God's love notes...

The week began with a trip to the ER with our youngest daughter and ended with a long prayed for daughter of one of our church members coming to church with her and responding to God's love in brokenness and repentance.

In between those two extremes have been prayers for loved one's and friends going through dark valleys and sweet times of joy and laughter, sharing happy summer moments with our grandchildren.

Life is full of highs and lows, mountains and valleys, smooth roads and rough ones.

Yet, God's goodness and mercy follow me, chase me down and overtake me, no matter what path I find myself walking on any given day.

God's love notes are sprinkled throughout my life, on the hard days and on the joy filled days.

Some days I have to search a bit harder to see them, but I've never had a day when I couldn't find one.

These lists, found in my gratitude journal, are my love notes back to Him,

my thanksgiving for His faithful, extravagant, undeserved love and blessings.

*******************

In 2012 I followed the prompts in Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare in counting my thanks.

In 2013 I'm going back to the way I did it in the beginning,

just noticing and recording the many extraordinary blessings in my ordinary life.

And so I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

(and capturing some of them via my camera or iPhone)

#3633-#3657

8-5-13-

-ER Dr. who x-rayed youngest daughter's lungs even though bloodwork and listening to her lungs he was convinced she didn't have pneumonia thus discovering she did have a bad case of an uncommon type

-IV antibiotics working in her body

-a power outage when I was in Target, so they gave me a free slurpee for my sick girl and a three dollar off coupon on a five dollar purchase

8-6-13-

-suddenly remembering that my driver's license expired last week on my birthday and going to renew it (thanking God that I remembered BEFORE trying to board a flight this week with an expired ID)

-a super helpful bank employee

-youngest daughter already doing so much better

-my grandson on a friend's wedding video
(look for the cute little boy in the vest and green shirt showing off his dancing skills)

8-7-13-

-the Hubs helping me do the shopping for Sunday's BBQ

-going to the splash park and then Tebo's for dinner with oldest daughter and her family and youngest daughter

-four year old granddaughter having a sleepover at our house

8-8-13-

-four year old granddaughter being such a good girl for Nana and Papa

-how she was so excited to see her little sister when I brought her back home

-a phone call from the two oldest grands telling me all about the wonderful adventures they are having on their vacation in Southern California

-a great time of worship and prayer at church tonight

8-9-13-

-Friday!  I love the Hub's day off and our weekly "date day"!

-a long overdue cut and color before our date

-a yummy, inexpensive, healthy dinner out at Chipotle

-watching a favorite movie together

-the sky outside turning all orange before a thunderstorm

8-10-13-

-an especially sweet time in the Word as I had my morning devotions

-huge blooms on my peace rose

-a bike ride on a new bike trail with a friend

8-11-13-

-one of our church mama's daughters, who we've been praying for for so long, coming to church with her and coming to the altar, broken, weeping, wanting to be free

-a BBQ at our house for our church's children's and youth ministries volunteers and their families

-having a hard conversation that I've put off and it working out for good

Gratefully yours,