Thanksgiving V ~

13-19 May:  This week, I was thankful for memories of my mother whose unfailing prayers and unfailing love are a strong part of me today; thankful for the privilege of being a mother to my three sons and three daughters who still speak to me after the years of faulty parenting they've endured; thankful to know One who is the example for mothers of all ages, who said: "For thus says the Lord: 'As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted ....'" (Isaiah 66:12-13); thankful to have spent a delightful Mothers' Day afternoon with a D.S., a D.D., and a D.G.D. and her husband at a favorite dining spot in the nearby metropolis of Lewiston; thankful "for the beauty of the earth ...." as evidenced in the five-inch Dogwood blossoms still in glorious bloom in a shady spot on lower 5th Street in that fair city; thankful to read the Psalmist's lyrical description of our beginnings as recorded in Psalm 139:13-14: "... It was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful,and I know this very well." (HCSB); thankful to be living in a virtual park - trees and shrubs abloom all around us, the lawn carefully manicured thanks to my D.S.I.L. - what a blessing to be here! Thankful for good news that came to us yesterday; thankful for this message from Psalm 126:5-6: "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him" (ESV); thankful for rest in the night-hours and for a new day of life; thankful for the gentle rain precipitating from cloudy skies above; thankful, too, as I read a favorite assurance from Scripture in fresh phrasing from the Holman Christian Standard Bible where it reads: "Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy.” (Zephaniah 3:17); thankful for better sleep through the night; thankful for refilled bird-feeders in the tree outside my window; thankful to read this beautiful hymn of praise from Romans 11:33 where Paul wrote: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways!" (HCSB); thankful for the relief provided by anti-inflammatory meds - a strained muscle has left me hobbling for more than a week but it's much more comfortable now; thankful for all the images available to me on the internet; thankful for this promise from Hebrews 6:10 where it is written: "... God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them." (HCSB); thankful for the blessing of the Sabbath - the pause in our busy round of everyday activities that refreshes my spirit and promotes relationship with the eternal; thankful for the instruction in the Scripture on how one is to live a life pleasing to the Creator and Redeemer of the world on which we live; thankful to be among those who have learned of the wonderful, marvelous work of our salvation - by His grace; and thankful for the truth of Psalm 23:4 where it is written:"Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way." (TLB).