I'm Thankful for....

First and foremost... that God loved us so much that he wanted to better understand us by having the human experience through His Son, who showed us by example how to treat others before He made eternity available to us with His sacrifice.

I am thankful for … a husband who I cannot say enough good things about. He has always been a better spouse to me than I am to him. He has been the “wind beneath my wings” for over 35 years. May sound too mushy, but the truth very simply.

I am thankful for … 2 wonderful, kind, caring, and funny daughters who are so competent with and committed to what they do

I am thankful for … 3 precious grandchildren and one yet to come as well as a son-in-law that is a devoted husband and father

I am thankful for … parents who loved me, were proud of me, and believed I could do whatever I set my mind to, as well as their characteristics I have tried to learn: compassion and soft-heartedness from my mother and determination and self-confidence from my dad.

I am thankful for … Christian examples, love, and support from grandmothers, aunts, and uncles, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews, as well as the opportunity to see my daughters (two from birth and one bonus) and friends’ children to develop faith that assures me they will always be in God’s care.

I am thankful for … a faith that has grown over the years and the difficult times which forced that growth that probably would not have happened otherwise

I am thankful for … so many wonderful friends who are like the sisters I never had.

I am thankful for … a church family that is motivated by loving and caring for one another in its missions

I am thankful for … many neighbors who have become friends

I am thankful for … co-workers who I learn from every day and have such great respect for

I am thankful for … a beautiful world and all the living things we enjoy, as well as the variety of seasons and the life lessons there—live life to the fullest(summer), wind down (fall), rest and reflect (winter), and then open yourself to new possibilities again (spring)

I am thankful for … material blessings which I do not wish to prioritize, but certainly must acknowledge

I am thankful for … my health which in spite of my not taking adequate care of myself and some minor problems, is not too bad and I am still able to help others when needed

I am thankful for … beautiful flowers of all colors, birds at the feeder , herons and our ducks (even ranting Donald) in the lake, and our hawks in the air, as well as turkeys, deer, chickens, and even cows that wander into our yard on occasion

I am thankful for … words and their power in sharing thoughts, feelings, and ideas

I am thankful for … our country and the freedoms, responsibilities, and blessings that come with it

I am thankful for … my own 57 years of life, love, and learning

I am thankful for … organizations who represent and serve those with needs, such as the respectful appreciative meeting of needs for our elderly, education of young children and their parents, support that improves the education of children with special needs, and work for those youngsters in neglectful or abusive situations

I am thankful for pets--ours in particular who have brought me pleasure, but are truly therapuetic for Stan. Over the years, we have had Strider and briefly brother Bilbo, Missy, dear Abbie, and currently sweet Maggie. They have all had their own unique, but lovable personalities. Even one of several barn kitties who are generally pretty aloof sought love and attention and wormed his way into our hearts (Sancho). Pets are one of God's gifts to us.

And again for God, who is always there for me

Blue Like Jazz -- my review --Part Two

I love books like this that spark my own thought process and take me back to the basics of my faith. I just finished Chapter 9 where the author is trying to merge who he really is with the cliched Christian he feels he had become at the time.

His ah ha moment--making something he knew more clear and intense in purpose--is realizing that God's purpose for him is telling the news to those who don't know because that is the only thing that saves mankind. Government cannot save mankind and neither can people save themselves. He also sees with more clarity that everything from unkindness to depravity in all forms is the seed of the evil one. He refers to "Satan lashing out at the earth like a madman". The results of this are reflected in warring tribes; the raping, abusing, and even murdering of wives, daughters, and babies instead of defending them; and putting greed for power or money above being fair and meeting needs of human beings.

My own thoughts branch off from that. We often speak of people who do horrible things as evil. I often have to remind myself that these people are children of God (just like me), who He loves and wants to bring into the fold (as much as he does me). We need to keep perpetrators as well as victims in our prayers. We need to not be so elitist in thinking our sins or sinful thoughts are less an afront to God. We need to remember all of us were born into different circumstances, and many of us were blessed with a more accessible pathway to God. Our job is to be a witness of the love of God and leave the judgment between God and each individual.

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

I have just started reading this book and just finished chapter 3. I highly recommend it already --partly because I am reading it due to many other recommendations. It is a very easy read and I can relate to the ah ha moments this writer has about faith--like the Convergence of Thoughts title of this very blog.

In chapter 3, he is seeing the correlation between the features of setting, conflict, climax, and resolution and our faith journey. We respond to literature with these elements because we experience them personally and were built to do so. He also tells a story he heard of Navy Seals going into rescue hostages who would not leave with them because they did not trust them. One of the Seals removed some of his gear and got down on the floor to comfort and hold one of the terrified hostages until they realized they were friends and Americans.

As God became man, he showed his love and concern by wanting to have and better understand the human experience and show us by example how to love one another. I think we sometimes forget the importance of these two reasons for His visit. It was not JUST to die on the cross for our sins so we could have eternal life. The sacrifice in order to better understand us and His actions toward other human beings taught us important lessons about LOVE while he was here.