Thanksgiving VII ~

23-29 February:  This last week, I was thankful for an uneventful trip to the nearby "big city" with two D.D.s for a visit with D.S.I.L.'s parents - always thankful to return without any bumps, dents, or worse!  I was thankful for the pastel painted clouds at sundown that evening; thankful for this thought from Proverbs 14:22 where we read: "Don’t those who work evil stray from the truth? Those who plan goodness experience unfailing love and faithfulness." (VOICE); thankful that I know how to reset the router to restore internet service - not ALWAYS the problem, but it is sometimes; thankful for the "finishing" described in Philippians 1:6; thankful for these promises found in Jeremiah 29:11-13 where we read: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Eternal, 'plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that. At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen. You will look for Me intently, and you will find Me.'" (VOICE); a big "THANK YOU!" to D.D. and D.S.I.L. for the new walker I found as I went into the dining area - it's a Euro-styled walker just like the one I was thinking of ordering a couple of weeks ago; thankful to have seen the flock of Red-wings that were here at my feeders and the Robin who couldn't see anything that interested him; thankful for the message of Jesus (quoting Scripture): “Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.”[a] This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is nearly as important, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] Footnotes: [a]22:37- Deuteronomy 6:5; [b]22:39-Leviticus 19:18. (Matthew 22:37-39; VOICE);thankful for the awesome power of "15 minutes"; thankful that springtime is "just around the corner" - less than a month away;  thankful for this counsel from 1 John 4:7-10 where it is written: "My loved ones, let us devote ourselves to loving one another. Love comes straight from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and truly knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. Because of this, the love of God is a reality among us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we could find true life through Him. This is the embodiment of true love: not that we have loved God first, but that He loved us and sent His unique Son on a special mission to become an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (VOICE); thankful that a favorite vintage floor lamp is again giving me light; thankful to have successfully made a trip to the post office, the drugstore, and the bank using my new Euro-style walker - and home again without any difficulty; thankful for the apostle John's tender counsel in his first epistle: "Beloved children, our love can’t be an abstract theory we only talk about, but a way of life demonstrated through our loving deeds." (1 John 3:18; TPT); thankful the Father's steadfast love and abundant grace for all who come to Him; thankful as I watched the day's early dawn; thankful to see that God’s gift of faith is like a flame, and when the embers of the fire have cooled you must fan them again and keep them ablaze. As Paul said: "... God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit." (2 Timothy 1:7; VOICE); thankful for another Sabbath with the opportunity to gather with others for study and prayer, praise and worship; thankful for the convicting, teaching, comforting work of the Spirit in our lives; and I was thankful for The Songs for the Journey to Worship (Psalms 120–134) that celebrate the journey to Jerusalem to worship in God’s temple.  "When I was in deep trouble, I called out to the Eternal, and He answered my call."  (Psalm 120:1; VOICE)   If we try to make every place holy, then no place is holy because holy means “set apart,” “distinct,” “special.” So we need sacredness in our lives: sacred times, places, and people in our search for wholeness, for shalom.