Thanksgiving IV ~

1-7 January:  This week I have been thankful for the New Year - 2017 - and the blessing of this year is clean, unmarked by any missteps. Father, help me follow Your guidance that my steps may not mislead another traveler on this road; I am very thankful that my New Year began here in this quiet little town instead of among the crowds in Times Square waiting for the glittery ball to drop - what a scene! I am thankful for these words from 2 Corinthians 5:17: "So then if anyone is in Christ, [she] is a new creation. The old things passed-away; behold, new things have come-into-being" (DLNT); for the delight-filled visit we enjoyed with one of the families from our church who came to take advantage of the toboggan run D.D. has created (and the longer AND steeper Smith Street hill on the north side of our place!) and to share a delicious lunch - what fun! I am thankful that the major storm that was predicted didn't develop in our area; and thankful for this counsel from Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts" (HCSB); I am thankful to have found an article providing suggestions for 52 weeks of guided autobiography in a family fb post; I'm thankful for a long list of tasks completed yesterday; and thankful, too, for these words from Titus 2:11,12: " For God has revealed His grace for the salvation of all people. That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world" (GNT); I am thankful for the beauty that remains in our troubled world - yes, there is much that is desolated, much that is ruined, but I'm praising God for the dear folks who create beauty with their talents in music, in art, and in shaping bare soil into beauty with plantings of seeds and bulbs, grasses and shrubs in pleasing designs; I am thankful for the measure of health and strength that remains in my life; and for these words from Isaiah 58:12: "Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called 'The Repairer of the Breach', 'The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In'"; I am thankful to be inside a cozy, warm house instead of outside in 0 F. sunshine; I'm thankful for that sunshine, though, it brightens me inside as well as making the outdoors sparkle; and as I read the promises from God in His Word, I am thankful for these words from Jeremiah 1:12 where it is written: "Then said the Lord to me, 'You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it'" (AMPC); I am thankful for all that my D.D. has accomplished while waiting for her eau du bain to cool; thankful for the rice dish already in the freezer for tomorrow's potluck dinner; and I am thankful for the counsel found in 1 Peter 1:13,14 ". . . Prepare your minds for service. With complete self-control put all your hope in the grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ comes. In the past you did not have the understanding you have now, so you did the evil things you wanted to do. But now you are children of God, so you should obey him and not live the way you did before" (ERV); I am thankful for this bright, sunshine-y Sabbath morning and the blessings of gathering for study, for praise, for worship and fellowship with our sisters and brothers - a privilege much enjoyed; I am thankful for the beauty of sunlight on snow; and thankful, too, as I read this counsel from Ephesians 5:1,2: "Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. . . a sweet fragrance" (AMP).