Thankful Thursday

It seems like forever since I have done a Thankful Thursday and since I was inspired last night by a friend to focus more on being grateful, I thought it was time to do one again.

I have struggled the last several weeks for a variety of reasons and have found myself focusing more on what is not than what is, and the many things I have to be grateful for. I want to see the blessings each day and to praise God for them.

So this week I am thankful for

1. The ladies in our small group. our group hasn't meet in several weeks because of the holidays then the weather. I was encouraged last night by these women as they pointed to various scriptures and truths. We need fellow believers in our lives to help point us to God's truths. I am thankful for these ladies.

2. For the visit we had with our youngest son during the holidays. We were able to see a movie together and play some Top Golf, plus I had a chauffeur whenever we had to go anywhere during the day

3 Safe travels for my son. He left for his home right before the storm

4.The gifts we got from our children for Christmas. One gave us a gift card for Airbnb because as my daughter in law stated "We know how much you like staying in other peoples houses" I think she was trying to be humorous but we are going to use it and I love how they got us something that was personal for us. My other son took some of the old movies from my in laws and made it into a DVD. My husband was surprised and very touched, we enjoyed watching my husband as a boy and his sister chasing chickens. I am thankful for my sons and my daughter in love.

5. Health and strength to do what we need to do each day. I don't think about it much until someone I know is struggling with an illness or we are having problems, but it is something I want to be more thankful for.

6.Sweet Lady's continued health and how happy she is where she lives. She loves to sit in the Lobby/Living Room area and when anyone comes in for a tour she will be one of the first ones to ask if they are looking to live there and if they say yes she will "talk up" the place. Hearing that makes our heart happy.

So that's some of what I am thankful for today and I hope have a change of focus as time goes on. How about you, what can you be thankful for?

Oh, did I mention the snow is all gone, it was close to 70 today...I can be thankful for that!

Being Thankful

A question was asked of us the other day about thankfulness. Here's the question, if you woke up tomorrow and only had what you were thankful for today what would your life look like?

I take so much for granted without even a thought of how blessed I am. Thankfulness should be as natural as breathing to us, but for me it's not. I was freshly convicted last night and reminded of how much the Lord has given me each and every day. Simple things like water when I turn on the tap, lights when I flip on the switch, food in my pantry and fridge.

I have a loving husband and family, friends and a church. God has control over my life, my eternal future, is secure,  I have so much to be thankful for and yet I find it so easy to complain, this should not be. Looking to be more thankful in the days ahead.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you  1Thessalonians 5 :18

Southern Charm

We've done a lot of travel this year, mostly to the Mountain House to take care of business. But last week we decided to spend a couple of days away to celebrate our anniversary. It wasn't a milestone anniversary or anything, but I am thankful for every year that we are together, and we both felt that we needed to get away for a little bit, our destination city was Charleston.

We stayed at an Airbnb again and had the most charming hostess. This is our third experience with Airbnb and have had good experiences each time. I think the key with finding a good Airbnb is to read the listing and the reviews and find one that best matches your lifestyle needs. We like centrally located places and prefer homes over apartments. It's a great option for couples. Our hostess would have coffee with us each morning before she headed off to work, and would give us suggestions on what to see or do, then we would be on our own.

We spent our days exploring the city, riding the bikes to Sunrise Park and trying out some yummy places to eat. It ended up being a pretty low key getaway and exactly what was needed. We came home refreshed, (not knowing we even needed to be refreshed) and a new appreciation for each other.

In case you were wondering we celebrated 41 years, I'm not sure where all the time has gone, but it has gone by pretty quickly. Like all marriages there have been good times and bad times, lots of laughter and plenty of tears. I'm thankful for this guy but mostly for the Lord who has been the foundation of our marriage, the Rock we have turned to time and again while navigating this journey.

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday evening our small group from church met. Most of the time we will go over Sunday's sermon in these meetings, but last night our Group Leader had questions prepared that he wanted the group to think about and answer.

The first question out of the box, "What good thing has God done in your life this week?"

I hate to admit it, but I thought to myself, nothing good going on in my life, please don't ask me. I've been thinking a lot about that since. My attitude, was bad (sinful) I was so focused on the circumstances around me that I wasn't seeing any good in my life...really?!

