Thankful Thursday ~ Minneapolis

I am so very thankful that the Lord made it possible for me to fly here to Minneapolis to help our daughter Erin and her family move back to Montana! I got here on Tuesday, and in between packing and cleaning I am really enjoying time with all of them. On a previous post, I wrote about the job the Lord has provided for our son-in-law John as well as housing for them; His timing is perfect in providing what they need right now, just as His timing is perfect for each of us! I am also thankful that this job is such a good fit for John's degree as well as his personality.

I am also thankful that my husband being willing for me to be gone for a few days, and that I am feeling well enough to help out. The Lord is really giving me the physical strength and the sleep I need as I am here.

This is a short message, as I am either helping Erin or keeping Eli occupied, but I wanted to celebrate Thankful Thursday with all of you!

Please join Lynn, who is hosting Thankful Thursday at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

Happy Birthday, Sara!

Our daughter Sara turned 27 yesterday, and we had a lovely day celebrating with her and her family. I wish I had some pictures of her when she was little downloaded on the computer, but I haven't scanned any of those yet. I will share a few with you that I do have. Sara is a beautiful young woman inside and out, and it was such a wonderful day for me to remember the day she was born.

Here is a picture of Sara and Mark on their wedding day, August 14, 2005.

Sara amd Maya last year when Maya was 1. Maya is a carbon copy of Sara when Sara was a llittle girl!

Mark, Maya and Sara this Easter

We showed Maya a few photos of Sara as a baby, and when I asked her about one of the photos, "Who's that?" Maya said "Maya!" It is almost like seeing Sara as a little one all over again. Double blessings!

Trusting God and Keeping the Joy ~ Part 2

I write this post with tears in my eyes, but they are tears of great JOY! In the post just before this one, I wrote that our family has a longtime prayer we were waiting God's answer for, and He answered on Friday - He has made a way for our daughter Erin and her family to move back to Montana from Minnesota, and we are so excited and so thankful to God! He has provided a job for our son-in-law and a place for them to live, and they will hopefully be coming within a month or so.

They moved to Minnesota, (where John was from and Erin met him in college), when Jack was 2, so they have been gone for 4 years. God's timing is, as always perfect, as He provided a job and housing at a time that was best for them, and we thank Him and praise Him for His provision, for not only has He provided this for them, but He has made it possible for us to have all of our children and grandchildren living near us, and this has been our longtime prayer! Jack is 6 now and Eli just turned 2, and our little Maya, who lives here, will be 2 very soon. They are the JEMs (Jack, Eli and Maya).

On my previous post, I quoted Psalm 28:7b - My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. One of my favorite praise songs is "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin. It is one of the best ways I can think of to give thanks to God in song, because it is all about Him and how awesome He is. If you wish to hear it, click on my playlist at the bottom of the page. Here are the words:

How Great is Our God

The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice

All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide

And trembles at His voice

Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands

And time is in His hands

Beginning and the end

Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One

Father Spirit Son

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Here is a picture of the JEMs and another of the whole gang, taken 1 year ago. I think it is time to have another one taken when they move back! How great is our God!

Trusting God and Keeping the Joy ~ Part 1

(photo: Jack and Eli in MN)

Something wonderful may happen soon that involves our family that would be an answer to a longtime prayer, and we are all waiting patiently for the Lord's answer. I have written a post about waiting on the Lord before, (Waiting)  and now we wait again, and God's Word has kept me at peace...most of the time.

As I was praying about this with Him today, I was sure that all of this is coming about because of His perfect timing. I believe the Lord's timing is always perfect, but He surprised me with this thought: Even in His perfect timing, will I still believe that and trust Him even if  He says "Wait longer" or "No"?

I immediately said "Yes."

He asked again...I paused...how would I feel? Would I be disappointed? Yes, I know I would. Would I lose just a little faith and my trust in Him? I had to search my heart, for He deserved a truthful answer. No, I would not lose faith or my trust in Him. I could honestly say that if He decides to say "No", it is for a reason we cannot see, and to know that He has something better in mind.

This is very hard to understand, when we have such a great desire for our lives and we want to trust Him with it. But I do know this, when I really think about it, this isn't about answered prayer. It is about getting closer to God so that I will trust Him and obey Him no matter what is going on in my life. I can delight in Him no matter what because He delights in me and He knows what is best for me (and for my family).

Debbie from Heart Choices recently wrote a post entitled Say Yes to Joy. I had been thinking about what she wrote for a couple of days, and so as I thought also about the longtime prayer my family has and how God will answer it, Debbie's message was so encouraging, and one thing she said was, "Saying yes to joy requires me to recognize that no matter what is going on in my life ...God is with me."

Debbie shared Zephaniah 3:17 -

The Lord your God is with you.

He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you

He will quiet you with his love.

 He will rejoice over you with singing.

So today I choose joy. If He answers "No" I will be disappointed, but I can still find joy in Him. If He answers "Yes"...

(photo: flickr)

Easter with the JEMs

We celebrated Easter with our daughter Sara, son-in-law Mark and granddaughter Maya. Our other daughter, Erin, son-in-law John, and our grandsons Jack and Eli were in Minneapolis, but we did get a few fun photos from them.

I made this apron for Maya, as she loves to help cook.

She helped me scrub potatoes for our Easter dinner!

Maya helped her Momma and Daddy make Penia bread, which is a sweet bread that originated in rural Italy and is made during the Easter holiday. (Ingredients include sugar, butter, eggs, anise seeds and lemons.) Mark's family makes it every Easter, and this was the first time we've had it. It was delicious!

Here are Jack and Eli in a Brother Hug.

Even though they live far away, they are always near to us in our hearts.

I just had to add this photo of some beautiful hyacinths I bought for Easter,

sitting on my favorite chair that has it's old paint color of almost robin's egg blue.

They smelled wonderful!

He Is Risen!

Thankful Thursday ~ Remembering His Sacrifice

I am so thankful for my Saviour and King, and I want to share this beautiful reminder of Christ's sacrifice on the cross with all of you, as we celerate His glorious resurrection this Easter. This card shares His word in prophecy and at the time of Christ's death and resurrection. (When you click on the picture, you will be taken to Cross Cards to activate the card.)

Please visit Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage for more sharing on Thankful Thurday.