A Grateful Heart

The waiting has ended. With a grateful heart, I can share that we found a house in Middle Tennessee, thirty miles from downtown Nashville.

Our good news came two days after my birthday—a grand gift from the Lord. We will move into our new home in early June. Ours wasn’t the highest bid the sellers received, but they chose ours because of other factors for which I am thankful.

At one of my favorite houses (offer number seven), I walked to the edge of the backyard and peeked over the fence. Down a hill lay three cows. I shouted a big hello to them. One stood and stared up at me. I was ready to make an offer because I loved seeing the cows. God knew that, but He didn’t give us that house.

I loved the small-town feel of another one of my favorites (offer number eleven). My husband and I were excited to find a state park nearby. We love to hike and walk trails surrounded by trees and wildlife. God knew that, too, but He didn’t give us that house.

When we drove out to visit offer number twelve, which was in a subdivision out in the country, we commented on the lush, green farmland we passed. We arrived at the house with our agent and while on the back patio, to my left, cows grazed nearby. Another special feature of this house’s location was its proximity to another Tennessee state park—larger and closer than the one near the small town. God gave us this house.

I hope to see the cows often while I sit and relax on my patio or as I gaze out my dining-room window. And I look forward to seeing wildlife when I trek along the trails at the state park with my husband.

Although we had to wait longer than we expected, the Lord gave us a home with both cows and hiking nearby. With a grateful heart, I can say it was worth the wait. And because of our large fenced-in backyard, maybe I can talk my husband into buying me a cow of my own!

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart,
I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
Psalm 103:1-2, NLT

Thankful for the Lord's Peace

Amid another shutdown in New Mexico, I have much to be thankful for. My family is healthy, and we love one another and the Lord. Covid won’t interrupt our gathering together for Thanksgiving. We haven’t done that for 12 years because of 1200 miles that separate us. But Covid may interrupt our plans to spend Christmas together. I’m still thankful. I have the Lord’s peace in my heart.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15, NIV

One of my favorite outings takes place along the Rio Grande. Perhaps you’ve seen the pictures I’ve posted on Facebook. My husband and I walk the trails there often. I’m thankful we can don our masks and enjoy the outdoors together. We say hello to those we pass and often comment on the beautiful day.

One man this past week wasn’t thankful to have us stroll past him or speak to him. He mumbled under his breath that in twenty years of walking the trails, he’d seen more people that day than ever before. An odd statement because the parking lot had several open spots when we pulled in and parked. The man also made the comment that there must have been an AARP conference in town that just let out for all the people he’d seen (including us). Clearly the man was troubled. He called out to us with a loud voice after we passed by and said something about our son. The chance he knew us, or our son (who lives in Tennessee) was slim.

We could have responded with the same level of rudeness he implied. Instead, we walked on. But that wasn’t enough for me—the Lord called me to pray. Whether the man was drunk or high, didn’t matter to me. I prayed for him to get the help he needed and asked the Lord to protect him from harm. I also asked God to remove the man’s heart of stone and to give him a heart of flesh.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26, NIV

In the troubled times we live in, I’m thankful for the Lord’s peace and will continue to pray for those who may not have the same eternal hope I have.

I’m also thankful for you and leave you with this blessing:

Now may the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV

Gratitude

In June I became more mindful of gratitude. To note items in a journal didn’t work for me, but when a friend suggested an app, I got on board. During June and July, I made entries 33% of the days. That was good for me! Since then, I’ve only updated the app twice.

As I reviewed my entries, I found a recurring theme—I love sunshine! Additional items I noted more than once included God’s peace and blessings, spending time with my husband and family, and good health. Other things I was grateful for included lunch with friends, my church, worship music, and being appreciated.

As Thanksgiving draws near, I’d like to share a few other blessings I am grateful for in my life.

• My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I cannot imagine my life without God.

•  My husband’s love and commitment to the Lord, our family, and me. I am a blessed woman.

This year’s blessings include the following:

• My eldest daughter and her excitement over my first two books along with the love we share for hiking trails and photography. I’ve enjoyed our time together.

• My son and his love for family games, even though he likes some games that I think are odd. I enjoy playing them with him and his family.

• My youngest daughter who cons me into buying her stuff she doesn’t need and teaches me new dance steps that I cannot do well. I enjoy spending time with her, anyway.

• The ladies in my Bible study group who pray for me and bless me.

• My writing critique partners and first readers of my novel who have encouraged me and given me honest feedback to improve my story.

• Those who have subscribed to my website’s email list and those who enjoy my blog posts and leave comments or share my posts on Social Media.

• Two devotions accepted this year for online publishing. One posted on christiandevotions.us in September, and one is scheduled to post on www.cbn.com on November 23. Also, I was a guest blogger on Suite T-The Author’s Blog.

• A recent blessing—I am thankful to have signed a contract for a three-book series with Winged Publications, Forget Me Not Romances. Book 1 is coming soon!

I am grateful for many things, although I don’t write them down as I should. I do thank God for them all.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

(Psalm 118:1, NIV)

Do you keep a gratitude journal? Please share something for which you are thankful.

Thankful in All

A few weeks ago, I posted on Facebook about our faulty hot water heater. We endured twelve days of cold showers. “Lord,” I said, “Are you preparing us for another short-term mission trip?” If so, my husband and youngest daughter passed. I cheated. I showered in cold water but washed my hair in the kitchen sink with water I heated on the stove.

My husband took a different approach. Instead of a mission trip, he looked at the situation as a blessing. Hubby insisted there were four benefits to not having hot water.

• We saved money. Our shower time decreased. We wanted out of the frigid water as quickly as possible.

• If we flushed the toilet while another family member was bathing, the water temperature in the shower did not fluctuate.

• When we came out of the shower, a blast of cold air did not smack into our bodies because our bodies were already cold.

• Most important, we learned to appreciate the blessing of hot water and not take it for granted.

I agree with his assessment. My shower time decreased by half, no obvious change in water temperature, and cool room air on a cold body wasn’t as noticeable as cool air on a warm body.

Not only is hot water a blessing, clean water is a gift. We rarely recognize how blessed we are until we go without something for a few days. Heating water on the stove was a minor inconvenience as we waited for parts to arrive but doable. I tried not to complain and stay thankful for water even if it was cold. Many people in developing countries would rejoice if they had clean water.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT).

I’m thankful for hot, warm, and cold water. And I’m grateful I belong to Christ Jesus.

What are you thankful for today?