My Year of Thanksgiving ~

The past week was filled with thanksgiving for many things, beginning with a thought from the pen of Ellen White: When it in the heart to obey God, when efforts are put forth to this end, Jesus accepts this disposition and effort as [my] best service, and He makes up for the deficiency with His own divine merit.  Thankful, too, for the grace message at the women's retreat I attended; for the drive up the river road and the beautiful scenery that was accented and enhanced by the snow; for Pastor Jim's Joseph message Sunday.  Many (if not most) of us find waiting difficult, boy God's Word counsels patience (James 1:2-4 and Isaiah 40:31) so I pray God will teach me to "wait".  Thankful for the warmth of fellowship with God's children in any gathering; and thankful for His mercy and grace which flow like a river through my life; for life counsel found in the Bible.  Living life "my way" rarely brings the happiness one seeks, but following the counsel found in the Scriptures brings blessing upon blessing.  I'm thankful for signs that spring is close at hand - daffodils pushing up through the arboreal duff and leaf buds swelling on the lilacs; for the paid-for supply of fuel-oil that is more than adequate for my needs; for beautiful light-filled mornings; for my juicing machine and the delicious products it supplies; for experiential knowledge that what is lost can usually be found; for Watts' insights on prayer, and how those insights enrich my prayer life; for promises in God's Word that my prayers are heard and are answered with the best response for my need; for a fresh idea on how to complete a report when the previous (misfiled) report could not be found for comparison; for traveling mercies as we went to McCall and back; for the beauty in the wintery scenes along  the way; for evidence of God at work in the lives of those for whom I'm praying; for the neighborly assist as I was trying to lift a trash bag into the dumpster; for the completion of my preparation-day to-do list well before sundown; for Friday's afternoon temperature nearing 60 degrees F. (today we may have seen 35 degrees in windy, snowy conditions - winter is just NOT ready to give up, I guess  :o{).