Thanksgiving IX ~

13-19 February:  During this past week, I have been thankful for the little amplifiers that increase my ability to hear a conversation; I was thankful that, aside from times when I'm watching something on the TV in the front room or riding in a vehicle and watching the country as I pass, there is no need for the spectacles in my drawer to be able to see; thankful for this admonition from Proverbs 29:18 where it is written: "Where there is no vision from God, the people run wild, but those who adhere to God’s instruction know genuine happiness." (VOICE); thankful to have received a "Happy Valentines Day!" call from my sister on that day; thankful to share those loving greetings with family and friends everywhere; thankful to read this admonition from John 13:34-35 where it is written: " So I give you a new command: Love each other deeply and fully. Remember the ways that I have loved you, and demonstrate your love for others in those same ways. Everyone will know you as My followers if you demonstrate your love to others." (VOICE); thankful for continuing prayers for my healing from the effects of the most recent CVA (October last year); thankful for the expressions of love coming from loved ones the world around -- wouldn't it be much appreciated if we would ALL say our "I love you"s more often?  I was thankful for this assurance from 1 John 4:10 where we read: "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 IM and other messaging sites are available to me, but even more wonderful are the phone calls and "snail mail" that I receive from family and friends; I was thankful for the spirit of generosity, of helpfulness I see in my grown-up children; thankful as I read these words from 1 John 3:11 where it says: " The central truth—the one you have heard since the beginning of your faith—is that we must love one another." (VOICE); thankful for the promise from Deuteronomy 33:28 where we are told "... according to your days, so shall be your strength.” (Modern English Version); thankful for all the ways our Father has provided all that I have needed thru' the days of my life; thankful for the assurance in these words from Romans 8:35,37 where we are told: "So who can separate us? What can come between us and the love of God’s Anointed? Can troubles, hardships, persecution, hunger, poverty, danger, or even death? The answer is, absolutely nothing. ... No matter what comes, we will always taste victory through Him who loved us." (VOICE); thankful for the anticipation of the parousia, the "second coming" of our Lord and Savior, Jesus - indications in the world today foretell the event is at hand, nearer than we think; thankful for our mighty God who is "... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9); thankful as I read these words from Romans 8:38-39 where it says: "... I have every confidence that nothing—not death, life, heavenly messengers, dark spirits, the present, the future, spiritual powers, height, depth, nor any created thing—can come between us and the love of God revealed in the Anointed, Jesus our Lord." (VOICE); thankful for another of the Creator's chosen days for spending quality time together; thankful for the praise patterns in the book of Psalms; and I was thankful for this message from 1 John 4:11-12 where it is written: "So, my loved ones, if God loved us so sacrificially, surely we should love one another. No one has ever seen God with human eyes; but if we love one another, God truly lives in us. Consequently God’s love has accomplished its mission among us." (VOICE).