Thankful Thursday

Thankfulness starts with the fact that there is a God... and therefore it never ends.

Today I'm continuing my thankful list. Some of these are new discoveries this week... others are being rediscovered in a way that demands I list them.

I'm discovering thankfulness for:

• the peace of God that passes all understanding...
• cheerful beautiful blue skies through the bare branches of winter...
• prayer partners who face life's ups and downs alongside me, without judgment
• opportunities to know and to help those who have less in life than I do
• humility in knowing those who are miles ahead of me in this race for eternity
• precious faces of my grandchildren who recognize me - even via technology
• my own copy of God's Word, and the privilege of reading it and studying it
• my husband who provides for me, entertains me, and loves me
• my three sons - they are all so very special to me

Thankful Thursday

I'm forever thankful for the grace of God's love for me, Jesus coming to save me, and the Holy Spirit guiding me.

I'm also thankful today for...

1. Awareness of God's presence
2. Sunshine peeking out from behind clouds
3. The privilege of voting in public elections for government representatives
4. An abundance of opportunities
5. Caregiving situations for our son
6. Freedom to share about God
7. God's promise to provide for me always
8. Prayerful friends
9. Skype conversations with my grandchildren
10. Paved roads between Alabama and Texas! : )

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Monday Musings...

Things I like …in no particular order

♥ ~flowers ~ good friends~the color pink, particularly rose-pink~ my hubby ~ fluffy pillows~ puzzles ~hand-crafted greeting cards ~crepe myrtles ~ scent of vanilla extract ~all sorts of music~ creaky rocking chairs ~ folding clothes ~ little girl's hairbows ~beautiful papers ~soft cuddly blankets or throws~ my camera ~ cinnamon toast ~my grandbabies ~handwritten personal letters ~warm fuzzy socks~ art museums ~ coffee ~lilies and irises~ comfy sweaters~family heirloom china~special old greeting cards ~ well written books ~the smell of freshly laundered sheets~ roses ~ brownies ~Mexican food ~ colorful scrapbooking papers ~ reading ~traditional furniture ~children’s books ~ ceiling fans ~ big hugs ~textured things ~old afghans made by my Grannies ~scenic paintings ~videos of Austin and Megan ~bookshelves~ vintage family quilts ~the sound of the wind in the trees ~ words ~the crinkled pages in my Bible at my favorite verses ~ hot tea ~ photographs of my grandbabies ~ labels on things ~journals ~shady pathways ~ shades of pink ~gazing into another’s eyes ~ two wonderful women who are my sons’ wives ~ Thanksgiving ~old books ~3/4 length sleeves ~ computer communications~ sensible shoes ~family meals ~ good conversation ~ peonies ~Christmas ornaments ~VBS ~my three grown sons~ fonts ~ homemade banana bread ~ my grandbabies (Did I mention that?) ~my family photos children’s smiles~old porch swings~bare feet~ ♥ a loving God, Jesus my Savior and Lord, and the Word of God ♥

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Tuesday's To Do List...

Today is a day in which I need to get lots of things done. That sometimes seems true for everyday at our house, but for some reason especially today. I'm tempted to just write about those things which could be identified as tasks related to the special needs in the family, but the truth is - I have those tasks plus all the regular or normal or "typical" things to get done as well.

Admitting that my "to do" list is considerably shorter than those parents who are also working in "paying jobs", here it is:

