Starting 2015 with thanksgiving...

With the flu bug and Christmas over, I got back to running most every day this week,

though I did still indulge a bit in leftover holiday goodies.

It was those Martha Washington chocolates I made that I found irresistible.

I ate the last of them today.

(Glad and sad at the same time!)

The weather all week long was cold, crisp and clear.

It was beautiful for running!

Yesterday, it was foggy and rainy.

When I was on my walk/run, for some reason, 

the beauty of an all too normal rainy Oregon winter day captivated me in a special way.

I couldn't help but pause frequently to capture the beauty in the midst of the rain.

Last night,  I ended up spending the bulk of the night in the ER with my youngest daughter.

She was having a very severe, unbearably painful, migraine.

They tested her to rule out anything more serious, and medicated her via IV for the migraine.

She ended up having a bit of a scary reaction to one of the meds, 

and had to be given another med to counteract the reaction.

Not exactly a fun experience for her or for me, her mama.

With us in the ER was her fiancé.

They've been engaged for only two weeks.

This was my first time seeing him with her in a stressful situation.

It was a blessing to me to see his tender care of her, him holding her hand, rubbing her back, 

promising that he'd be right back when he had to leave the room.

There it was again, some beauty for me to capture in the midst of the rain.

It's easy to count your blessings, to give thanks, on the sunny days when life is going smoothly.

But there's beauty to be seen and blessings to be counted even in the storms of life.

I'm expecting 2015 to be a great year, but I'm not so naive as to think it will all be blue skies.

But, five years into this journey of journaling my thanksgiving

 I've learned that there's always something to give thanks for.  

Always.

 *************

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little green journal.

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

#5593-#5628

12-29-14-

-my new ESV journaling Bible, a Christmas gift from the hubs

- getting back to running

-this beautiful day

-going to the wedding venue with my daughter and her fiance

-going grocery shopping and out to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner

12-30-14-

-God looks at me and is delighted and pleased with me because He sees me through "Jesus glasses"

-my youngest grandson's first carousel ride

-talking to five year old granddaughter on the phone

-our holiday dinner with the church leaders

12-31-14-

-sipping coffee and writing about my word for 2015 while the morning slipped away

-seeing God's goodness by looking back through photos from the past year

-texts from my friend

-going to the movies with my hubs and then coming home to a quiet New Year's Eve

1-1-15-

-this brand New Year

-starting the gospel of John with She Reads Truth

-our granddaughter learned to ride her bike!

-the family coming over for a New Year's Day dinner of split pea and ham soup,

and/or pinto beans and ham, and cornbread

-the three oldest grandkids having a sleepover

-watching Anne of Green Gables with them

1-2-15-

-the sun on my granddaughter's face while she drank her hot chocolate

-the two oldest grandkids still in bed while she's already up

-my oldest grandson not too old to climb into bed and chat with me

-the tooth fairy coming to our house

-the way God spoke to me about the "Where are you?" in Genesis 3

-youngest daughter coming over to watch the game with her dad

1-3-15-

-sweet time in God's Word

-contentment

-five year old granddaughter figuring out how to FaceTime me

-a beautiful foggy, drizzle-y day

-roast beef for dinner

-that my youngest daughter had nothing more serious wrong with her 

-the way her fiancé was with her

1-4-15-

-a great first Sunday of the new year

-my grandson coming and sitting with me on the front row at church

-a fun lunch with friends

-how "doodle journaling" is connecting me with God's Word in a whole new and wonderful way

still following,