Living in thanks...

The past six weeks have been jammed packed with dreams come true, answers to prayer, and blessings.  A trip to London, getting to visit Paris(!) and Scotland, moving to our wonderful new to us home, so many things to give thanks for!  There have been some hard times as well.  Transition, moving, delays, there were frustrations in the midst of all of this blessing that I honestly didn't handle all that graciously.  Meanwhile, God has made evident to me the mystery of why he gave me the word endurance as my word for this year.  It's not because I'd need endurance to get through this transition, though that has indeed been the case.  It's because He's answering a deep heart cry longing that I've prayed for a long, long time.  It's not like my prayer for the right house or to get to see Paris, it's a much deeper, much more personal desire than that.  The thing is, I can see God working in the area I've been praying about, but the process is a bit painful and scary.  I need God-given endurance until the good work He's begun reaches the completion that He's promised.  So, I'm trying to do this, "in every situation (no matter what the circumstance) be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) It's a whole lot easier to give thanks for things like the house or Paris than the not so comfortable processes of God!  But, I know that He's a good Father that I can trust.

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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)

#6582-#6605

9-14-15-

-our new bed that is so much better for my back

-my friends' help with more unpacking

-our first home cooked meal in our new home-chicken and rice soup-and sharing it with our friends

-fresh cool air after the rain

9-15-15-

-the leaves turning golden

-help with painting our armoire and putting together new shelving for the garage

-revisiting how so many of the books on my shelves have impacted my life while I put them into order on the shelves in my office

 9-16-15-

-a friend's help unclogging our kitchen sink

-God's provision

-catching up on my Bible reading

9-17-15-

-finishing getting my home office unpacked and organized

-our youngest daughter and her husband texting from Vienna

-a sweet time of worship

9-18-15-

-having devotions at my new desk, in my new office, in my new home

-finding beautiful new hardwood flooring for our home within the budget we set

-our oldest daughter, son-in-law, and two youngest granddaughters coming over 

-going out for Thai food together

-hugs and snuggles from my granddaughters

9-19-15-

-going up to Lake Washington with my husband

-having devotions by the lake

-coming "home", (still getting used that this new to house is home!)

9-20-15-

-seeing old friends at church

-He's a good, good Father

-God hearing my heart's cry and working

gratefully yours,