Thankful For Advent

 All of a sudden it is a new season; the season of Advent is here. I needed a little transition time to adjust so I took down the Thanksgiving decorations before putting up the Christmas tree, I do love the Christmas season but this year is different. With COVID-19 life is strange so Christmas will feel strange, too.

We often jump from our plates of Thanksgiving dinner to Black Friday shopping without thinking what the season is all about - Jesus' birth. Though I never have gone shopping on Black Friday it seems like the rest of the world was all excited about it. Perhaps more of the shopping was done online this year. We did all our shopping online this year and are almost finished, We have two large boxes ready to ship to Virginia this week.

We are entering the Advent season and our minds need to focus on the Christmas story. I love reading the Christmas story to my grandchildren, though it doesn't always happen. The reason Jesus came to bless us with His life is because God wanted to send His Son to teach us about Himself and to save us from our sins. The little baby in the manger becomes the Savior of the world. What a joyous beginning for us!

The scripture from Isaiah 40 leads us gently to Bethlehem.

Desert walk in Sedona, AZ 2012

"A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."" (Isaiah 40:3-5 NIV).

Advent is a time of clearing a path for Jesus Christ to enter our hearts. May we keep Him there all season. Even while we do the usual tasks of Christmas, let us remember to keep Jesus in our hearts. May you be blessed this Advent season and be thankful.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

 It is a different kind of Thanksgiving for us today. We are observing Thanksgiving alone because we felt it was best for our family during this time of so much COVID. It doesn't feel right but yet it is the right thing to do for us. 

I hope that all who gather together will remain safe and healthy. I wish all who aren't getting together with family or friends a peaceful day, filled with gratitude for previous gatherings and anticipation of future times of pleasure. 

Thanksgiving 2017

We will have a turkey and maybe even a pumpkin pie but I'm skipping all the sides for just the two of us. We will enjoy some football games on television and a Zoom gathering with some of the grandchildren. 

It will be a day of giving thanks for all that we have: our family, our friends, our faith, our home and food on the table, in the refrigerator, the freezer, and the pantry. We have so much to be thankful for, how can we be sad. We are blessed beyond measure.

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song," (Psalm 95:1-2 NIV).

May God bless your day with gladness and gratitude. May being apart make your thanksgiving more special than ever before. May being together make your heart burst with joy. God bless you all this Thanksgiving!

Thankful For Jesus

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19 NIV).

This story is one of the first I learned in Sunday school along with a song, "I Will Make You Fishers of Men." It taught me to follow Jesus with my own life. I'm still touched by the faith of the fishermen that Jesus took under His wing and nurtured with His own life practices. When I was little I wanted to be one of those fishermen who got to know Jesus personally. I wanted to walk with Jesus and become like Him. I'm so thankful for Jesus and the change He has made in my life over all these many years. Jesus is my Leader, my Teacher.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven," (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV).

This is another story I learned in Sunday school and it also came with the song, "This Little Light of Mine." It taught me to be a light to others with my own life.  I'm thankful for my Sunday school teachers who taught me the basics of faith. I'm still trying to shine my light with Jesus' light within me. Jesus is my Light, my Guide.

"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way." (Luke 19:1-4 NIV).

This is yet another story I learned in Sunday school along with the song, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man". It taught me that anyone, no matter his sin or type of life, could become a follower of Jesus. I'm thankful that Jesus taught us to love others and have forgiveness for others, even if they don't look or act just like us. Jesus is my Friend, my Mentor.

Thank you, Jesus for being my inspiration, my Savior. I'm so thankful I got to know you, Jesus, as a child and that I have grown in my faith through the years. Thank you for being there for me and for everyone whenever You are needed. You are my Rock and my Fortress. 

I'm thankful for You, Jesus. Amen.

Thankful for Nature

"Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God,"     (2 Corinthians 9:10-11 NIV). 

We took a walk yesterday and noticed the leaves are still falling. There was a crunch under our feet as we walked and leaves occasionally drifted past on the wind. It was a beautiful day for a walk. Though many trees are now bare there are some trees that keep their leaves through most of the winter. Oaks are one of them. Some of the sheltered burning bushes still have their bright red foliage and other trees now display their berries to sustain the winter birds.

The sky offers beauty of its own. The bright blue sky contrasts with the white clouds that float past. The sunrise and sunset display their own canvases of beauty almost every day, and the geese and ducks that have decided to winter over in Iowa test out the ponds for comfort and sustenance. 

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world," (Psalm 19:1-4 NIV).

Thank you, God for the beauty around us. Let us look for the amazing sights You create for us. Let us give thanks always for the nature created by Your hand. Amen.

Thankful For Things I Take For Granted

I woke up early this morning and looked at my clock. It said 5:30 so I got up. Then I looked at my office clock and it said 4:00. That's a little earlier than usual for me to write my blog but I'm up so here we go. I wanted to share about things that we often overlook giving thanks for. One I'm not so thankful for right now is my alarm clock. Often when I set the alarm I mess up the clock and don't notice it at the time. Operator error.

There are plenty of other things I do want to give thanks for, things I often take for granted. I'm thankful for a house with heat. I'm so grateful for heat. I'm always cold so the blessing of heat is something I don't take for granted so often. Thank you God for my home and for heat. I'm also thankful for blankets and a warm bed to get into and out of every day. 

