Weekly Gratitude Journal

On my instagram and facebook social media accounts I've been daily posting things that I am grateful for all during the month of November-the Month of Thanksgiving, I call it. Yet, I've again been away from my blog for some weeks. My home has been transitioned into full Christmas mode but everyday I will still be celebrating thanksgiving. Gratitude is, indeed, a key to happiness. May I add that knowing Whom to give our thanks is key. And so today, I say once again, thank You God for Your faithful care and Your abundant blessings in my life 

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

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)

#16,325-#16,424

11-1-2022-

-thank You God, for Psalm 139 and the fact that you intimately know me

-tea, cookies and heart conversation with a young mama from our church

-my husband's thanks for a good dinner

11-2-2022-

-God speaking to my heart from Ezekiel 37

-a break in the rain for a good walk

-my grandson feeling better after having to go to the ER with breathing difficulties

-encouraging texts from my granddaughter

11-3-2022-

-a good night's sleep

-texts, phone calls and FaceTime chats with my faraway family

-going with my friend to pick up her new puppy

-cheery holiday cups at Starbucks

11-4-2022-

-a wonderful Friday date day with my guy

-a home filled with God's peace and presence

-God showing our grandson the truth that "if you don't quit, you win"

11-5-2022-

-a day of cleaning and nesting while listening to podcasts

-plans with my siblings for a reunion

-my husband bringing home dinner from one of my favorite places

11-6-2022-

-God growing our church

-powerful worship

-lunch with friends

11-7-2022-

-God's "hesed" lovingkindness

-my husband

-our three daughters

-our sons-in-law

11-8-2022-

-God blessing my day and helping me to get everything done

-D's help with tonight's notes

-my son-in-law's grandma's Applesauce cake recipe

-this beautiful crisp, cold, clear autumn day

-a wonderful gathering with the women from our church

11-9-2022-

-a nice long FaceTime chat with my oldest granddaughter

-a new cozy sweater

-making potato soup the way Mama made it for our dinner

11-10-2022-

-my husband helping our oldest granddaughter with a car insurance issue

-long phone chats with my sisters

-a very impactful Bible study

11-11-2022-

-going to a part of town we haven't been to in a long time for Friday date day

-my husband always thinking about what I like to do on date day

-cozy time sipping our favorite hot beverages when its frosty and and cold outside

11-12-2022-

-God's continued work in our lives

-a coworker's teachable spirit

-finishing the day well after it getting off to a rough start

11-13-2022-

-God continuing to add to the church

-a good chat with a new friend after church

-going antiquing with a friend

11-14-2022-

-another beautiful clear, cold autumn day

-an encouraging talk with one of the young women from our church

-tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

-telling stories via FaceTime with our youngest granddaughter

-YaY! Two of my South Carolina grandson's are coming to see us in December!

11-15-2022-

-a good phone chat with my granddaughter

-getting the kitchen deep cleaned for the holidays

- a flock of Canadian geese flying by against the background of a beautiful autumn sunset

-good reports about things God is doing in our church

11-16-2022-

-lunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant followed by a walk around the lake

-a friend's encouraging phone call

-our home

11-17-2022-

-early morning blue hour skies

-cozy candlelight on my kitehen windowsill

-a morning spent praying and fasting with the women of our church

-another amazing Bible study

11-18-2022-

-another gorgeous autumn day

-a wonderful date day together

-good news of answered prayer for a sick loved one

11-19-2022-

-a good night's sleep

-my guy bringing me coffee in bed

-meeting with a young woman from church

-our neighbor's houses all lit up for Christmas

11-20-2022-

-our four youngest grandkids getting to be together for Thanksgiving 

-a wonderful morning at church

-a great meeting with my Visionary Leadership Team

-a wonderful time of tea and deep heart conversation with my friend from Cali.

11-21-2022-

-God is working as we pray and trust Him

-a nice long walk with our dog

-phone chats with my sisters

11-22-2022-

-praying with my granddaughter who has the flu

-God's promises to me

-a extra day off together

11-23-2022-

-my nephew on his 55th birthday

-my husband listening to old Keith Green music this morning

-the smell of pumpkin custard baking 

-a bouquet of Trader Joe's roses combined with foraged Christmas greens

11-24-2022-

-Thank You, God for sending Jesus and the Holy Spirit!

