Thanksgiving X ~

 13-19 August:  In the past week, I was thankful for the almost week-long visit with my youngest daughter and her husband; thankful to be reminded of a favorite old hymn, "Victory In Jesus!"; thankful for the precious message from Ephesians 2:8-10 where we read: "For by grace you are saved through faith. And this is not from you. It is the gift of God— not of works, in order that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared-beforehand in order that we might walk in them." (Disciples Literal New Testament); thankful to have the little devices that fit in my ears and allow me to hear more of what's happening around me; thankful that my vision is good - only need correction when viewing a screen farther away (the big TV on the wall in the living room); thankful to the Creator "... Who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise You because of the wonderful way You created me. Everything You do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt." (Psalm 139:13-14; Contemporary English Version); thankful for assurance of the Father's love for His people and to know that He delights in our prayers (Proverbs 15:8-9); thankful for another sunshine-y morning - and for sunlight in my heart; thankful for the truth I find in Romans 14:8: "The truth is that we neither live nor die as self-contained units. At every turn life links us to God, and [one day] we [will] come face to face with Him. In life or death we are in the hands of God. Christ lived and died that He might be the Lord in both life and death" (PHILLIPS); thankful EVERY day to know the persons my children have grown to be; thankful, too, for all the ways the Father finds to work out in our lives all the things He has started; thankful for the sister who wrote a little song that has fixed this promise from Philippians 1:6 in my mind: "Be ye confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it 'til the day of Jesus Christ."; thankful for the promises found in the Word of God - many of them "I will . . . ." promises in His own words; thankful for His message that the Word is inspired, "God breathed", as a guide for us in our daily lives; thankful for His affirmation in Isaiah 43:7 where we read: " All who claim Me as their God will come, for I have made them for My glory; I created them." (The Living Bible); thankful for the measure of health and strength that remains - the credit is not mine, but belongs to our Creator!  I was thankful for the cheerful helper that comes to assist with the things that are more difficult as I age; thankful for this promise from Ezekiel 11:19-20: "I will give you one heart and a new spirit; I will take from you your hearts of stone and give you tender hearts of love for [Me], so that you can obey My laws and be My people, and I will be your God" (The Living Bible); thankful for another Sabbath - the day chosen by our Creator to mark the completion of His work in making this beautiful world in which we live; thankful for all the beauty that still remains in spite of being marred by the effects of sin; and thankful for this message from 1 John 5:11-12: "This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in His Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life." (Message).