Thanksgiving II ~

1-7 March 2015:  I have been thankful this week for the beautiful afternoon on the Salmon River Road yesterday - shared a trip with my sister up to the Wind River Bridge - what a delight! Thankful to get Dandee settled in for the night without much ado - he is staying with me while his folks are away - he likes to sleep with the door open, not closed, but otherwise all went well; thankful for the S.I.L. whose birthday we celebrate today with wishes for blessings of the day and for the year to come; for the image of Jesus as "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29,36) - born of a woman, born to die that I might have the life He deserved; for the Word of God, preserved through the centuries and still giving light to all who will accept it as their guide; for the loving-kindness our Father spreads though this world through the ministries of His children - gentle words, forgiveness, cheerful thoughts expressed - all these and more are a reflection of His love for each one; for the snow one morning, reminding of His promise in Isaiah 1:18: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" - what a precious message! I'm thankful to be able to share some seed with the feathered critters visiting on the patio; and for the delight to be found in all the beauties the Creator has given to us in the natural world; to have a bit of my mom's inventive inspiration when it comes to cleaning - our carefully improvised barrier to Dandee's upstairs juantings didn't survive the cat's short-cut DOWN the stairs this morning at 0430 and both barrier and almost-full (about two quarts worth) of dry catfood pieces tumbled down to the floor; thankful, too, for the vacuum cleaner to be available after the usable food was repacked in its container; and for the on-demand abilities occasionally called to service!  I am thankful this morning that - unlike a down-river friend - there are no wolf tracks outside my door! How great will be the day when "The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;the calf and the young lion will feed together, and a little child will lead them" Isaiah 11:6; thankful for the rest of the past night and for the renewed energy it brings; and thankful for friendship, and its ever expanding circle of caring; for fb's shout-out to send a "Happy Birthday!" greeting to one of our former Rebel House tenants who now lives in NW Florida - hope it's the best ever! I'm thankful, too, for a fire that springs back to life - even without the stick matches 'specially purchased to use instead of the paper matches provided; for all that I need abundantly provided through the Father's grace; for anticipating a day of praises and worship with our G'ville church family; for blue skies overhead; for our Father's promises of blessing wherever His people meet in the name of Jesus.