God is good, always, and even though our circumstances may not be to our liking, he will use them for his purposes and for our good. I know this, his word says so, and I have experienced it during other times of my life.

My circumstances aren't likely to change any time soon. I have a choice, I can focus on the storm swirling around me and eventually sink (remember Peter) or focus on Jesus who commands the storms, by his strength I will focus on Jesus.

Despite the stormy waters we are in right now there ARE many good things, mercies and grace moments that I am thankful for

• Sweet Lady continues to make slow but steady progress following her hip fracture. This week's x-ray didn't show any improvement but it didn't show any negative findings either. Therapy will continue and my friend will continue to help get her to those appointments.

• My own Doctors appointment went well this week. My PCP  finally feels things have turned around since my surgery more than five years ago, and I don't have to go back to see her for for three months.

• My son, has offered to sort and move furniture in my in-laws house while off on spring break. His willingness to give of his time has meant a lot.
• Warm days and flowering trees. There is something about being able to get outside and marvel at the beauty of spring that refreshes my soul. I brought sandwiches to the park close to my husband's work the other day and we were able to eat outside.
• I am thankful for my siblings that are doing what they can to help my parents. Mom celebrated her 85th birthday this week.
• My Bible Study Fellowship. It has required commitment and time, which I have struggled with from time to time, but what a blessing it has been to us. It has helped me to refocus on things eternal when I started getting sucked into the here and now. (we are studying Revelation)
• Finally I want to thank all of you that have prayed for me, I was so blessed and encouraged by the comments I received after my last post. I am thankful for this blogging community, for those that are willing to pray and encourage. This was an unexpected blessing when I started blogging five years ago. 

How about you, can you find the blessings amidst the difficulties of life, I know there are things you can be thankful for

Monday's Memories

The last couple of weeks have been full of memories as we've been trying to secure paperwork. While sorting we have come across tons of photos and this was one I though was worthy of posting today. The toddler in the photo s my first born, now a grown man with four children of his own, and the man beside him is my husband. We were a family of three just starting to navigate the parenthood thing. We were so young and had so much to learn. Our roles have changed but the learning never stops.

The photo below was taken while on a vacation to celebrate our 35th anniversary. Sons were both grown and we were vacationing solo for the first time.

I mentioned that the last several weeks have been memory filled. I expect that's going to continue for quite some time. Today I wanted to stop and honor my sweet husband on his birthday and thank the Lord for letting us walk this life together, the good, and the not so good. He is a man of God who seeks the Lord, a loving husband and father and a fun and loving Pop Pop. He is my go to guy when anything needs to be fixed, high things need to be reached or bugs need to be squished. I think he can fix just about anything (he tends to disagree) One of the qualities he has that I love is that he doesn't take himself too seriously, I am the more reserved in this relationship, so we make a great match.. Our lives have changed over the years, from newlyweds to young parents to parents of teens to empty nesters. From active duty military to retiree to working in the civilian sector. My husband has served and continues to serve our family well and in so many ways. I am thankful to the Lord for him and want to wish him a very Happy Birthday

Thankful Thursday

Life has been so full these last few weeks. We've had expected and unexpected events fill our days this month and in our attempt at getting through these days I have lost track of the time. Can it really be the middle of February already? Instead of giving a running account of events, let me instead list the things I can be thankful for today.

Safe travels on wintery roads. We've made two trips to the mountains in the last couple of weeks. The first trip we drove through some terrible icy roads, there were accidents all around us, we were protected. This week, after a failed first attempt to leave town (our car couldn't make it up the snow covered hills) we were finally able to head back south. After we had gotten out of town my husband suggested prayer because the roads and weather ahead were questionable, I started praying and texted others to do the same. I am thankful for the prayers of others and thankful that we were able to get home safely

I am thankful for my sweet friend who thought lunch and a trip to Hobby Lobby would be a great distraction for me. Our times together are always ones of encouragement, she lets me talk then reminds me of truth, I do the same for her.

I am thankful for the community of believers God has knit us into.

I am thankful for good test results.

I am thankful for my handy guy who is painting and fixing my downstairs bathroom...I can't remember who's bright idea it was to start that project....might have been me, but I thankful he is so willing to complete it.

