Happy Thanksgiving!

count your blessings

every day

so very thankful for all who surround me

what really matters

What matters in life? Salvation. Love. Health. Happiness. Dedication. Grace. Fellowship.

Salvation – trust God. Give him your life and he will give you everything you need. NEED. Love – love God and be loved. It is the greatest commandment. Health – treat your body as God’s temple and it will give you years of service. Happiness – choose joy and it will be abundant. Dedication – give yourself to who and what matters. God is always there for you if you keep looking for him and finding him beside you. Stay true to your family. Support them. Be blessed by them. Grace – accept it. It is a gift from God, life itself. Fellowship – spend time with the ones who think, believe and live like you do, within the realms of God’s will.

 

This all sounds so simple and truly, it really is. Don’t give up. Try. Do. Live God’s plan for your life and nothing will ever be any sweeter or more prosperous. Share this wonderful lifestyle with everyone you care for and it will never cease to surprise and bless you. Go the distance. Persist. Trust.

 

There are other things you can add to this amazing routine and find even more happiness than you ever thought was possible. Here are some more things that matter in this equation. Prayer. Scripture. Forgiveness. Prayer – simple, converse with God daily. Scripture – study God’s word and apply it to your life. Forgiveness – don’t let disagreements and differences spoil your relationships. Getting along, with people who are in your life, makes life so much sweeter.

a look back at Gratitude

Revisiting a guided journey through Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance Companion. I’ve read several of her books over the years. They give you a fresh perspective on the good in life, the simplest being the good. There’s a page in it for a master list of blessings. I pulled out the gratitude journal I’ve kept since 2004. It took the entire page provided plus four more to list them and that was without repeating too many. My life is indeed blessed. I have had many trials and challenges but there have always been mixed blessings throughout. It is my hope that I can continue to find blessings in the remaining years even though perfection is not expected.

Blessed by Answered Prayers

 

I am blessed beyond measure.

It has nothing to do with money, possessions or places but rather people, time together, love, and GOD’s awesomeness. He loves us, protects us, saves us, guides us and makes us. We are nothing without him. We are everything with him.  He wants us to be safe, happy, strong and healthy IF we allow it. He reaches us through heart, soul and spirit. We learn of him through scripture, prayer and study. If we pay attention, we see him in the sunrise. We feel him through an ocean breeze. We hear him in a baby’s soft cry. We taste him in summer’s first fruits. We smell him in the blossoms of an apple tree.

 

This Christmas was a challenge. Mom was gone barely two months, Dad, nearly five years. I missed them but I also knew there would be no calls of distress, falls, or illness. I also knew there would be no confusion and tears. I took no photos of a woman who didn’t know how to smile easily. I did not have to invent a way to make the day special for her.

 

My son and daughter-in-law planned to stay a night with us. What a wonderful time to have them with us! My son was sick with some kind of flu. Christmas Eve he felt worse. I tried to go ahead with plans but I wanted no illness this year. I wanted no fear. I wanted no sadness. I know it was Satan attacking us. I know he was trying to steal my spirit. He was attempting to take our hopes and joy. Satan lost. I prayed off and on all day and by Christmas morning, I was seeing his speedy answers. We spent much valuable time together. We were blessed. We found so much to celebrate. Praise God! Thanks be to Jesus! Blessed by the Holy Spirit!

 

As usual, I received more than I deserved. I gave the best I could to those I love. I tried to express my appreciation for my family’s love. I tried to share with the less fortunate. I rested. I relaxed. I kept things simple. I allowed God to guide, care and love us.  I so needed a quiet calm holiday. It was. I so wanted a joyful time with those I love. I did. I so desired to have time at home sharing meals with my husband, son, and daughter-in-law. I did. How do I ever express enough gratitude? To them? To God?

 

I am blessed beyond measure.

 

-=-=-=-

 

I walk quietly and seek God.

He speaks softly to my needy spirit.

I pray simple requests and wait.

He answers in his perfect time.

I thank him humbly for his good gifts.

He is pleased with the gracious gratitude.

 

-=-=-=-

 

This day through 2018, I will abide in God today and every day for the rest of my life. I will accept his blessings, understand his discipline, and thank him daily. I will share his blessings. I will ready his word. I will share his word. I will learn his truths and apply them. I will trust his promises. I will abide in him.

 

Abide in me and I in you. John 15:4

bless and be blessed all year

blessings come in threes

and night and day after day...

 

Recently I was whining and complaining about all I have to deal with and asking the Lord why and why mom was being tormented in her last years and today it hit hard that our situation could be so much worse. after receiving a few prayer requests of people with serious problems that would require troubling therapy or surgery and may still lead to a painful death that could torment the person and family for days, weeks, months or longer...well, needless to say I felt pretty bad for whining about my own situation. I quickly asked God to forgive me and let me reboot.

count your blessings many times a day

recognize your blessings and gifts and talents and SHARE THEM

my version of the Serenity Prayer

God's creativity nurtures my creativity.

Many Blessings Daily

The path to peace is paved with much strife.

The day of joy is filled with much forgotten sorrow.

The life of faith is spent in much doubt.

The way to wisdom and truth is speckled with repetition and lack of patience.

The eternal is directed by righteousness and hope.

We are all living between the punctuations of fear and faith and we must find a balance that leads to faith to overcome fear . Then we find the eternal rhythm that is every believer’s inheritance.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May life be sweet.

May people be kind.

May you not lose your heart.

May smiles be multiplied.

May tears be few.

May your rainbow shine with every hue.

May sleep be restorative.

May waking be joyful.

May you know all things beautiful.

St. Patricks Day Blessing

My Irish roots shine on this special day! Be blessed! Know the luck of the shamrock and keep the green paint flowing....

Day 116 all you need is there waiting for you

the path is there

follow it

the blessings are there

accept them

the love is there

share it

the hope is there

believe it

the answers are there

listen