-Thank You for my husband, daughters, sons-in-law and 8 grandkids

-Thank You, God for my siblings

-Thank You, God for our church family

-Thank You, God for our home

-Thanksgiving with family and friends

11-25-2022-

-a quiet post Thanksgiving Friday

-decorating our Christmas tree

-running some errands together

-watching a cheesy Christmas movie

11-26-2022-

-listening to powerful teaching while doing my Saturday chores

-talking with a praying with a friend

-easy, yummy potsticker soup after a busy day

11-27-2022-

-a timely word for the times we are living in

-a yummy post Thanksgiving potluck 

-a post holiday food long walk

still following,

Weekly Gratitude Post

We just returned home from a trip to see our east coast dwelling daughters, sons-in law and grandkids. As always, it was so good to love on our grandkids and visit with our daughters and sons-in-law. It's a five hour drive between our South Carolina daughter's house and our Florida daughter's house, so during the ten days we were gone there were two days spent making that drive, but the good news was that our South Carolina daughter and her two youngest boys were able to go with us which meant that all four of our youngest grandkids were able to enjoy being together. Happy chaos! We also were able to see our oldest grandson who is making a great recovery from the accident that he was in towards the end of September. It was a blessing to this nana to get to see him, hug him and kiss his still handsome face, (he had some pretty severe facial injuries) even if he is a grown man of eighteen! His spirits are good, too. We are so thankful.

I'll finish up posting the rest of October's gratitude journal entries here today. And now it's November and we are officially in the month where we are supposed to focus on being thankful. I'm thankful that thirteen years ago, thanksgiving became a life-changing, intentional daily habit in my life. One day a year is not sufficient! Every day there is always something to give God thanks for.

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

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)

#16,266-#16,324

10-17-2022-

-an answer to prayer for my youngest daughter and her husband to find an affordable, reliable second vehicle

-all the families in our church that had to evacuate due to a wildfire nearby are safe and their homes and property are unharmed

-my husband bring home pho soup for dinner since we both are fighting colds

10-18-2022-

-cozy home, cozy candlelight on this foggy autumn morning

-baking pumpkin bread and monster cookies to bring to our grandkids

-my friend watching our dog for us while we are gone

10-19-2022-

-a safe flight to Charlotte

-big hugs from our grandsons

-our daughter, who is currently living in a small rental while they are building their new house, booked us a stay in a lovely AirBnB owned by their Mennonite friends

10-20-2022-

-a cool crispy morning in South Carolina

-fixing my oldest grandson's curly hair

-a walk at the park with my eight year old grandson and a good conversation together, (according to eight year old him ❤️) 

10-21-2022-

-a slow morning and some quiet time

-our daughter making us a big breakfast

-a beautiful day to enjoy some time at a nearby state park with our grandsons

-watching our oldest grandson's football game

10-22-2022-

-my husband and our oldest grandson getting to watch South Carolina beat Texas

-my eight year grandson proudly ordering our Wendy's frosties by himself, with my money, and coming back and proudly telling me that he gave my change to charity 😂

-hugs from my oldest grandson

10-23-2022-

-a safe drive to Florida

-good reports about how church went at home

-being with all four of our youngest grandkids

10-24-2022-

-early morning grandkid snuggles

-getting to see my five year old grandson's school

-going to a really nice coffee shop and park together

-making homemade biscuits with my three year old granddaughter

- leadership of the growth groups being taken care of in my absence

10-25-2022-

-good reports about how the growth groups went

-listening to Sunday's messages from home while watching my grandkids play in the backyard pool

-evening walks/bike rides after dinner

10-26-2022-

-grabbing a Starbucks with my daughter on the way home from school drop-off

-baking cookies with my grandson and granddaughter

-a walk on the beach on Anastasia island with my grandkids

-my youngest granddaughter holding my hand

-finding sea glass

-and my eight year old grandson found some as well!

-a fun dinner at the Beachcomber restaurant right on the beach

-my eight year old grandson wanting to try gater tail-he liked it!

10-27-2022-

-having lunch with our grandson at his school

-our youngest granddaughter's big hugs goodbye

-God's protection over a loved one we've been praying for

-a safe drive back to South Carolina

-our eight year old grandson's tender heart and kind spirit

-our youngest grandson, age two, calling me "shirt" when I point at myself and ask him who I am-he thinks he's so funny!

10-28-2022-

-some time to rest

-taking the historic tour around my son-in-law's hometown

-playing on the old wooden swing at the AirBnB with my grandson

-pumpkin ice cream cones

-my grandson picking me white camellia flower

10-29-2022-

-an encouraging text from a friend

-a good visit with our oldest grandson as he drove us to the airport

-stopping for some delicious warm peach cobbler with ice cream

-a safe and uneventful flight home

10-30-2022-

-being back home with our church family-God is at work!

