Thanksgiving

Bare with me, we just got home from the Thanksgiving Service at church, so I am in a reflective state of mind. This is the first time we have made it to the service. . .I was expecting a couple of hymns about giving thanks and some brief words about appreciating God's goodness. Boy, were my expectations exceeded. What I got instead, or better said, in addition to those things was almost an hour of people sharing about what they are thankful for and why. It was a time filled with laughter and tears. People thankful for the arrivals of long awaited babies, and people thankful for all of the support they had received after long awaited home-goings. What was most amazing to me was that over and over again, in brilliantly wonderful situations and bone achingly tough ones alike, the phrase I heard over and over again was that God had answered prayer. He had shown up for people in ways that they never expected. And no one was blaming this on coincidence or luck, but on what it truly was, an intervention, just when they needed it, from Above. Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow.

I've been talking with Natalie about what it means to be Thankful. Over and over again, Natalie is most thankful for our cat. I'm not sure that our cat is any sort of answered prayer, but in the spirit of the night (who can believe I kept my big mouth shut through all of it) I thought I would share with you some of the things I am thankful for. I am thankful this summer when we went back to Arkansas with the anticipation of seeing what doors might open for us, every single one of them was firmly closed. We prayed for no mixed messages, and while it was somewhat frustrating, it was almost laughable at how many clear messages we got. I am thankful that when I timidly asked my friends to pray that either I would have another baby or I would be okay with not having another one that God answered that too. While it might not have been the answer I was really pulling for, I got the answer and truly am good with what I have. I am thankful for the daily lessons I have been learning. I have been going through a period of spirit transformation and it isn't over and I like it. I'm not sure where it's going, but I feel safe along the journey. Most of all though, I am thankful for the people I have in my life. This blog has opened my eyes to see how many people care enough about me to read what I have to say and respond to me in so many uplifting ways. I am often overwhelmed at the prospect of how cared for I am. And whether you know it or not, I know that it is really just God showing me how much he cares for me through each and every one of you. So blessings to you this Thanksgiving. And Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.