Thanksgiving X ~

19-25 November:  In the past week, I have been thankful to be filled with a spirit of gratitude for the blessings that surround me day by day; thankful for the friends who've continued with me on this "Thanksgiving ...." journey over the years - and those who share their own notes of thanks; thankful for this counsel from the apostle, Paul, who wrote: " Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God." (Philippians 4:6; Amplified Bible); I was thankful for a beautiful day - not a cloud in the skies; thankful for the blessing of an early morning post on my phone; thankful for our Father's promises to hear our prayers in Psalm 5:3 and Psalm 66:19 where we read: "I lift my voice to You, Eternal One, and You answer me from Your sacred heights. ... Surely God has heard me; He has paid attention to the urgency of my request." (VOICE); thankful to have the folks here in their usual places, at the usual activities - routines can be a good thing; I was thankful for the little lady who comes to be my helper four days a week; and thankful, too, for this beautiful promise from Zephaniah 3:18-20: ". . . You’ve carried those burdens long enough. At the same time, I’ll get rid of all those who’ve made your life miserable. I’ll heal the maimed; I’ll bring home the homeless. In the very countries where they were hated they will be venerated. . . ." (Message); thankful for rain, bringing much needed moisture to growing things and reminding me of the rain of the Holy Spirit promised, to "ripen" believers for the harvest pictured in Revelation 14:14-16; thankful for the psalms of David, songs of needs like our own and of a trust in our Father's steadfast love; thankful for the beauty and encouragement of snow (Isaiah 1:18, in any version!); thankful for the ability to wake from sleep with a cheerful heart and limbs that respond appropriately to mental stimuli; thankful for my family - the one into which I was born, and those given to me by the Creator; thankful for the words of Psalm 100: 4-5: "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name; for the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." (New King James Version).  It is with much gratitude that I greeted this eleventh year of Thanksgiving posts - thankful for the long life the Creator has given; thankful for the loving family that surrounds me at home and with other believers around the globe; thankful as I consider this passage from Colossians 2:6-7 where it is written: "... Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (New International Version); thankful for “enough.”  Actually, I have no sense of needing anything . "... I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.   I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy .... Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."  Philippians 4:11-13, my paraphrase; cf Proverbs 30:8-9.