-texts with our oldest granddaughter

-our home

10-31-2022-

-God's faithful provision

-a procrastinated task that turned out to be simple to do thanks to a you tube video!

(cleaning the glass on our gas fireplace)

-homemade soup on a rainy day

still following,

Weekly Gratitude Journal

Perhaps some people may view keeping a gratitude journal as a sweet spiritual practice that sounds like a good idea for some. Over the years that I have kept a gratitude journal, I've come to find it is much more than that. It's a life changing shift in mindset, a new way of seeing if you will. It unveils the eyes to see beyond life's trials and difficult circumstances and to see the faithfulness, care and blessings of God on the worst of days, the best of days and all of the ordinary mundane days in between. But recently, a friend of ours pointed out that honoring God and giving Him thanks are necessary for our stability and wellbeing and the stability and wellbeing of civilization. (As seen if you read the rest of Romans chapter one.) They are two pillars without which we become the worst version of ourselves. I might not be able to save the world from it's seemingly pell mell dash to destruction, but as for me, I can make sure the pillars of honoring God and giving Him thanks are strong and sturdy in my own life and the lives of those in which God has given me influence. God is worthy of all of our honor, worship and praise and our gratitude! 

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

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)

#16,207-#16,265

10-1-2022-

-rich teaching

-new friends and spiritual family

-laughter

-beautiful worship

10-2-2022-

-a powerful message about honoring God and giving Him thanks

-making plans to meet with new friends in the future

-good reports from home

-a save trip home

10-3-2022-

-God's protection over our east coast daughters and their families

 and property during hurricane Ian

-our friend who took care of our pup when we were gone for the weekend

-our pup's rash all healed up

-God speaking to my heart during my morning quiet time

-$800 new tires for $400!

10-4-2022-

a cool, foggy morning

-the way God orders my day and helps me to get everything done when I surrender myself and my day to Him

-tea and good conversation

-dinner, planning and prayer with my Visionary Leadership Team

10-5-2022-

-Psalm 45

-foggy, misty autumn mornings

-a nice long phone chat with my sister

 10-6-2022-

-praying through prayer points and scriptures for our day of fasting and prayer carefully prayed over and compiled for the women of our church by one of my dear right hand helpers in my VLT

-a beautiful evening with my granddaughters at a state park near my daughter's house

-making homemade spaghetti sauce with my ten year old granddaughter

-an unexpected change of plans

-God knowing that this change of plans was needed

10-7-2022-

-all we have needed Your hand has provided-thank You for Your faithful provision!

-praying about all things that concern us big or small and seeing God's care

(my five year old grandson's lost school coat was found)

10-8-2022-

-a blanket of fog covering the golden autumn grass in a farm field

-a drive out in the country to our granddaughter's soccer game

-my husband's safe and on time flight back home

10-9-2022-

-God clearing speaking to our church and the young people in particular

-our granddaughters at church with us 

-a Sunday afternoon nap after a very full week

10-10-2022-

-praying scripture over our kids and grandkids

-a new person in church texting me about my husband's message and what it meant to her

-flowers from my guy

10-11-2022-

-notes for tonight's meeting completed with God's help

-reading Blueberries for Sal to my grandchildren over FaceTime

-the women of our church

-pumpkin desserts

10-12-2022

-God's faithful care for us

-autumn colors beginning to appear

-much needed help with some yard work, getting the gutters cleaned and the windows washed

10-13-2022-

-my guy going to the store for me when I woke up sick

-a phone chat with a friend

-starting to feel better already

-a day to rest

10-14-2022-

-waking up symptom free

-a great date day with my guy-we went to the beach for the day

-listening to audible books together on the drive

-playing fetch with our pup-she loves the beach, like me!

10-15-2022-

-our daughter discovering a curriculum that is working better for our grandson

-the lesson of Mama's lost hanky*

-a beautiful baby shower hosted by the young women's growth group

10-16-2022-

-a powerful word

-Your body broken for me-Your blood shed for me

-lunch with a sweet young couple

still following,

*I have several hankies of my mama's that are special to me. I somehow misplaced my favorite one and couldn't find it anywhere. I prayed and asked God to help me find it. One morning while praying specifically for my family members by name, the lost hanky came to my mind again and I again asked God to help me find it. Suddenly I remembered that I had been wearing an apron the last time I used the hanky and sure enough the hanky was in the pocket of that apron. In that moment God spoke to my heart clearly and said,"If I care about a lost hanky just because it is special to you, how much more do I care about your loved ones?" I want to always remember the lesson of the lost hanky that God taught me!