Thanksgiving XI ~

 8-16 December:  In the past week, I have been thankful to read the entries family and friends have posted to this social network, sharing plans and happenings of the day; thankful to be a daughter of our Most High God, learning to live like a child of the King; thankful as I read from Isaiah 44:2-3 where this is written: "The Lord who made you, who will help you, says: 'O servant of mine, don’t be afraid. My chosen ones, don’t be afraid. For I will give you abundant water for your thirst and for your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my blessings on your children." (The Living Bible); thankful for all that's beautiful around me - evergreens festooned with snow, the colorful lights in the little Centennial Park in the next block up the street, and many other things that are beautiful; I was thankful for the warmth of affection that covers me; thankful, too, for this announcement of the Messiah - predicted long before His arrival - 'All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign—a child shall be born to a virgin! And she shall call him Immanuel (meaning, “God is with us”)'" (Isaiah 7:14, The Living Bible); thankful for the love of "just the right word" that causes me to go to dictionaries or the thesaurus on my shelf (or to GOOGLE!) to find the one I need - see "catarrh"!; I was thankful for the occasional outcropping of a sense of humor not always evident; thankful every time I read these words from Isaiah 49:25 where they are written: "... God says, “ ... I’m the one who’s on your side, defending your cause, rescuing your children.'" (Message); thankful for rest and sleep - though interrupted by a long wakeful period, retirement allows "sleeping-in" opportunities; thankful for leftovers - flavors nicely melded by a little wait in the refrigerator; thankful for these words from Isaiah 43:1-3: "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you. . . and He who formed you . . . : 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One . . . your Savior;. . . .'" (New King James Version); thankful for the longsuffering, the patience my heavenly Father has shown in dealing with me - and for the passage in His Word that tells me that the "good work" He has begun in me will be completed (Philippians 1:6); I was thankful for how He has provided all I need and more; thankful for this "I will ...." promise in Ezekiel 11:19-20 where we read: "I will give them a single purpose and put a new spirit in them. I will remove their stubborn hearts and give them obedient hearts. Then they will live by My laws and obey My rules. They will be My people, and I will be their God." (God's Word Translation); thankful for each and every day and all the blessings that are promised to come with it; thankful for the promise of strength for those days; thankful for these words from Lamentations 3:22-24 where we read: "Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'” (New King James Version); thankful for a new Sabbath and its reminder of a loving Creator/Redeemer who came to show us how to LIVE; thankful for the love that brought Him here to give His life so that I may have a forever life with Him; and I was thankful for this wonderful message from 2 Corinthians 5:20-21: "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (New King James Version).  Praise God!