moment she capped his drink.

Yet though he ordered take-out from her restaurant several times each week, he figured she didn't even know he existed. Then, one day after placing yet another "to go" order, he bravely asked if she needed to know his name.

"No," she said. "I remember you."

His spirit soared. He was on Cloud Nine. His heart skipped a beat when she handed him the take-out bag and their hands brushed each other. Inside the bag was his food and the sales slip. On it she had written in a delicate script, "Turkey sandwich, chips, medium Coke..."

But then his heart fell as he continued to read, "...for nerdy guy with bad haircut."

[Reader's Digest via Joe's Clean Laffs; retold by Mark Raymond]

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WISDOM for YOUR WEEK: "Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds -- his name is the Lord -- and rejoice before him." (Psalm 68:4)

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