• assist young adult son in getting ready for and physically getting to his day program at UCP LINCPoint - he cannot do either without me
• order refills for the prescription drugs that give my son (and myself) a better life
• call the case worker assigned to my adult son's services through the state's Department of Health, and Department of MHMR which assists those with developmental challenges like my son's - we need her help to resolve a problem we have encountered in "the system"
• call and make a payment on special pharmaceutical drugs that are delivered to our home monthly
• call a friend of mine whom I've been neglecting to call, being sidetracked with life's challenges
• spend time cleaning at least one room of this house
• finish folding the laundry that came out of the dryer yesterday
• call a repairman for the electrical problem that we are having
• call a repairman for the appliance problem that we are having
• plot the appointment dates onto the family calendar - includes MY appointments as well as our son's appointments. I want to see where we can fit in our next trip to see our grandchildren in TX!
• call to cancel the appointment made "automatically" by the medical center's clinic, and reiterate, once again, that we cannot attend appointments on Wednesdays
• pick up the refills of prescription drugs and sort them into several containers that are dated and divided by time of day - so that in our haste we do not forget a dose of one of my son's required medications
• call a brother who is having disturbing vision problems
• pick up my young adult son and come home, an adventure of about an hour and a half
• work a few minutes on the project of getting the filed papers in our home organized - steadily making progress!
• do afternoon skin care routine for our young adult son, and other such required things
• okay, and brush my teeth, take MY vitamins, EAT something, 30-walk on treadmill, and 15 minutes outside for "fresh" air
• oh! THINK OF SOMETHING FOR SUPPER, and go ASAP to purchase the ingredients that I can't find in the pantry

That's quite a list, and it's not everything - since I won't be writing here about a lot of what we do for our son .

I cannot face days like these or any day, alone. I must go now and prepare myself for the day, by reading passages in the Bible and by talking personally with the Lord in prayer. It would be foolish to start any other way!

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Colossians 3:17 NIV

Sabbath Rest...

Jesus loves me, this I know...

... for the Bible tells me so!

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Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful every day of my life. I can't claim that I have ALWAYS been. But what I can say is that NOW, and for the past few years(possibly up to ten or so), that I AM thankful. A hard-to-learn lesson, but one worth considering, is that thankful people are those aware of what has been given to them. None of us "deserve" anything - but the Lord God has blessed all of us in some ways. I want to be responsible - reminding myself each week that I AM thankful, and for which things I am newly (or supremely) thankful.


So THIS WEEK, I am especially thankful for...

1) my Lord's love and care for me
2) an awareness of my surroundings, made possible by my Lord
3) an awareness of the depth of my inabilities
4) an awareness that there are depths of his unfathomable greatness that I shall NEVER know this side of heaven
5) the rain and the sunshine, alternately blessing
6) my copy of God's Word, the Bible
7) friendships that He has granted along the journey of life, blessing me as flowers do (Some are daylilies and last for a short season - boosting an otherwise gloomy "day". And some are glorious perennials who are with me year after year - growing, blooming and mingling their scents with mine)
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and, for two tiny, precious treasures named Austin and Megan!

Thankful Thursday

I’m so thankful this week for many things…

1) Sunshine
2) Photos of grandchildren, shared by their parents
3) Caring friends
4) Work to do
5) My vehicle
6) Moody Christian Radio
7) My copy of the Bible
8) My new washer and dryer
9) My family

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

1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV

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Communication...

More opportunities for communication! This is something we continually need for our son with special needs.

We got to go out to Texas when our grandchildren were born in October. But we hadn’t been able to visit our grandson Austin and his parents since Austin was just 3 days old - the day our granddaughter Megan was born!


Thankfully, for Christmas, our brand-new grandson got to come from Houston to visit his Granny, Granddaddy and "Uncle Dave”. We were able to get a photo during one of the moments of communication between Austin and his Uncle Dave.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

"Jesus said,
"Let the little children come to me
and do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 19:14

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Thankful Thursday

I have been keeping a Thankful List for a couple of years now, and this is a continuation of that list...

On this day, I am very thankful that there is a God, and that He has made Himself known to me. I am thankful that He has a plan for me, and that He sent His Only Begottten Son to pay the price for my sin. I am thankful for forgiveness in Him.

I’m also thankful for:
1. Friends who will pray for me - supporting me in the best way possible
2. A son living at home with me - giving me purpose while my husband travels.
3. A home to live in - keeping us warm and dry, and so much more
4. My view through our fence - a neighbor’s holly bush has berries that are still bright red and quite beautiful
5. The Entrekin family who came to my rescue Monday morning - the four of them helped get David into our van and headed to the ER quickly
6. David’s diagnosis of “just” a UTI, and not something more serious
7. My children and grandchildren - giving me so much JOY

"Give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. "

1 Thessalonians 5:18

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Missing in Action...

I know... I know...
I've been missing in action.
I've been away from almost everything , not just my blogging.


