Thankful Thursday

For all these things, which barely scratch the surface, and many more, I am thankful to the Lord...

*For parties at school and fun times with my class

*For half days, and getting out early

*For a husband that is willing to give me up so that I can go to the family Christmas

*For my wonderful Mother-in-law who made the 8 hour trek with me, and even drove most of the way

*For safe travels

*For precious time with my awesome nieces and nephews, and great nephew

*For laughter and love

*For a sweet play that gave the Gospel clearly

*For pictures that I will treasure forever

*For warm fires

*For quiet peaceful moment that allows me to pause in the midst of the business, and sit at His feet, and worship Him for coming as a baby in a manger, knowing already exactly what He would face in the end

*For safety for my prince and Father-in-law as they drove most of the night to join us for Christmas

*For being together again

*For an aunt who went out of her way to make pies and show her love

*For Christmas trees that blow over but do not break

*For Christmas gifts and great memories

*For the smiles that say we bought the right thing

*For playing with my children

*For another year of life marked on the calendar and all of the blessings it brought with it

*For gifts that we would never buy ourselves, but will definitely enjoy

*For a wonderful niece who helped to put together a whole Leggo town

*For a fun day meeting someone I've watched a few times on television

*For a delicious dinner

*For a fun evening playing games and laughing with the family

*For being in the country where I lose track of the days, and almost forget that it is Thursday

Thankful Thursday

So MUCH to be thankful for this week!  But for the sake of time and space, here are a few of the highlights...

*For Emmanuel - God with us - not a dead god, or a man, or a statue, but the one, true, living God who dwelt among us then, and dwells with us still!  I could end Thankful Thursday right there, and it would be enough!  God with us!  God with me.  God with you.  God with us, when we feel His presence and when we don't.  I am extremely thankful that God is with me all the time!

*For tough decisions and how they make us stronger

*For comfort when we hurt

*For peace when we are afraid

*For a three pointer for the young prince

*For a fun game for the youngest princess

*For responsible children

*For a chance to get most of the rest of our Christmas shopping done

*For a fun day with my prince

*For time in the Lord's house worshipping Him with people I love

*For an answer to prayer

*For the chance to meet someone I've had the privilege to pray for

*For fun and laughter with friends

*For precious children who use their talents to glorify the Lord, and the sweet programs they put on

*For the very wonderful adults who organized, and helped with the children's programs

*For someone who was willing to step in at the last second and get a job done

*For a precious gift that I will treasure forever

*For a small gift that made me smile

*For a surprise gift from a friend that totally made my day...week...well, month!

*For a new contact, and the chance to share the Gospel with her

*For a great friend and her small act of kindness that really helped me out

*For a chance to wrap some presents

*For the oldest princess' help in wrapping those presents

*For the chance to hold my baby while she slept

*For a fun, and tasty treat from a sweet church member

*For a new baby to love on and spoil (a friend's, not ours)

*For light at the end of the tunnel

For all of these things and many more, I am thankful to the Lord.

Thankful Thursday

*For God's blessings on a sweet family we love - when the story could have ended much differently

*For a great dinner - at home - around the dinner table

*For an evening at home

*For a fun day making memories with our students

*For safety for all traveling to and from the game

*For a great game for the young prince

*For a fun time hanging out with an energetic group of kids

*For a soft comfortable bed at the end of a loooooooong day

*For the soft pitter patter of raindrops as my Saturday morning alarm clock

*For black sweatpants at Dollar General

*For answers to "little prayer requests" proving that God cares about even the smallest details in our lives

*For getting a little more of my to do list done

*For celebrating life with friends we love

*For a good night's rest

*For laughter and fun

*For health when so many are sick

*For a fun night out with my prince and some friends - even if our first choice of restaurants was closed

*For a night of worship

*For the peace that singing together with a room full of fellow believers brings

*For a successful surgery for a friend

*For unexpected good news

*For getting some things done that were weighing heavy on me

*For the opportunity to spend time with some great ladies, and be a blessing to someone at the same time

*For tap dancing wise men who make me smile - as well as make me a little crazy

*For warm beds on cold mornings

*For blankets, jackets, and heaters

*For sweet hugs from the youngest princess

*For mid-day visits from the young prince and the oldest princess

*For friends who were really sick, but are much better now

*For an unexpected, exciting, life changing blessing for a sweet couple we love

*For God's strength, both physical and spiritual, when our strength is totally gone

For these things and many, many more, I am thankful to the Lord.

The Youngest Princess Says...

After finishing a puzzle on the iPad, "Look it's a fish...horse!?...Or a...horse fish!...A seahorse!

Singing in the back of the car, "Rocking' around the Christmas Tree, it's a new born holiday..."  Well, it IS a holiday about a newborn...

While playing school with all of her stuffed animals, just like I used to do, "Look mommy!  I'm really teachering!"

After a conversation with someone else about her Granddaddy being a missionary, she turned to me and asked, "So, does that make me half missionary?"

Thankful Thursday

Psalms 30:12
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

*The smile on her face and her glance my way to make sure I was watching after she made both shots resulted in baskets

*A great dinner cooked by my wonderful husband

*For the youngest princess' excitement over learning to whistle

*A chance to be a blessing

*A "mix-up" that turned out not to be a "mix-up" after all, and completely worked out

*A sweet spirit in both Sunday services

*The end of a wonderful Bible Study that taught me much about myself and my reactions to others

*The chance of a possibility to make a difference in someone's life

*An extra day to get something done

*Helping hands for my bulletin board

*A lesson learned, even if it was the hard way

*Time at home with my girls

*Our health in the midst of SO MUCH sickness

*The Oldest Princess who is SUCH a blessing to me

*The Young Prince who is growing up and maturing in front of our eyes

*That the Youngest Princess' first ever wiggly tooth hasn't fallen out yet, because I'm just not ready for that

*Christmas decorations, and excitement over all our holiday plans

*An answer to prayer

*The joy of watching someone who has very little share what they do have

*Having time to just love on the Youngest Princess

*Family traditions that will make lifetime memories

*Warmer weather

*For the sound of the Youngest Princess singing praises

*For my crockpot, and dinner that is ready when I get home

*For exciting news for good friends

For all these things, and so many more, I give glory and thanks to God.