I am thankful for our Sweet Lady. The world would say she was disabled, but the Lord uses her to teach me things all the time. She has a gentle spirit and is a delight to everyone she calls friend.(which is everyone)  She makes me laugh and humbles me with her attitude, she is a delight.

I am thankful for a praying husband. Last summer my husband was asked if he was going to continue as a community group leader. He prayed about it, but never had peace about continuing so he said no. Initially he wondered if he had made the right decision, there were some that expected him to continue. Looking at what life looks like right now there is no question he made the right decision.

How about you, can you think of something you have to be thankful about today?

Visiting Our Grands

One would think from this post that we spent Thanksgiving with our Grands, not so, this visit happened over a month ago, I'm just behind in posting, priorities you know!

Our trip out west was a short one, but we filled it with as many memories as possible. I learned that my son and DIL do not live out on the Frontier at all, but the Prairie, so I guess I will have to rename them my "Prairie Family". The Landscape was a lot different then I was used to, and it's usually pretty cold, but the weather was mild so we were able to spend a good bit of time outside. I heard the temperatures dropped the week after we left, I was thankful we missed it.

Other random things I was thankful for were that we were able to make this trip at all, (it was questionable with everything going on with Sweet Lady) that we caught each and every flight (three coming, three going back) that our luggage made it on all flights, and that everyone stayed healthy so we could enjoy the trip.

My DIL made sure our schedule was full, there was a day at the park, a day at the museum, another day we explored a Pumpkin Patch and on the last day we went to the zoo. In the evenings we taught the children some games (they had never played Mille Bornes before) which resulted in lots of laughter and giggles. My son took his dad into work, (which my husband thoroughly enjoyed) and we got to see a high school football game and watch my granddaughter cheer. Thank you dear DIL for making us feel so welcome and for thinking of fun things to do while we were there, it couldn't have been a sweeter visit ( I'm already thinking about when we can see them again! ) The photos included in this post are just some of the memories we had from our visit. Warning!!!! Lots of photos, because there were so many good memories!!

Thankful Thursday

Another week has flown by, I mean flown by.

Sweet Lady has reached day twenty at the Rehab (see what I mean by flown by) and there was a question earlier this week as to whether her secondary insurance would cover her co pays after she reached day twenty. Almost twenty days and the facility had not been able to get an answer from insurance company. (to their credit they had been trying)

When the Business Office broke the news to me and informed me of what the daily costs might be, I felt a little sick to my stomach, with my mind racing trying to figure out a plan. The lady in the business office had arranged a meeting with the therapist later that afternoon, so I could get an idea on Sweet Lady's progress, she then told me to go home and get some lunch, she assured me they would continue to try to get in touch with insurance company.

I prayed and strategized all the way home. Sweet Lady didn't seem ready to go back to her place.... would we need to hire someone to help her getting ready in the mornings and at night....would I need to go over twice a day to help her... or maybe the best plan was to let her stay at the Rehab even with the costs. I didn't know what to do and finally gave it totally to the Lord. My prayer was simple, Lord you know what she needs, help me to trust you no matter what the outcome. I had peace as soon as I gave it to the Lord, I didn't need to strategize anymore.

I drove back to the Rehab after lunch for my meeting with the therapist and before I could even park the car I got a call from the Business Office....they had heard from the insurance company and the copay would be covered. Thank you Lord!!!

So that's my "little" contribution to Thankful Thursday. I am thankful the Lord answered my prayer in the way that he did, but even if had not, I believe he still would have provided for her needs.

What about you, what have you to be thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday on Friday

I meant to do a thankful Thursday blog post yesterday but got hit with a nasty little bug, so even though I'm a day late there has been so much to be thankful for that I didn't want to let the moment pass.

Speaking of the little bug, I was only down for about 24 hours, that in itself is something to be thankful for. My SIL had a doctors appointment today and I didn't want my husband to have to take her by himself.

We are thankful for the wonderful progress Sweet Lady is making with her Rehab, we were able to transfer her into the car for her doctors appointment with minimal difficulty today. I am also thankful for the good report we got from the doctor today....the fracture is healing nicely and she is beginning to walk a little.

Although this is not the post-op recovery I had envisioned I can see God's hand in it all. This would include the timing of her transfer, the way she has adapted to the change and the facility itself. I can think of several places she could have been transferred to for rehab but she got to go to this one. (sometimes you only have a couple of places to choose from because of lack of beds) It's brand new with a fully equipped gym. Every time I walk through the door, I am thankful for God's mercy and blessing in the midst of a difficult situation.

