Thanksgiving III ~

13-19 December:  I've been thankful this week for rest and sleep - though interrupted by a long wakeful period, retirement allows "sleeping-in" opportunities; unlike some of my family, I am thankful for leftovers - flavors nicely melded by a little wait in the refrigerator; and I'm always thankful for these words from Isaiah 43:1-3: "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you. . . and He who formed you . . . : 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One . . . your Savior;. . . .'"; for Cheerios - nutritious, ready-to-eat cereal that's not loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients; for the folks who are out at work plowing/sanding roads early in the morning so that D.D. and others are not traveling on weather-slickened surfaces; and I am thankful for the message of Isaiah 55:12: “For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." - what a delightful vision of our future home!  I'm thankful, too, for a terrific S.I.L. who's nursing skills were recognized (and praised) in his employer's newsletter this week; for the continuing safety of family and friends coping with winter-y travel on often treacherous roads; and for this message from Psalm 91 - a favorite passage of mine - ". . . He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways" (v.11); thankful that D.D. traveled ahead of the snow last night - should be on a plane for Boise right now; thankful that the D.S.I.L. is here to chauffeur me to my appointment; and thankful to know my Father is still in control of the elements as He was when Jesus was here - as Job 37:5,6 tells us: "God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength"; for the congenial care provider I'll be working with here at the Cottonwood clinic; for more motivation to guard my food intake as carefully through the rest of the day as I do at breakfast; and for the Bible study last evening that focused on the reasons that the Bible is of real benefit - everyday, to all who study its message - the passage from 2 Timothy 3:16 comes to mind: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right" (New Living Translation); for D.D.'s safe arrival after a delayed flight (and a rough landing on the icy runway in Lewiston, icy roads all the way home last night); for the snow plows that clear the country roads she drives to work; and for these words from Deuteronomy 33:12 (CEV): "The Lord Most High loves you. . . . He will live among your hills and protect you"; and thankful Sabbath morning for the personal road report from D.S.I.L. that the worst part of the drive to G'ville is getting out of our driveway; thankful, too, for the lovely picture of snow-clad branches outside my window; and for this word picture from Psalm 147:16: "He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes."