Thanksgiving IV ~

11-17 December:  This week I have been thankful for all that's beautiful around me - evergreens festooned with snow, the colorful lights in the little Centennial Park in the next block up the street, and many other things that are beautiful; I am thankful for the warmth of affection that covers me; and I'm thankful, too, for this announcement of the Messiah - predicted long before His arrival - "All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign—a child shall be born to a virgin! And she shall call him Immanuel (meaning, 'God is with us')" (Isaiah 7:14, TLB); I am thankful that there are only ten more days until the nights begin to grow shorter again; I am thankful to be in this small community where events are celebrated with a flair - the Lighted Christmas Parade was a delightful example; and I am thankful to see how the promises of God have been fulfilled in the past, giving us hope for the forever future He's promised - one example being Daniel's prophecy of Messiah's appearing (Daniel 9:25-27) and its "right-on-time" appearance, as Paul wrote in Galatians 4:4: "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, who was born from a woman . . . ." (DLNT); I am thankful for the memories captured in photos - always available in albums or other media; thankful for the pizza slices D.D. saved for my breakfast; and thankful for these words from Joel 2:28: “Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions" (GNT); I am thankful for a new (to me) Kashi breakfast cereal treat - puffs of pure corn with a tiny bit of sweet - YUM! I'm thankful for the quick i-net access to a whole library of English translations (and other versions) of the Bible to be found at BibleGateway.com; and I am thankful for this beautiful promise from our Savior, found in Hosea 2:14,15: “But I will court her again and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak to her tenderly there. There I will give back her vineyards to her and transform her Valley of Troubles into a Door of Hope. She will respond to me there, singing with joy as in days long ago in her youth . . . ." (TLB); I was thankful Thursday morning that D.D.'s school had declared a "snow-day", so she's not out on the slippery roads; I'm thankful for those who seem to be enjoying the process of shoveling sidewalks and driveways free of the white fluff; and I am thankful for the beautiful words from Hosea 14:4,5: "“I will bring My people back to Me. I will not hold back My love from them, for I am no longer angry with them. I will be to [them] like the water on the grass in the early morning. [They] will grow like the lily, and have roots like the cedars of Lebanon"; NLB); I am thankful for the delight given with a "snow-day" for the teacher providing opportunity for a play-date with her, the elder D.D. and me - what fun! I'm so thankful for my dear family, those near and far, from Michigan, Las Vegas, British Columbia and points in between; and I am thankful for this precious promise from Ezekiel 11:19,20: "I will give them a new will—an undivided heart—and plant a new spirit within them; I will remove their cold, stony heart and replace it with a warm heart of flesh. Then they will follow My commands and uphold My laws and actually do as I say. They will be My people, and I will be their God" (VOICE); thankful for another Sabbath morning - cold, but not the 0 degrees F. that my forecast predicted; I'm thankful for the special program for our church service - music, readings celebrating the season, after a brunch in the beautifully decorated room - many thanks to the dear sisters and brothers who have prepared it for us; and thankful for the words of this promise from Ezekiel 12:25 which reads: "'For I the Lord will speak, and whatever word I speak will be accomplished. It will no longer be delayed, for in your days . . . I will speak the word and I will fulfill it,' says the Lord God” (AMP).