Weekly Gratitude Journal

This week has gone by in a blur. With the "shelter in place" orders in our state the days blend one into another with no appointments, church events or gatherings with family and friends to fill up the calendar squares. This week our oldest daughter celebrated her birthday tucked into her house with her husband and girls and us having to communicate with her via FaceTime, phone and text.  My daily gratitude journal entries help me to realize that the days, in truth, aren't all alike. Each has it's own challenges, but its own blessings as well! 

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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 journal.

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

#13,119-#13,141

3-23-2020-

-God's faithful provision

-a bouquet of white spray roses

-group texts from my siblings checking on one another

-my husband cleaning up the kitchen after dinner

3-24-2020-

-a FaceTime visit with my friend

-a nice long walk between rain showers

-a super simple, yummy dinner for the two of us

3-25-2020-

-texts with photos of our godson's new baby boy

-friends sharing hard to find items with one another

-thank you God for paper towels!

-encouraging texts from our church family

3-26-2020-

-our oldest daughter! Today is her birthday.

-getting to FaceTime with her and our two middle granddaughters

-have a prayer meeting via facebook

3-27-2020-

-thank You God for flour!

-a Friday date day (quarantine style) drive up the Columbia River Gorge

 and having a picnic in the car

-warm sugar free chocolate pudding with walnuts sprinkled on top

3-28-2020-

-having more than enough 

-a phone call with my longest time friend

-fourteen month old youngest granddaughter somehow Facetiming me twice

3-29-2020-

-such a good online church service with a lot of participation and feedback

-getting to see all of our kids and grandkids (from a distance)

-trying to learn something new while quarantined-making sourdough bread

still following,

Still Learning

"...for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13 NKJV

I woke up this morning to gray skies and rain-not the intermittent rain and sun breaks of a few days ago, but a relentless downpour. I was doing okay with this coronavirus quarantine until I wasn't. This morning the gloomy weather piled on top of the gloomy circumstances in our world was the straw that broke the camel's back and I found myself murmuring and complaining.  (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, March 29th, at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Susan B. Mead

Sue Moore Donaldson

Weekly Gratitude Journal

Months ago, my siblings and I made plans to have a small reunion at the beach, just us and and our spouses. We planned it for a time when my missionary brother and his wife could be with us, since we haven't been with them in quite some time. We proceeded with our plans in spite of the coronavirus scare but while we were together the social distancing guidelines shrunk in numbers and expanded in amount of space we should maintain with others. It was a bit too late for us, since we were already in a beach house with each other. We decided to enjoy ourselves while we could and then to self-quarantine as much as possible for the recommended fourteen days when we got home in case we unknowingly had exposed one another. You know how the Bible talks about a day being like a thousand years? We aren't very many days in and it already seems like we've been isolated forever-and I'm a homebody! I feel a lot of sympathy for all of you extroverts! Going on walks outside has helped me to cope, as has this habit of taking note of all there is to give God thanks for. There's always something!

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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 journal.

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

#13,095-#13,118

3-16-2020-

-coffee in bed in our hotel room right on the beach

-a walk by the sea

-a time of prayer/intercession with my siblings

-facetiming our oldest brother who couldn't come

3-17-2020-

-finding a piece of seaglass on my walk, (I've never found seaglass on our coast before!)

-another lovely walk by the sea

-a time of intercession for our descendants with my siblings

3-18-2020-

-a really good walk and talk by the sea with my youngest brother 

-another amazing sunset

-standing on the deck of the beach house looking at the stars with my brother and sister 

3-19-2020-

-this time that I had with my siblings

-coming home

-having plenty of food

-the first day of spring!

3-20-2020-

-this beautiful weather

-1 Peter

-being able to go on walks outdoors 

3-21-2020-

-taking a drive and walking around Lake Sacajawea together on this beautiful day

-listening to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe on our drive

-facetiming with our grands when we can't be with them due to "social distancing"

-my husband getting to "meet" with his pastor's group via Zoom

3-22-2020-

-online church going well

-getting to see our middle daughter and her family, 

(by staying outdoors and sitting in lawn chairs over six feet away from each other!) 

-the hubs and I getting all of the front yard flowerbeds weeded (still have the backyard to do!)

still following,

Keep Your Heart Firmly Fixed

Most of us are hunkered down in our homes practicing a term we probably never used before, "social distancing." Everywhere we turn we are bombarded with news updates and developments about the coronavirus pandemic, instructions on how to avoid getting sick and how to hopefully stop the spread of this novel virus. But, we are all facing a harsh reality - no one can prepare themselves or protect themselves and their loved ones from every worst case scenario.  You could drive yourself crazy trying to do so. Eventually, we have to accept that we can only do our best and then we must simply trust God for the rest.

