Thanksgiving XI ~

31 March - 6  April: During the past week, I was thankful to say 'I will bless the LORD at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth . . .'; thankful for Resurrection Day ~ the Lord is risen, risen indeed!  Hallelujah!  Not a day for bunnies, or Peeps, or colored eggs, but a day for remembering Jesus, God's great sacrifice in our behalf, heaven's solution for our mistakes, our errors, even for our rebellion! His love still calls us, "Come back, I love you, let's begin again!"  I was thankful to appreciate God's words, those recorded by Jeremiah, ". . . I know the thoughts I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11; Amplified Bible); thankful for another bright and beautiful sunlight-filled morning; thankful for the years of my life past the "threescore and ten" the Bible calls "the days of our years" (Psalm 90:10) - like any life, there have been paths I'd rather not travel again, but the Master is faithful and He's NEVER left me alone; thankful for this promise from Hosea 14:4: ". . . I will cure you of . . . faithlessness, and my love will know no bounds. . . ." (The Living Bible); thankful for a night of sound sleep and the restoration that it brings; thankful for the creative cooks and their recipes (illustrated in various media) focused on the things that promote good health; thankful for the precious gift of prayer - no cost to the pray-er, and immediate connection with heaven!  I was thankful to see a more spring-like landscape as I looked from my window - the weather has been an interesting mix of rain, fluffy snowflakes and wind with periods of sunshine and blue skies!  I was thankful for the blessing of healing that occurs after an injury - nothing less than a miracle; thankful to read this counsel from Hebrews 12:2 where it is written: "We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and He is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But He accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy He could see waiting for Him. And now He is sitting at the right side of God’s throne." (Easy to Read Version); thankful for a toasty abode that keeps me warm and dry in this April damp; thankful for the family that surrounds me with love and affection; thankful for this message from Ephesians 1:7-10 where we read: "In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor, which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence), making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in [Jesus, He planned] ... to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth." (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition); thankful for the many promises that are tucked inside God's Word; thankful that my vision remains good - even in the dawns early light I can read without realizing I need my lamp; thankful for these words about light from Psalm 119:105: "Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey" (Common English Bible); thankfulto anticipate Sabbath worship with my Grangeville church family; thankful for the robins checking out possible nesting sites in the tree outside my window; and I was thankful for this message given in the Worldwide English Bible (Luke 9:58): "Jesus said, `Foxes have holes to live in. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lie down to rest" - but He's given me a lovely home in my old age.