Thanksgiving X ~

 1-7 January: During the past week, I was thankful for this little Ralph Waldo Emerson quote I found in the front of my new journal - ". . . For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends"; I was 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 was 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" (Disciples' Literal New Testament).  Now it is 2023 - and the blessing of this New 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 was thankful to remember the One who has created the world on which I live and who has at least twice given me life; thankful to recognize that above the gloomy skies the sun is still shining; thankful for this reminder from Psalm 90:12: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (King James Version); thankful for the beauty that remains in our troubled world - yes, there is much that is desolate, much that is ruined, but I praise 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 was thankful for the measure of health and strength that remains in my life; thankful for these words from Titus 2:11-12 where we read: "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age," (New International Version); thankful to find dear friends from the years in China, on fb; thankful for the memories from those two years teaching in Sichuan Province - what an experience!  I was thankful for these clear words from Micah 6:8 where God's will for us is outlined: "The Lord has told you what is good. He has told you what he wants from you: Do what is right to other people. Love being kind to others. And live humbly, trusting your God." (International Children's Bible); thankful for each new day of life; thankful for the Creator's constant watch-care over me and my family; thankful for this instruction from Isaiah 1:16-17 where it is written: "Wash yourselves, clean up your lives; remove every speck of evil in what you do before Me. Put an end to all your evil. Learn to do good; commit yourselves to seeking justice. Make right for the world’s most vulnerable—the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow." (VOICE); thankful for the message from God's Word that lets us know that loved ones no longer living are at rest, not watching from heaven (or hell!) - they will "sleep" 'til wakened by the One who is "the Resurrection and the Life"; thankful for His promise to come and get His people - all who have chosen to follow Him; thankful for this message from John 14:1-3 where we read: "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (NKJV); thankful for the ministry of our Pastor Steve and his wife, Becky, who cover the needs of four separate communities, and do this well; thankful for our church family that meets in Grangeville week by week; and thankful to see this counsel in Ephesians 5:1-2 where we read: "You are God’s dear children, so try to be like him. Live a life of love. Love others just as Christ loved us. He gave himself for us—a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God." (English Revised Version).