I'm thankful for toothbrushes and toothpaste that make my mouth feel clean. I'm thankful for the kitchen timer and the meat thermometer and the stove and microwave that make cooking easier and more efficient. I'm thankful for refrigerators and freezers that store food. I'm thankful for canned goods and frozen food that make cooking a breeze.

I'm thankful for hot showers and sinks where we can wash our hands. I'm thankful for washing machines and dryers and all the automatic gadgets that we use everyday, like our phones and remote controls for the TV. Thank you God for my computer. I'm so thankful that it works and gives me access to the whole wide world.

I'm so thankful for my home and my car and a thousand other little things that make my life so convenient and comfortable. Thank you, God for my life of blessings.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever, (Psalm 136:1-3a NIV).

Thankful For Grandchildren

My greatest joy comes from my grandchildren. The gift of becoming a grandparent is a highlight in life. All of our babies have now grown up ranging from 7 1/2 to 22 years old. Although I long for babies to hold I am delighted to watch our grandchildren grow and become individuals with smart minds, wise thoughts, strong bodies, beautiful faces and independent ideas.

I have photo albums full of pictures of them all as babies. I always had my camera handy when they were around. They grew used to seeing grandma behind the camera and they still aren't surprised when I bring out the camera and order them to be seated.

Paige got the most pictures as the first grandchild but none of them are lacking. I delighted in the first smiles, the first rollover, the first food, first steps and first sheep shows. At least they all got a chance at the family hobby.

I'm so proud of them all: Paige, Calvin, Payton, Bailey, Graham and Piper. It is so much fun to see them interact together, though that doesn't happen too often now that Graham and Piper live in Virginia.

As grandparents we strive to be a good example for the grandchildren and we pray that they will become followers of Jesus for all of their lives.

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them," (Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV).

Thank you God for grandchildren. May You keep them safe and bring healing to Paige and Calvin who both have COVID-19. Amen.

Thankful for Friends

"It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night," (Psalm 92:1-2 NIV).

I'm thankful this morning for friends. I am so touched by the kindness of those who read my blog and comment occasionally or perhaps like it. Just knowing those who took time to read these blogs touches my heart. I'm thankful for friends I see every day at Aqua Fit classes who bring joy to my day by their smile and hello. I'm thankful for those dear friends I rarely see but I am connected to by my past church, school, or work. Those I shared many years with and will never be unconnected from. 

I'm thankful for friends who I know through WW who share a common goal or a common problem and who grow together. I'm thankful for friends who I've known since childhood and still stay connected through prayer chains or birthdays. Those friends I hope know that I will always care about and pray for in tough times and offer praise for in good times.

Friends are dear to my heart and I'm so thankful for them. My life would be empty without friends. They lift me up and they bless my life in so many ways, thank You God for my friends. Please bless them, each one, today with Your love and grace, healing and care. May they know I'm writing about them, because I am. 

"A friend loves at all times," (Proverbs 17:17a NIV).

Thankful For Harvest

I love to watch harvest happening in Iowa fields. When my boys were little they loved seeing the machinery in the fields. I would point out every sighting so they wouldn't miss them. I still feel that same excitement when I see harvest happening now.

This year in Central Iowa the harvests were extremely difficult if they happened at all. The derecho that went through in early August destroyed many corn crops by blowing them to the ground. Some fields were totally destroyed and ended up being plowed under. In other fields the corn was bent over, making harvest a terrible struggle. My heart aches for the farmers who lost their crops or had difficult harvests because of the derecho. 

Corn picture in Iowa Capitol

Although this was an atypical harvest year there are many good years to remember and be thankful for. I hope this season of thanksgiving gives each of us many reasons to be thankful for the harvest. We all can give thanks for the produce in our gardens, at the farmers' market or in the grocery store. Somewhere someone labored for the harvest of the many items we enjoy on our tables.

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things," (Psalm 107:8-9 NIV).

Thank you God for harvest season and for the crops that you have given us. Thank you for watching over the farmers as they harvested the crops safely. We thank you again for the harvest. Amen.

A Month of Thankfulness

 "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his  faithfulness continues through all generations," (Psalm 100:4-5 NIV).

Good morning, November. It's a new month and we are off daylight savings time. Thank you for lighter mornings but shorter days. I'm ready for bed at 5:30 pm now. My goal for this new month is thankfulness. I want to give God praises all month long.

Today I'm thankful for warmer temperatures and beautiful sunshine, I'm thankful for the beautiful full moon last night and the night before. I'm thankful for the colorful leaves that remain and for the circles of leaves left under the trees. I'm thankful for warmth to plant bulbs and time to finish cleaning off the gardens.

I'm thankful it is time to get out the Thanksgiving decorations. It is time to remember the first Thanksgiving and the attitude of sharing and fellowship. Though our Thanksgiving may be smaller this year due to the pandemic and being cautious, we can still give thanks to God for all our blessings.

This month I'm going to take time to praise God for all His gifts in life and keep an attitude of thanksgiving in my heart and mind.

Thank you God for Your goodness and Your love and for Your faithfulness that continues through all generations. I give You praise. Amen.