Thankfulness Day 30

Nov. 30
This day was spent at two get-togethers. The first one was a welcome back bbq at one of hubby's co-workers. All of the folks were deployed together along with their significant others. Met a few new folks and got a recipe for yummy mac 'n cheese.

The second one is a (normally) monthly women's get-together called LIFT. LIFT is Ladies In Fellowship Together. We try to get together one Friday each month. Every month has a different theme and any lady can volunteer to host one. This one was hosted by three of the Italian ladies that go to the church. They each made (and showed us how) a dish. We all got to try the three dishes and took home the recipes. Afterwards a few of us went to a local cafe for a hot chocolate or a tea before heading home on a chilly, rainy night.

What I'm thankful for happened next. I had just gotten home when a friend's hubby called to tell me she had been in a minor accident. The reason he had called me was we had loaned them our car to drive the last couple of weeks before they moved. My friend was driving that car when the accident occurred. Fortunately no one was hurt. The car got damaged and needs to be fixed, but cars are replaceable. Friends? Not so much.

I am thankful for the Lord's protection over family and friends.

This isn't the first time I've been thankful for this. Years ago, months before I got married, my sister called me at work to let me know my mom had been in a car accident. The car was totaled, but she was fine. The steering column had locked up while she was driving down a hill. The car went between more trees than one would believe possible. It only stopped (although she kept pumping the brake....nothing) when it slammed into the back of a parked truck. The owner worked night shift, so had been asleep when it occurred. She walked away with hair full of glass and a sort shoulder muscle from trying to make the wheel turn even though it had locked up. The reason why the car stopping was a good thing was that if it had kept going, there was a lake further on that is used as the drinking water for the town. Months later I saw the car while visiting. It was bad enough that even though I was standing beside my mom (who was still uninjured), I burst into tears realizing how the Lord had protected her.

Knowing His hand is over loved ones even when I don't specifically ask is a thankful indeed....and a perfect one to end a Thankful Month of November. :-)

Thankfulness Day 29

Nov. 29
I am thankful for prayers.
Growing up, I listened to country music and hair bands. It was the 80s after all. One of the biggies in country music was Garth Brooks. His song Unanswered Prayers says a lot.


I remember begging God for one thing or another....whether it would be a specific guy or a certain job/school. Sometimes He answered them with a Yes. Other times He would answer them with a No. I didn't get it. Didn't understand it growing up. Didn't understand it after I graduated from High School and into the Air Force. Didn't understand it through most of my 4-year military stint. Until one day I did.

My husband and I had been married a few years and I "happened" to hear this song one day. I got it. God didn't give me everything I wanted, but He did give me everything I needed. It took me many years to understand that just because His answer is No doesn't mean He doesn't love me (or you). It means that He knows best. He knows better than you or I do about what is best for us. I have looked up a few of those "please God" guys and what they're up to now. Most of the time I've said a resounding Thank You!!!! to the Lord for not giving me a Yes all of those years ago.

This isn't just about when He says No, but it's also thankful for the Yeses. There are times that I've prayed about something that has been answered with a Yes. I've prayed for safety for friends and family. I've prayed for patience (Oy! Be careful what you ask for....you might get it). I've prayed for understanding in a situation. I've prayed for taking care of me while going/doing different things. What I've found mind-twisting is that He doesn't always answer how we think it should work. One is my accident (another blog post). I thought one way....He answered another. The result was more and a deeper understanding than could have ever have happened otherwise.

Regardless of whether I get a Yes or a No, I know for a fact that Jeremiah 29:11 is correct:
"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

Thankfulness Day 28

Nov. 28
This day I am thankful for blogs.

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30311/10-Amazing-Blogs-About-Blogging-to-Start-Reading-NOW.aspx

A few years ago I had never heard of blogs. Although I created one not toooo long ago, the idea of one....well, it didn't really click. Fast forward to about a year ago. I didn't like the state of the house and cleaning was going waaaay too slow for me. So, I did what any person would do: I did a Google search. I found my first blog. Having started to read it, I came across a comment that it's hard to clean around junk, it's better for it to be organized. So, I found more blogs about organizing. By this time I was hooked on 2 or 3 different blogs. I came across one site (I think it was Fly Lady) that made the comment about how you can't organize junk....you have to just get rid of it. Hmmmmm So that led to (if you're following closely you'll know)....de-cluttering blogs.

If you look on the left side you'll notice that I have went from zero known blogs to a list that I keep up with on a whenever-they-decide-to-post basis. One thing is that the blogs on that list are ones that I've read from beginning to whichever-post-they're-on. I hate reading a story from the middle...it's better to start at the beginning so you get an idea of what's going on and who the characters are. I am thankful to blogs and to the writers that post them....they have helped in more ways than just one. My house is also emptier for them. How? Well, that's for another post. ;-)

Thankfulness Day 27

Nov. 27
The day this was supposed to be posted was a Tuesday. Tuesday nights our church has Prayer 'n Bible Study. That fact brings up this day's thankful: I am thankful for Freedom of Religion.

Many years ago, "pilgrims" came over from Europe because of the desire to worship the Lord without persecution--Thankfulness Day 22. One would think that all of these years later, things would have changed. America is "supposed" to be more tolerant. Truth? Only towards certain things and people. In other parts of the world, if you aren't that countries religion, it is believed that you follow a cult. In some countries, Christians are persecuted just as in Biblical times. Followers are thrown in jail, killed, or tortured. Bibles are burned and families are ripped apart. I too thought that those stories were a thing of the past. Sadly, there are many Christians and missionaries that tell a different story....a story that makes you thankful that you're not there and to pray for those that are. Here in Italy, if one is not catholic, their church is considered a cult. Period. I am thankful that we still have the freedom of religion; the freedom to worship the Lord God in public and not have to hide in someone's basement; the freedom to carry a Bible with you if you choose to do so; to pray over your meal sitting in a cafe or restaurant; to witness to others about His love and His grace and His salvation.

Thankfulness Day 26

Nov. 26
This day is a day to be thankful for blessings.

There are many seen and known blessings in each of our lives. For me a few are: health, a roof over my head, clothes in the closet, food in the fridge and pantry, a family that loves me, the internet, etc. There are also "taken for granted" blessings. Many of the above count. So does electricity, a washer and dryer, not one but two working vehicles, and a microwave. You many think that those things are "well, everyone's got that." Which isn't correct. This past Sunday I sat in church while listening about a trip taken to a couple small villages in Romania. Romania itself is rather poor as a whole. One of those villages....very heart-wrenching. The people there still use a "rub board" as my mom calls it, to wash their clothes. They have a pump that gives out cold water, but it must be heated to bathe, to cook, etc. There is no indoor plumbing. The picture shown (out of dozens taken, but time was too short to show them all) was heart-breaking. We tend to take the simple things for granted until we learn of those that go without. I for one am thankful for even the "minor" blessings that most take for granted and hope that I never forget like that saying...."But for the grace of God go I."