Thanksgiving III ~

16-22 October:  This week I have been thankful for the sunshine surprise Sunday morning - something not in the forecast; thankful, too, for D.G.D.'s cheerful greeting at breakfast time; and I am thankful for this beautiful prayer from Psalm 19:14: "May the words that come out of my mouth and the musings of my heart meet with Your gracious approval, O Eternal, my Rock, O Eternal, my Redeemer" (VOICE); I am thankful for sunlight - sunlight peeking through the clouds and the sunlight the Savior provide within my heart; thankful for God's Spirit who sees our needs and ". . . decides which gifts to give to each of us" (1 Corinthians 12:11, CEV); and thankful for this precious message from Isaiah 61:10: "I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness . . . ." (AMP); I am thankful that D.S.I.L.'s expedition to the hills was a successful effort; thankful for the fresh apples in the garage downstairs - some for eating out of hand, others will go into applesauce; I am thankful, too, for the encouraging words of Psalm 27:14: "Hope in the Lord! Be strong! Let your heart take courage! Hope in the Lord!" (CEB); thankful to see the sunlight again of a morning - another day with fair skies to start! I am thankful to know of God's Law - the Ten Commandments - as the guide for our lives; and thankful for the message of Psalm 37:4 (especially after I discovered that the Hebrew word that is translated here as "delight" means "to bend to", as to the lead in dancing): "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (NKJV); thankful for breakfast - Cheerios, juice, an apple, and half a big Anjou pear - yummy! Thankful, too, for the recipe I found for a Greek venison stew much like the one I learned when my youngsters were small and husband was hunting; and thankful for the blessing promised in Isaiah 63:7, where we read: "I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness . . . that He has granted them according to His compassion, according to the abundance of His steadfast love" (ESV); I'm thankful for the alarm feature on my Smartphone - I don't have a "job" for which I must be "on time" but my morning time is the time ANYTHING gets accomplished and without setting the alarm it seems like the morning just disappears on these autumn days; I am thankful for my "in-house" laundry - no need to pack clothes and supplies to a laundromat! I am thankful, too, for this prayer from Psalm 40:8: "My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart" (NCV); I am thankful for another beautiful Sabbath morning - sunlight and colorful autumn foliage make my heart joyful! I am thankful, too, for D.G.D.'s continued cheerful presence; and I'm thankful for this reminder about our words from Proverbs 15:23: "People enjoy giving good answers! Saying the right word at the right time is so pleasing!" (ICB).