Wanna see the reason why? : )


Take a look at these two beautiful grandchildren of mine.
That ought to explain it!!! : )







Both of my grandchildren will be 3 months old next week!

My pretty little granddaughter Megan came to visit me for Thanksgiving!!!
My active little grandson Austin came to visit me for Christmas!!!

Oh, what JOY!!!

We are VERY blessed!!

~o~

Saturday Storytelling

Our trip to be with our two older sons and their wives in Texas for the birth of our grandchildren was definitely a memorable one. Besides the wonder and awe we felt as we "laid eyes on" the two precious babies, the beauty of our daughters-in-love as they cared for their infants, the melting of OUR hearts as we viewed our two sons AS FATHERS (!) holding their own sweet babies... several other things that happened during those 10 days were simply PRICELESS.

One of them was this TREASURE of a moment between Megan, our newborn granddaughter, and David, our third son. Uncle David really "took up with" the two babies, and a couple of times (other than this one caught on digital camera) during our stay there he showed a tender love and concern for his brand new nephew and niece.

This might not seem like a big deal to most families and most younger brothers, but in our family it is HUGE! You see, our David doesn't communicate as well or as easily as do the rest of us. Every opportunity that he takes advantage of (for communicating) is a prized gift to the rest of us. And his devotion to the precious new additions to the family was truly a special thing to his dear old Mom. : )

It is important for ALL of us to be aware that each person in our lives is continually making attempts to communicate with us. It's so easy to let those moments go by, letting the words fall on deaf ears, or to be brushed aside quickly in order to give our attention to something else deemed urgent at the time. We might find that communication with some people is harder than with other people, but all people communicate... and all people need to be "heard". Maybe there's someone you know who needs a little special time of communication from you... I pray that you make time for just that!

Let's not forget that all of us need a special time of communication with our heavenly Father... and that He is both speaking and listening to us. Yes, THIS is the real treasure!

"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear."

Isaiah 65:24 ~NIV

Thankful Thursday

I can't start a paragraph about thankfulness without sharing my thankfulness for the Lord God Almighty. I am forever thankful for my God and His immeasurable love, for His Son Jesus and His substitutionary sacrifice for the lives of sinners like me, and for the Holy Spirit and His direction in my daily life.

The past few weeks I have been continuing to learn to be thankful - even though trials persist. This week, I am thankful ...

1) my husband and I have a reliable vehicle and money for the fuel for a 12+ hour "road trip" to TX to meet our newborn grandchildren in two TX cities!
2) that we have tools for helping us cope with the struggle of being in that vehicle for so many hours.
3) our son with special needs is a terrific traveler and patient passenger, actually enjoying such lengthy trips.
4) our older sons' wives are so welcoming and accommodating of "Uncle David".
5) the time spent with our grown children is such a blessing!
6) that long-distance grand-parenting is going to be possible, and made even more accessible through the marvel of technology... online photo albums and video phone calls!
7) that our newborn grandchildren are in God's hands!
8) that Austin and Megan (our grandchildren) are in the hands of loving parents.
9) that both Megan and Austin will, occasionally, be in the hands of loving grandparents - either in TX, or in Alabama!
10) that both grandchildren will have loving church families that will supplement the prayer and care of their parents and grandparents.

"I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well."

PSALM 139:14 ~NASB

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Two Babies

Newsflash! We're grandparents!

Our oldest two sons & their wives have entered the world of parenthood,
and we two old-fogeys have fallen head over heels in love with ...

Grandchildren!

AUSTIN DAVID ALLISON ..............MEGAN ASHLEY ALLISON

2 weeks old on next Tuesday.........2 weeks old next Friday. .

"Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers."

Proverbs 17:6
[ESV]

Thankful Thursday

As always, I am thankful to God for making Himself known to me, and for the sacrifice of His own Son for my sin, the love of the Savior, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In addition, I am thankful for…

1) the scrutiny of Scripture
2) the blessings of babies
3) transportation to Texas
4) deliberate decisions
5) friendships that last forever
6) precious promises
7) gifts granted
8) restful rewards

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.His love endures forever. "

Psalms 136:1

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