I am thankful to be part of a new bible study. When I initially registered I was told I would be put on a waiting list because they were full, but I was called within a few days. I've only been two weeks but have been getting so much out of it.

I am thankful for the mild weather we have been having. It's given us the opportunity to get outside and take care of projects that need our attention and has been great for walks and photo taking.

Finally, I am thankful for a God that is sovereign over all, even in the difficult situations we face, even when things don't go as planned, even when it doesn't look like God can't be in "this" at all. (you fill in the blank for your "this")

We have been reading Daniel this week, and something I have been mulling around for a couple of days, is that it was part of God's plan for Daniel to be in captivity. Think about it, he was taken away from his home and everything that was familiar and held captive in a strange land. Imagine if you had to face something like that today....but God used it for his glory. I believe whatever situation we find ourself in today can be used for God's glory....remember nothing that happened to you today took him by surprise.

I am thankful that he is in control, no matter what my today looks like.

Thankful Thursday

It's hard for me to believe we are already almost into two weeks of August, summer is winding down for some, with school right around the corner.

It's been a busy couple of weeks for us, but each day there is something to be thankful for.

Quiet evenings outside after dinner. This has become kind of a routine for us this summer. We'll eat our dinner then sit and linger and watch the birds till twilight. It's been relaxing and a great way to "decompress" after work and attending to family matters.

For weather that has been absolutely delightful. Our Augusts are usually hot and humid, so the milder temperatures, have given us more opportunity to be outside.

We are thankful for an upcoming visit we will have with our youngest, it will be a short one but it will be nice to see him and hear all about his summer adventures.

My dad's continued improvement, he was able to be transferred to a rehab center today.

My MIL agreed to Meals on Wheels and is enjoying them, she continues to make progress as well.

I am thankful for the Lord's continued reminder to my husband and I through scripture, thru things that we read and even from teachings that we listen to that he is working thru all our circumstances. When I am weary, I am reminded that the Lord's strength is made perfect in my weakness 2 Corinthians 12:9. When things seem out of control, I am reminded that he rules every moment of every situation and he is always working things for our good and his glory. (Remember the story of Joseph) These are truths can give you peace no matter what things look like on the outside, and these are truths that have helped us thru this challenging time.

Take time to look thru the circumstances in your life, I'm sure you too can find things to be thankful for and areas where God is at work.

Thankful Thursday

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits  Psalm 103:2

Even when circumstances are not ideal there is much to be thankful for

I have completed step two of a three step dental process. It was NOT something I wanted to do, it's inconvenient and not where I wanted to put finances at this time. (read...not in my plans for this year) but I can be thankful for a caring dentist, that the procedures have gone well so far (inserting the pins went really well Tuesday) and we did have the finances to get it done (the Lord even provided an opportunity for me to make a little extra money this past spring) And since the process is spread out over a nine month time period it has given us time to get extra funds saved.

Sweet Lady has made a wonderful transition to her new home. We have found the staff to be caring and the other residents to be delightful. After about two weeks we have begun finding her sitting outside on the porch again...something she had stopped doing at her previous residence and introducing us again and again to staff members. We are thankful for all the staff and our physician who helped make this move an easy one. There are other physical issues still to be dealt with but again we are thankful to our physician who is considerate of her needs and limitations.

My back has been "misbehaving" the last couple of weeks but I can be thankful for a husband who has been more than willing to "pick up the slack"  (and who offered to pick me up some "So Delicious Cashew Milk Ice Cream" when I couldn't chew the other day after my procedure, if you can't do dairy give it a try, it's pretty amazing)

I am thankful for the Lord's faithfulness in all circumstances. Even when things seemed to be going all wrong I can still find ways that he has blessed us or sustained us through it.  How about you, are there things you can be thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

I am feeling a little blue over the return of the cold weather. It had looked as if winter might have been winding down but, surprise...it's downright cold again. I feel a little wimpy complaining, especially in light of what you folks in New England are experiencing, so let me focus instead on the things that I have to be thankful for this week. (spring will be here soon enough)

The weather was mild this past weekend and hubby was able to do some needed repairs on our railing going up the front steps.

