Today I am thankful for the sun that rises, the wind that blows, the birds that sing, my husband who says goofy things and makes us smile, and who sees that a thing needs doing and does it. I am thankful for a personal God who makes heart-stirring promises like: “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken!” I am thankful that we serve a King who reigns and is coming back for me! I am thankful for the gift of Bobby, who wants to know everything, who listens and observes much, and who keeps us on our toes, and who likes to be with us.

Today I am thankful for the gift of sleep, for a Shepherd who leads by still waters, and cool green meadows. I am thankful for a Shepherd who carries both rod and staff, for discipline as well as deliverance. I am thankful for starry nights. For cars that carry us oodles and oodles of miles. I am thankful for men who went before us, who had the foresight to preserve national parks like Yosemite for generations to follow. I am thankful for water to quench my thirst, and food to still my hunger. I am thankful for the amazing, abundant variety of fruits that God created. Mangos, watermelon, papaya, apples, oranges, mangosteen, grapes, grapefruit, pommelos, rambatans, pineapples, strawberries, kiwis, Lychees, starfruit, cherries, cantaloupe, custard apples, gooseberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, lemons, limes, all good gifts from a Father who loves to bless us….I am so thankful for such a Heavenly Father.

Today I am thankful for purring, pushy cats and loyal, hip-wagging dogs. I am thankful for His Initiating Agape Love, that seeks us out first. I am thankful for a Savior that is a bridegroom that has completely given Himself to His Bride, the church. I am thankful that He continues to woo and seek us out. I am thankful for hunger pangs, and His faithfulness to provide our needs abundantly. I am thankful for Bobby’s bright, new morning, smile. I am thankful for Sarah, and her deep love for the Savior and for her family. For her heart for the poor and needy, and her wrath at injustice. For her willingness to examine the motives of her own heart, and her persistence in challenging her own growth levels. I am thankful for her pursuit of purity and righteousness with compassion and understanding. I am thankful for the faithfulness of friends who challenge us to grow to be more. I am thankful that He sets before us the choice to be blessed by Him.

Today I am thankful for the mockingbird that still sings. I know it is only there are only a few more days left before the singing season is over, but today he still sings. I am thankful for automated sprinklers that water a heat-parched garden while I meditate on His Word. I am grateful for the cool morning stillness. I am thankful for His Presence with me here, and that same, ever watchful Presence with my loved ones, near and far; those still slumbering in their beds, or readying for a day’s work, or waking up somewhere in the Yosemite wilderness. I am thankful for His unconditional Love, ever working in our lives, not to conform us to our own, miserable image-making, but to His grand and glorious Image. I am thankful that whether I, or my loved ones, are on track with Him or mislead in matters small or large, He does not abandon us, or treat us as we deserve, but even as we applaud a baby’s first steps, so He applauds and encourages us in every baby step we take. I am thankful that He does not mock our sorrows, but rather He is there with us, weeping with us, and bottling up our tears. I cannot understand a God, who knowing that He Himself was about to resurrect a man, Lazarus, and bring him back to life, would yet weep with Mary and Martha in their grief. I cannot understand it, but I am so thankful to know that He weeps with us. I am so thankful to be loved by such a One as the Lord Jesus Christ.

As I continue the study in the Way of Agape, the author, Nancy Missler, poses the question, “1 Corinthians 13:8 says that God’s Love never fails.  What does this mean to you?”  Hmmmm…what does it mean to me?  I am reminded that I have been unconditionally loved from conception. There is nothing I can do to undo that love, ever, nor is there anything I can do to earn more of His Love. He has loved me with a complete and perfect love from my earliest beginning, and He loves me with a love that will never cease, no matter my response to His Love. Although His Love is perfect, complete and endless, that does not mean I have understood, accepted or received His Love the way He intends me to. I must choose to be open to receiving His Presence….and, paradoxically, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!!! Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  If I truly believe that He is, and that my seeking of Him will assuredly be rewarded, then all my waking moments will be spent, one way or another, in seeking Him…and then I will also KNOW His love that never fails, in the way that He desires that I should know His amazing, incredible, incomprehensible, Love.   What about you?  What does it mean to you that His Love never fails?  I would love to hear what it means to others.

