My Year of Thanksgiving ~

27 April through  3 May  ~  from Romania: A week of gratitude for many things from beautiful mornings through meals shared with family; for tiny yellow tulips blooming in the back of the flower bed; for prayers and praises in the psalms, words that so often fit when I can't find my own; for warm, sunny weather in the forecast; for thriving plantlets to put into the garden; for finished packing lists not taking much, just a bit anxious about forgetting something I need); for purple violets remaining; for ways to use the last of the produce and avoid waste; for the loving care of my heavenly Father through all my days; for my son's desire that this visit to Romania be filled with great experiences and wonderful memories; for promises of God's continuing presence as we "take the wings of the morning"; for traveling mercies as we drove to Boise; for a beautiful, sunny day to begin our adventure; for assurance of heaven's interest in all we do; for the gracious and friendly service attendant who helped us through the labyrinthine airport in Frankfurt and onto the shuttle taking us to the hotel where we took a "day room" for a little rest; for our safe arrival in Focsani after ascending through the rain-clouds over Frankfurt into a beautiful sunset glow; for the lighted villages along the way that reminded me of Jesus' use of light as He described the life He wants us to be in this sin-darkened world; and for the voice of a renewed acquaintance coming on the phone as we drove through the darkness.