We are getting an unexpected visit from our young son this weekend. He has a local "gig" and will be here for three days...we are very excited

Complimentary tickets to the symphony this weekend. This is quite a treat and the timing could not be better since we are celebrating Valentine's Day and my husband's birthday this weekend.

God's provision in so many different ways. He provides for our needs and not just practically. He knows our hearts and where we struggle. I can't tell you how many times, I'll hear a word or read a scripture that ministers to my heart right where my need is.

Our little CSA family, Saturday was our last day of the winter season. No more produce till the strawberries are ready. I was able to store lots of root vegetables and freeze excess produce that we will be able to use the next couple of months. Lots of frozen greens for smoothies.

Our Care Group, the group continues to change and I am at times discouraged, but I am thankful for this group of people. These are the people that know me, the good the bad and the ugly and are willing to remind me of truth when all I want to do is believe lies. God is at work

I am thankful for technology (I know I've mentioned that ,so many times before) because of technology I get to do things like *face time* I am also thankful for my DIL who is always willing to do *face time* when I ask ( I know how hard it is, because everyone wants a turn and it can end up being a long event.) This is a favorite photo of my youngest grand...pure joy in that face.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of being a grandparent

How about you, are there things that you can be thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

It's been another quiet blogging week for me. Life has been busy with routine things that needed to be done. Throw in a bad tooth and a misbehaving back and you get a quiet blogging week.

Things are settling down, back is better and tooth is *in process* Almost everything on my to do list for this week has been done, with the exception of Sweet Lady's laundry so thought it would be a great time to stop and reflect on the many things I have to be thankful for this week.

I had jury duty this month. In our region you are on call one day a week for a month. I found out I had to go in one day this week.  I really didn't want to do it, my tooth was bothering me as was my back. I called and found out I could have gotten excused but was informed, I would have to serve again another month this summer. I decided to go in. I was there long enough to go through orientation and see the video, we were then told we were free to go home there was no longer going to be a trial. Because I went in, it counted as service. This was a huge blessing

I was able to get a physical therapy appointment on short notice. He was able to figure out why I was in such pain with my back and correct the problem.

We had youngsters in the house for a couple of days. It has been so much fun interacting with these little boys.  Their family has been part of our Care Group. They are moving out of the area and have blessed us with staying in our home during their "pack out"

New recipes for our winter CSA

I was able to get an earlier appointment for the tooth that has been driving me to distraction. The last week or so has been bad. Again I am thankful for the kind staff and compassionate dentists that were willing to *work me in* I was originally scheduled for the 3rd of February. This has been a long process and it's going to take several more months before we can call it done.*Expect to see more soup and smoothie recipes in the future* Just sayin!

A harder week than most, and I could easily focus on how bad this week has been. But in the midst of all of it I can see God's mercies, and grace. I can see how he worked out many of the details in the difficulties and how gave us little gifts along the way in the form of laughter and phone calls from loved ones far away.

Life is hard sometimes and it's easy to get swept away in it all, it's easy to get discouraged, believe me I've been there a few times this week, but I belong to him and I know he is working good in my life through my circumstances.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those, who love him, who have been called according to his purposes Romans 8:28

I believe this to be true

Monday's Musings

Some random Monday thoughts, Thanksgiving is just a few short days away. It is by far my favorite holiday. I love all the food and all the gathering of family and friends,  I love a full house. We have that when our Care Group gathers and it has made not having a full house for Thanksgiving easier. What has also made it easier is that I have been sick for the last couple of days. I'm actually relieved I don't have to get ready for a house full of people.

I have been battling some type of upper respiratory bug. My voice started to go Friday night and by Saturday it had progressed to a whispery squeak. Try having a conversation when you are like that, it's better not to even go there. (I couldn't say it the first time, how can I repeat what I just said....my poor sweet husband) Spent most of the weekend on the couch.

I am better today, voice is more of a deep gravel and I am feeling more like myself. I actually headed out today, to look for  something that would help a cough, clear a stuffy head, and not be contraindicated for someone that has problems with blood pressure. I wasn't alone, the cold remedy aisle had several sniffly, coughing people milling about. I'm not really a germaphobe but my thoughts did go to how contaminated the boxes and bottles of these medications must be. (I can't be the only one who picks up boxes and bottles and reads the labels) Must remember this for future shopping trips. (Another mental note, wash hands more frequently)

Nothing better when you are sick than some homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, I've eaten a lot of it the last couple of days.