Today I am thankful for joy. I am thankful for His Sweet Presence with me, whether I am alert to Him or not. I am thankful that He has equipped us with the power of choice – fear, despair, discouragement may all come pounding, both front and back doors, but I may choose whether to allow them in or send them packing, and choose to let the Joy of the Lord be my strength. I am thankful that those intruders cannot dwell together with His Joy; that darkness flees from Light. I am thankful that He remains with me even when I forget to make wise choices and temporarily give into those poundings; that He loves me still and patiently waits. I am thankful that He promises to finish that which He has begun in me. And I am thankful, O so thankful, that it is His job to complete His work in me and none of mine. I am thankful for a tender-hearted man who loves and cares for me; for a husband who is humble and teachable in spirit, who continues to grow into God’s purposes for him. I am thankful that the father of my children loves them fiercely and deeply, is a marshmallow when they want something, and who is deeply committed to their welfare. Today I am thankful for early morning quiet, with only the sound of my little serenading mockingbird friend to keep tryst with our Lord. I am thankful that we have a Future and a Hope; that the Kingdom of God dwells here among men, that the Eternal One dwells in our hearts even now.

Today I am thankful. Thankful to be alive. Thankful to be able to breathe freely. To enjoy the fragrance of the roses in our garden and the tantalizing aromas from the kitchen as Daniel whips up another one of his garlic laden dishes!! I am thankful for taste, to be able to savor the creation that Daniel has whipped up; and without taste, alas, we would not have savored the delight of all the earth, chocolate! I am thankful that we can taste not only earthly nourishment, but we can also taste, and see that the Lord is truly good!! Today I am thankful for sight. Sight to see my loved one’s faces, their smiles and their tears; sight to see colors in the garden, the caterpillars on the tomatoes, the lady bugs and the aphids; to see the bountiful harvest as well as the bountiful tasks yet undone. I am thankful today for hearing, for the gift to be able to hear the bird that serenades me each morning, to be able to hear my 8 year old who brightens up tedious chore time with songs from his heart for touch and riddles me with questions. Thankful even to hear if he whines or complains, because it means he is here with us. I am thankful for touch, for the warmth of a hug, I am thankful even for the sharpness of the thorns on the roses, the prickliness of the zucchini plants and cucumbers, because blessings often do come coupled with pain or sorrow. Today I am thankful that my heavenly Father has so richly blessed us with such abundance.

Today I am thankful for quiet moments before the dawn of day. I am thankful for sons and a daughter who are responsible, diligently working each day, who faithfully carry out their responsibilities at the place of their employment, and who invest their “spare” time to pursue the dream or passion that God is birthing within them. I am thankful for a husband who sets the pace and gets things done. I am thankful to serve a God who calls us to take steps of faith, to follow His call and watch Him remove the giants in the land that He has called us to. I am thankful for the knocking of our clunky washing machine, because it means that we have one. I am thankful that we have the promise that “in ALL these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us, and that His is a love that we cannot be separated from.”

Today I am thankful for His Love which is an everlasting love. I am also thankful that His love is a relentlessly pursuing love, an initiating love that seeks us out long before we seek Him. I am thankful that we serve a God who delight is to bless us, and who is  patiently waiting for us to be ready for His blessing. I am thankful for green grass, for living, green trees that provide rest and shade, and shelter for the birds of the air. I am thankful for the birds that fill our mornings with their praises. I am thankful for friends who challenge us to be more, sometimes with words, but more often by their lives

Today I am thankful for small voices that lift their hearts in worship to the Lord through their spontaneous songs. I am thankful for the smiles on loved one’s faces, and the twinkle in their eyes. I am thankful for small things, for a God whose face can be seen in the majestic mighty mountains, but also in the incredibly tiny flowers and critters in nature. I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who cares not only for my overwhelming troubles, but also for my small and tiny cares. I am thankful even for adversity, and the opportunity for growth it brings. I am thankful that we have been created, not as stagnant, robot-like beings, but instead in His Creative Image, with the capacity to stretch and grow and become so much more. I am thankful for fresh, new starts each new morning. I am thankful for the undeserved, faithful prayers of so many friends.