Thanksgiving II ~

26 April - 2 May:  I am so thankful for the blessing of family and friends - the dear "ties that bind"; for the furry friends that fill my life - the cat I've been feeding through the winter and the three cats and the pup that belong in the family where I live - and bring hours of delight; for the blessing of hearing the Word, of praise,and prayer with believers; for the sunshine glowing on the hilltops I see from my window - promise of another fine day; for the memory of an old song, "There is Sunlight in My Soul Today" and the extra boost of courage it can give when there IS no sunshine on the hills around here; for this promise from the Word; "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation’”(Isaiah 12:2); for the songs my heart remembers - from the songs of childhood ("Jesus Loves Me") and youth through yesterday's melodies; for those who compose the music and write the songs for us to enjoy; for this musical passage from Scripture; "The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17); I am thankful that I can CHOOSE to be joyful - for as Tim Hansel said, "Happiness is a feeling; joy is an attitude, a posture, a place" - I choose JOY! Thankful for the words of Scripture that tell me ". . . the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, last part); for the understanding that said joy is a two-way path - joy is a gift of God's Spirit, but I can bless the Lord as I choose His ways, with joy, and be strengthened by my choosing; for a new day with all the blessings that come along with it; for my family here - and all the dear ones from the next state, across the country, and over the eastern sea - you are loved! I'm thankful for the hope of a future where boundaries of space and time will no longer keep us apart - heaven is in our future, Jesus is coming soon!  I am thankful for books - books that are true, that provide a blessing for the readers; thankful for those authors who write encouraging words, words that give hope and bring cheerfulness when a heart is aching; and thankful for the freedom to read and discuss these messages whenever we meet;  I am thanking our Father this morning for another Sabbath, His gift to all mankind when the world began (Genesis 2:2,3); for the plans to join sisters and brothers in G'ville for study, song, and worship and the fellowship after services; for the blessings of the past week - God is so-o-o good!