Looking over the pictures on my phone, I began to smile at all the ways that God has blessed our family this Fall. He is so good to us, and we do not return thanks as often as I would like. Here are a few of the things for which I am thankful, this morning:
Seven new windows on the ground floor of our home make it much less drafty and cold.
No longer do we sit on the living room couch and feel a cold breeze. Thank you, God, for giving us the resources to afford new windows, and a good friend who was willing to install them for a great price!
Lunch together (sans Joshua and Rachel, away at college) at our favorite Thai restaurant for my birthday.
A little more than a year ago, I was facing kidney cancer, and I didn’t know if I would HAVE another birthday. Thank you, God, for letting me discover the cancer in time, for a successful surgery, and for another year of life!
Our backyard fence fell apart, and I promised Kathy I would repair it ‘this summer’.
As the November rains set in, it is still only about 2/3 finished. But I’m thankful for the cheerful and willing help of my youngest son, who blesses us with his diligent service. Thank you, God, for the character and wisdom you have given David, so that he almost always volunteers when work needs to be done!
A recent ‘Redwall Feast’ for David and Sarah’s English class through Potter’s School.
Thank you, God, for homeschooling friends to encourage us, and for a State in which we are allowed to homeschool our children!
This IS my actual building; in fact, if I stood on top of my desk, you could probably see my head through one of the fifth-floor windows.
Three days a week, I am allowed to work from home, instead of commuting 2 hours (each way) to work at this campus. Thank you, God, for a boss who graciously allows me to work from home so much, even though the bosses above him are firmly against any kind of telecommuting.
Sarah and David helped me dig this trench in the pouring rain.
For what seems like years, I’ve been trying to get reliable internet service working in the main lodge of The Refuge. Finally, we bought 500′ of Cat 6 network cable and routed it across the ground (with a switch in the middle to avoid loss of signal). This meant crossing two roads, so I dug trenches and laid the cable in conduit, with the help of my two youngest. Thank you, God, that we finally got the internet service working!
Daniel chooses good friends, and shares them generously with his brother.
We’ve seen a lot of Daniel’s friend, James, this year, even though he lives 30 minutes away. Thank you, God, for answering our prayers and giving Daniel a loyal friend, and for making Daniel into a good friend himself.
Even though they are both kind of weird, these cats are a lot of fun.
Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch and Marco (pictured above, left, the fuzzier of the two cats) came and sat on my lap in an unusual display of friendliness. Misty and Marco are not the most affectionate of cats, but they do actually bring a lot of joy into our lives. Thank you, God, for these two rascally cats!
Union University (where Joshua and Rachel are, this Fall) has been very kind and generous to both my kids.
In August, I had the chance to finally visit the UU campus, and meet some of the professors. I was astounded by the way that the faculty and staff have created a college that strives for academic excellence while also fostering a warm, spiritual atmosphere. I am so proud of Joshua and Rachel for their hard work and for choosing a university that so effectively honors Jesus and puts Him first. Thank you, God, for my wise oldest children, and for Union University’s generosity to our family.
My heart is full of thanks, today, as I look forward to a holiday season that sometimes forgets God.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man! Psalm 107:8
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