Feeling blessed that we will be celebrating  Thanksgiving, with some friends. We were asked to bring a traditional dish, so we will be bringing  Cranberry Salad  and since I still have a ton of apples from our picking excursion I will probably bring something that requires apples as well. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoy the gathering of family and friends and be mindful of all we have to be thankful for (even in the midst of difficulties there is always much to be thankful for)

Thankful Thursday On Friday

I'm a day late for Thankful Thursday but I didn't want that to stop me from taking time to stop and list some of the things I am thankful for today

I am thankful for friends willing to help friends. Tomorrow is going to be a work day for some of the men in our Care Group, they are going to go over one of the members home and help clear out the back yard and make a dump run.

I am thankful for time away with my guy. My husband and I had a few days off together and were able to get away.

I am thankful for the baskets of produce we continue to get every week. Some of the things we have been feasting on have been kale, squash, cauliflower and beets. We are signed up for a Winter CSA and for next year as well. Getting a weekly produce basket has been challenging, I haven't always known what to do with some of the produce, but we are eating healthier and it has saved us money.

For the Lord's provision this holiday season. We have anticipated that the holidays would be difficult this year because our family is so far away but it turns out we will not be alone. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with two other couples (and Sweet Lady) The other two couples each have grown children who will not be able to be home for Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for the sourdough starter our youngest son gave us the last time we visited, making preps to make bread tomorrow. This will be the third time we have made the bread and it is delicious.

And as peculiar as it sounds, I am thankful for the more difficult times in our lives. Don't get me wrong, I hate going through trials, especially when I smack dab in the middle of of the storm, but I can usually say that it's during those times that the Lord has used to grow my faith, or to change my heart or to continue to transform me.

So what about you, are there things that you can be thankful for today?

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior  Habakkuk 3:17-18

Thankful Thursday

It has been a little rainy today, the temperatures are mild and the leaves are beginning to turn color around our area. These are just some of the things I have to be thankful for today

Other things I am thankful for

I found chicken and beef broth on sale today for 49 cents a can. I make a lot of one pot meals and soup in the winter, so I stocked up. My parents always had a pantry when I was growing up. and I used to tease them about what they were going to do with all that food, especially when they became Empty Nester's. (we now resemble this, ha ha) Husbands grandparents lived on a farm, so their pantry was full with all they had grown and canned over the summer. That mentality has influenced us...you never know who you might want to feed.

I am thankful for my DIL's sister who came over yesterday morning and helped me clean up around the house before Care Group. My first response was to refuse (it's that self sufficiency thing going on) but the truth was, I did need the help.

I am thankful for flowers that are still blooming in the garden

I am thankful that all is well with Sweet Lady, her most recent MRI should no changes from last year.

I am thankful for people that the Lord has put into my life that take the time to encourage.

Encouragement should be sincere and is different from flattery. I love when someone shares a scripture or comes up to me and mentions how they see a change of attitude or behavior that I may have been struggling with and praying about, or the encouragement to continue to press on.

I am thankful for praying friends, for those that tell me how they are praying and are willing to encourage with scripture. (It spurs me to do the same for others)

How about you, are there things in your life today you can be thankful for.

"So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthen in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness"
Colossians 2:6-7

A Day With No Schedule

Every now and again you need a day when you have nothing on the schedule, no list of things to do, no places you need to be...sometimes you need a day to recharge. My husband needed one of those days last week. He had his usual responsibilities at work but in addition we had two broken air conditioning units that he had to work on after he got home, and of course, it was in the 90's most of the week, making our house pretty hot and difficult to sleep in. We knew by Friday there was nothing else that he could do to get them fixed, he done all that he could do, it was now time to step back and wait for the calvary...in the meantime, he needed a break.

We decided to have a "No Schedule"  day. We started our day at a local sandwich shop that had recently remodeled. We had lunch outside on a picnic table under a shade tree, (can you think of a better place to drink ice tea and eat sandwiches? )After our lunch we decided to head to the beach. It's early in the season so the crowds are still kind of light, there are plenty of places to park and places to sit when you want to rest. We walked the boardwalk, did some people watching, took photos and called it a day.

