Thankful Thursday

I thank you for your thoughts, your prayers, your emails, your text messages, your support.
My precious lamb is still sick, doing better, much better, but still in need of ongoing prayer.

In these most difficult times, I am reminded of the many blessings of life.
In the midst. While still in the valley. Facing the giants of fear and worry.
Watching in horror as fear-mongers whip up hysteria in our country and in the world.
Wondering what will become of this nation and the rest of the planet if Donald Trump is elected president.
Even now, I can find reasons to be thankful. To be joyful. To be hopeful.

* conversation, laughter, and hot tea with a friend from seminary earlier this week
* lunch with a friend whose gentle spirit and wisdom elevated my day today
* getting to return the favor today: praying with and for a weepy sister friend who prayed with and for a weepy me late last week
* my daughter's recent foray into organizing some of the messy places in our home - the two "junk drawers" are now in order. Our pantry: it finally makes sense. Gotta think of a few more spots she can tackle at some point soon... No, she's not for hire as an organizer. She needs to perfect her skills on the home front before she can lend her services elsewhere.
* a pot of soup made for my family by my neighbor, kept warm on her stove until I could pick it up at 8 pm tonight
* chicken potpies, bread, roasted broccoli from a church friend on Sunday
* lasagna, bread, salad, and a bottle of red wine from another one on Monday
* Are you seeing a theme? We are blessed with loving, caring, generous, hospitable friends
* a cohort of classmates from seminary that support, encourage, pray for, and laugh with one another (for the most part...)
* the opportunity to speak with all four of the full-time ministers at my church today - and being received and spoken to with love, respect, prayerfulness, and humor too
* tea and a scone shared with my husband this afternoon
* the fact that no trees fell on our house or our heads during these past two days of very high winds and severe weather
* I get to spend time with my spiritual director tomorrow morning, telling stories of what is going on in my life these days, and marveling at her ability to help me discover how and where God is at work, present at all times, and bringing me towards wholeness and healing, no matter how little I can see or understand at the moment. I don't know anyone who asks me more probing and heart-opening questions about life and faith and prayer and God
* the boost of my spirit that comes when I remember that, although we may be walking through a valley with many shadows currently, we do not walk alone. We never have. We never will.
* sleep, the gift of deep sleep, restorative sleep
* learning that I don't have an ear infection, nor have I suffered any hearing loss - but wishing for some reasonable explanation for three weeks of persistent ringing in my ears (Any ideas or suggestions for how to silence the audible whining?)
* hot oatmeal on cold mornings: Steel cut with coconut milk, almonds, cinnamon, sliced banana, flas seeds, chia seeds, and a drizzle of maple syrup (Having given myself reason to drool at this late hour, I think I will head to bed so that I can make us some hot oatmeal on what will undoubtedly be a cold morning tomorrow. Can't wait to shove a heaping spoon of steel cut goodness into my pie hole in nine hours. Yes, I'm counting!)
* sleep. Did I mention the joy and blessing of sleep? It's not just for newborns.