Weekly Gratitude Journal

Last week was quite a week. As life goes, we faced some hard things, but God so abundantly above and beyond all we could ask or think comforted us, assured us, blessed us and lead us through it. The week ended with a feast of rich teaching and growing and relationship building. I spent Monday resting and meditating on all that God is speaking and doing in us and so I'm a day late in posting my gratitudes. But, first let me share a quick thought with you from my recent time in God's Word. I'm going though Ann Voskamp's The Greatest Gift-Unwrapping The Full Love Story Of Christmas again this Advent, as well as rereading the book of Isaiah. When I read the words, "He has done excellent things" in Isaiah 12 verse 5 the thought struck me that all that God does is excellent. It is impossible for God to make a mistake or to do anything imperfectly. Now we fallible humans can of course make a mess of anything we touch, but all that comes to us from God's hand is excellent-including the hard things that He allows. What comfort that truth gave me. God is so good and He, indeed, does excellent things. Oh, how thankful I am!

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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)

#13,944-#13,967

11-30-2020-

-beginning my Advent reading and an especially sweet time of prayer

-a little Monday evening outing with my guy

-the beautiful harvest moon

12-1-2020-

-It's December!

-a beautiful walk with C and B (two of the grands)

- a visit that included sharing ice cream cones and fries with our two middle granddaughters

-our girl's "sister network"

12-2-2020-

-learning to both let go and move forward

-God working in our hearts as we process both loss and gain

-an amazing and encouraging meeting with our church leadership team

12-3-2020-

-our home

-my husband's support and encouragement 

-P's help with things I needed to get done at church

-D's help with leading prayer 

12-4-2020-

-a safe trip

-a baskets of goodies in our hotel rooms

-such rich times of learning and conversation and growing

12-5-2020-

-the beautiful group of women who loved and cared for us this weekend

-rich, deep relationship building

-an all too short walk by the sea

-staying up way later than we should talking

12-6-2020-

-God speaking to me clearly about "dead works" 

(things I do "for Him" out of obligation instead of love)

-God at work in our church in amazing ways

-being back home with my husband

still following,