Later that evening my husband got a message from an old friend, he would be out the next day to look at the air conditioning units. In the end our friend was able to recharge one unit (it still has some life in it), so our downstairs is cool,  but the other unit is good and dead after 22 years of service.  (can't really complain about that)

I know this may not really sound like good news to some, but I actually think it all turned out pretty well, we only are going to have to replace one unit, and we got to reconnect with an old friend, and we were able to spend a day at the beach. There is always something that we can be thankful for in every situation, don't you think?

Thankful Thursday

Has it really been a week since I last posted? Spring cleaning continues in earnest at our house, what started off as one closet has mushroomed into a huge purge. Today my sweet husband carted off five bags to the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) of things that don't fit, don't work, aren't needed or no longed useful and did I mention the furniture sitting in the garage waiting for it's new owner to pick it up. THEN there is all the stuff that would be considered trash, my shredder has had quite the workout and we're not done yet.

There's been a lot of reflection time during this process and the Lord has used it to remind me of how faithful he has been through the years and all we have to be thankful for. This is just one example 

I told you I keep everything, well I found my husband's orders to Scotland. In the Navy you rotate from Sea Duty to Shore Duty then back again etc. After husband's first Sea Tour he was due to rotate to Shore Duty. We had spent a lot of time apart and were looking for orders that might give husband more time at home, he thought a personal visit to the Detailer might help him get better orders. Detailers are the guys that give you orders for your next duty station. The office we were going to had Sea Duty Detailers, Shore Duty Detailers and Detailers that fill positions for overseas, it was a fairly large office. Long story short the personal visit to husband's Detailer wasn't helpful at all, the job options were okay, I mean he would be on shore duty, but we were going to have to move and the hours at his next job would probably be long. We began to head out, disappointed that things didn't go any better and got on the elevator. The elevator door shut, then we heard a banging on the outside of the door. We opened the door, and it was another Detailer trying to get our attention. He had overheard our conversation with the Shore Duty Detailer and wanted to offer my husband a billet overseas. We were young, and the idea of living overseas was exciting and best of all we were going to be able to spend more time together. 

Why is this little story significant, Scotland is I where I came to faith in Jesus Christ. I think that's why I've kept those orders for such a long time. 

Thankful Thursday

Taking a moment to stop and reflect on some of the things I have to be thankful for today

1. Blooming flowers in my garden, roses that are beginning to leaf out and a friend who sends me coupons for discounts at the local nursery
2. Answered prayer, a friend was hospitalized two weeks ago, she was ill enough to spend three days in the ICU.  Yesterday she was back at Care Group, still weak but fully recovered.
3. A new baby in our family, a Great Nephew, mama and baby doing well, Grandma delighted (my sister)
4. Tea Parties with granddaughters
5. Weekend excursion with friends and the chance it gave us to get to know each other better. 
6. The opportunity to see an old friend when we went to DC 
7. Sleepover with three of my four grandchildren this week, lots of chances for snuggles
8. Pretty Apple blossoms, the freezing temperatures nipped them a bit but I got some photos before the temperatures dropped
9. Chickadee's checking out a bird house that I can watch from inside my family room
10. The Lord's daily provision for us, he has been so faithful in our lives

Thankfulness to God is a recognition that God in his goodness and faithfulness has provided for us and cared for us, both physically and spiritually. It is a recognition that we are totally dependent upon Him; that all we are and have comes from God.   Jerry Bridges

Thankful Thursday

Taking a moment to reflect and record the things I am thankful for today

1. The beautiful Bradford Pears that have been blooming for the last week, I have been so blessed by the sight of these all over town.
2. God's grace in my life. I have been walking down memory lane the last couple of weeks cleaning out closets. While sorting through photos and papers I have been reminded of God's many mercies in our lives.
3. Cardinals at the feeder
4. A husband who is handy enough to do many of our car repairs himself
5. Continued health, we have a friend who took ill suddenly, it was a fresh reminder that each day is a gift and that we really don't know what tomorrow may bring
6. The opportunity to be at home
7. Sons that call just because
8. Spring vegetables making there appearance at the grocery store. We have been enjoying asparagus, arugula and baby spinach
9. Sweet smelling hyacinths, Spring is surely here
10. Promises that give me hope

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:23-24