In order to not be tossed to and fro by evil tidings, bad news and current events, Psalm 112:7 says that our heart needs to be "firmly fixed" in our confidence and trust in the Lord.  (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, March 22nd, at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Susan B. Mead

Sue Moore Donaldson

Weekly Gratitude Journal

It's not the coronavirus that scares me, it's our responses to this pandemic that have me mourning. The store shelves are empty due to panic and selfishness. Politicians and the media are all too eager to use the crisis for their own political gain. I have to shift my focus to the faithful character of God and the truth of His Word in order to keep my thoughts from plummeting into despair. I have to choose to continue to focus on all that there is to give thanks for. Today, I want to give thanks for a blog comment that was left on my blog yesterday from a woman in Italy saying that she is praying for our country. You, my friend, have helped me to see that there is goodness and beauty in the middle of all of this chaos. 

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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 journal.

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

#13,074-#13,094

3-9-2020-

-a walk to the river with my youngest grandson on this beautiful day

-taking the grandgirlies to the park to play with their cousins after school

-youngest granddaughter loving the slide and wanting to go down it over and over

3-10-2020-

-the smell of bread baking

-it being light enough after dinner to take an evening walk

-Psalm 46

3-11-2020-

-memories of mama as I make a batch of her homemade oatmeal cookies to take to family reunion

-always group texting with our girls

-videos of the grandkids that make me laugh

3-12-2020-

-a quiet dinner together

-my husband telling me I'm beautiful

-a powerful time of prayer

3-13-2020-

-Friday Date Day

-youngest granddaughter's first sentence, "My cheese!" :)

-pizza night at our middle daughter's 

3-14-2020-

-4" of late winter snow

-the auto parts store installing our new car battery for us

-a quiet evening to read and write

3-15-2020-

-our church praying together on this National Day of Prayer

-a safe drive to the beach

-a beautiful sunset

still following,

  

We've Been Asked to Pray

Our nation and our world is in crisis. The coronavirus has not just caused a worldwide pandemic, but a worldwide crisis of fear and panic. In our nation, churches, schools, sporting events, etc. have been shut down to prevent further spread of the virus. People have responded to the news in panic and now grocery store shelves are empty. It all seems quite surreal. Our president has asked our nation to pray, asking that Sunday, March 15th be a National Day of Prayer. It doesn't matter if you voted or didn't vote for our president. I'm sure we can all agree that our nation and world need our prayers. If you're like me, sometimes you get asked to pray and then can't think of exactly what to pray. I thought perhaps it would help if I came up with a list of suggestions. (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, March 15th, at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Susan B. Mead

Sue Moore Donaldson

Weekly Gratitude Journal

I'm a day late posting my weekly gratitude journal. I had a full day Monday and then I put on my pajamas and headed to bed to rest as soon as I got home, even if it was only 6:30pm! I'm fighting a chest cold/cough. I have no fever or runny nose so I haven't been worried about the coronavirus. Influenza seems to be the much bigger threat with 45 million Americans infected since October and as many as 46,000 deaths from the CDC stats that I looked up. I'm so confused by these statistics as we don't quarantine people or have stock market crashes or grocery stores emptied of basic necessities every flu season like we have seen happen with the coronavirus. It's all quite confusing to me. What I'm not confused about is that I know God is in control and that I can trust in Him. For that and so much more I continue to give Him thanks.

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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 journal.

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

#13,052-#13,073

3-2-2020-

-my husband's encouragement

-his text, "I love you more than ever"

-a flowy new blouse

-a fun time with our two middle granddaughters after picking them up from school

3-3-2020-

-cooking and baking for small group

-sun peeking through the clouds

-phone calls with my siblings about our upcoming reunion

3-4-2020-

-my husband is home after being out of town

-good weather for playing outside and for taking the two youngest grands on a walk

-two little grand babies in a bubble bath

3-5-2020-

-youngest granddaughter can now say "Nana!"

-a nice long walk

-getting to go to our granddaughter's spring concert

3-6-2020-

-a sweet day day with my guy

-youngest granddaughter kissing the phone while FaceTiming her 

-grocery store bouquets

3-7-2020-

-strength and joy to get today's to-dos done in spite of this chest cold

-my nephew and our friend from church installing apple play in our car

-setting the clock ahead and going to bed early 

3-8-2020-

-bird song in the wee hours before dawn

-having lunch with our Truelife Espanol group

-homemade tamales-YMMMM!

still following,

I Have Decided

Last week my husband had a birthday. I'm six months younger than him, but it it won't be long until I have another birthday as well. It's all too easy to get depressed and give in to a bad case of the dreaded doldrums if I let my thoughts go down the road of worry, anxiety, and fear about aging and what the future holds. So, I've decided not to go there and instead to head a different direction.  Won't you join me?

I have decided not to doubt God's care~

As I look back over my life, God's very evident care, protection and provision is clearly seen.  Why would He, my good and perfect Heavenly Father, leave me now just because I'm getting older? Ridiculous, right? So, when worry, anxiety and fear come knocking, they are going to find a DO NOT DISTURB notice on the door to my mind and heart. I might even include this scripture verse. 

"...you who have been borne by Me from your birth, carried from the womb: Even to your old age I am He, and even to hair white with age will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry and will save you."  Isaiah 46:3-4 Amplified Bible    (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, March 8th, at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Susan B. Mead

Sue Moore Donaldson