Tried With Fire

I'm thankful for the opportunity to give thanks every day this month.  Not that we should need a reason, but in the busyness of life, I often forget to stop and reflect on the goodness of the Lord.  Many thanks to Rebecca for hosting this 2010 November of Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that we are going to see my family.  My mom will be celebrating her 80th birthday this week-end. We will have a mini-reunion of family and friends.  It was supposed to be a surprise, but the cat was let out of the bag.  What my mom does not know is that her sisters (2 from Canada and 1 from NY) will be coming to the celebration.  My mom is a 2x breast cancer survivor, so we are very thankful for God's mercy to her. Lizzy at one of her favorite past times: shredding cardboard boxes I'm thankful for our friend Becky who will be taking care of Lizzy and Big Bun while we are away.  Small animals care is different from cats and dogs, so it is nice knowing that they are in...

I am thankful for unexpected and pleasant surprises. This week we are planning to visit family in NJ.  My sister called last night and asked if we wanted to take a day trip to Manhattan on Thursday to see my nephew.  It's been decades since I visited the city and my daughter has never been there. We are hoping to see the Empire State Building and other tourist attractions. As an added blessing, Lord willing we will meet Christina of Heavenly Springs ! When I learned we would be in NYC, I emailed her to see if we could connect.  We only have enough time for a quick hug and hello at the bus stop before we head back to NJ.  However, it will be wonderful to meet her in person.  To identify ourselves, we will be carrying these:

I am thankful for the reminder in today's sermon that the brightest light this Christmas is "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).  Why is this possible?  Because... In the beginning was   the Word, and   the Word was with God, and   the Word was God.     He was in the beginning with God.   All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.   In him was life,   and   the life was the light of men.   The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  John 1: 1-5

The God I trust is true and just; His mercy has no end; HImself has said my ransom's paid, And I on Him depend. Then why so sad, my soul? though bad, Thou hast a Friend that's good; He brought thee dear (abandon fear); He bought thee with His blood. So rich a cost can ne'er be lost, Though faith be tried by fire; Keep Christ in view; let God be true; And every man a liar. Joseph Hart (1712-1768)

I am thankful for the fellowship of sisters in Christ.  (Not that I'm unthankful for brotherly fellowship, but I think you know what I mean.) I'm thankful for my daughter.  I am grateful that she is my sister in Christ.  Day in and day out, we talk about the Lord, the Bible, and theology.  She is my sounding board, and she also isn't afraid to confront me about things in my life. I'm thankful for the women in my church. I'm thankful to get a glimpse into their lives, their triumphs and struggles.  They have blessed me so much, and I believe God will draw us even closer. I'm thankful for my mom and my sister.  We may not be 100% on the same page doctrinally, but we have Jesus Christ in common.  I'm grateful for the tie that binds us even though we're 250 miles apart. I'm thankful for my friend Sue, who I will be having lunch with today. She has stood with me through thick and thin.  I'm grateful for our closeness which has been forged with...

It's that time of the year again.  It's time to think about updating that long out-of-date family photo as well as pick out our Christmas cards. However this year, I think we will kill 2 birds with one stone, so to speak. Thanks to my friend Erika , I've learned about  Shutterfly 's Holiday Card promotion.  They are inviting bloggers to write a post about their holiday cards, submit it to Shutterfly and the reward is 50 free Christmas cards! Can't beat that deal.  (I have never used Shutterfly in the past but I was very impressed with the photo albums from a friend's wedding. ) It's been fun browsing through their web site and looking at the different styles of Christmas cards available including folded greeting cards  and  flat cards .  You can even make photo calendars to share pictures throughout the year with friends and family. I'm not sure which I like best.  There are so many styles to to choose from but I have narrowed it d...

I'm thankful for a cup of tea on a damp morning.  It's very soothing on a drizzly day.  I'm glad I raked the leaves yesterday even though a new batch has fallen to the ground with the wind and rain. Perhaps I will tackle them tomorrow if they've dried off by then. I'm so thankful that I am not shopping today!  It's not worth the hassle or the crowds.  Since we're celebrating the Incarnation after many years of not doing so, my daughter and I decided to give to others rather than each other.  (Such as here and here .) I have to venture out to take care of Gracie, the chinchilla, but the rest of the day I can be at home.  I need to do some typing for my job, and then I can crank out more words for my NaNoWriMo novel.  Just 12,770 words by the end of Tuesday and then it's done!