by

Our Daily Thread 12-20-14

Good Morning!

5 Days!!!! 🙂

Today’s header photo is from Kare.

*It’s now Sunday the 21st, so I believe someone has a birthday today.

Happy Birthday Linda. 🙂

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On this day in 1790 the first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, RI.

In 1860 South Carolina became the first state to secede from the American Union. 

In 1879 Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, NJ. 

And in 1968 author John Steinbeck died at the age of 66.

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Quote of the Day

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”

Dale Evans

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 This one is a request.

And this one is because I like it. From King’s College Choir

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Anyone have a QoD?

7,368 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-20-14”

  3. I am thankful for an interesting group of believers to pray with and for and to discuss important things with and a place to relieve the stress of my life. God provides in mysterious ways.

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  4. Very thankful that after another night of cold (it was four when I went to bed), we again had no frozen pipes in the morning. Much easier to deal with when other people are around to do the work so I was glad to have running water each day. God continues to surprise with His mercy.

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  5. I am also quite thankful we got a bit of snow before dropping down into the deep freeze this time, gives the plant roots some insulation.

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  8. it was all Jo’s work. I am also grateful for the opportunity to have a fresh tree and brothers kind enough to go with me to get it. My brothers are not believers but I am grateful for the excellent relationships we have. And I still pray for them.

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  9. I am also thankful to God for putting me where I am . This country has some challenges but every country does. And I have lived enough in other countries to appreciate this place even more.

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  10. And God has blessed us abundantly in the time we live as well. People tend to think I want to be Amish and live with nothing modern but that is not true. I like to be able to be free of those things if necessary but I do appreciate indoor plumbing, running water, hot water, the ability to talk with you folks, etc.

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  11. Looks like I am on my own to bring this to the next secret room but that is okay as I have lots to be thankful for and think we will make it. I am grateful that, though we are relationship beings, God has given us the ability to be alone as well and in that aloneness we can often hear him in the still small voice.

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  12. Husband and the children are having a good time down south and I am so grateful to God for providing me with a husband willing to do that. It gives them a vacation and it gives me a vacation.

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  13. I am very grateful for a husband who bought me a fun thousand piece puzzle to entertain me in his absence and that it is nearly finished. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband.

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  14. Just brought in another load of firewood and I am very grateful for a warm stove and wood to keep it that way and warm insulation to keep most of the heat in the house. And I am grateful for big south windows that let in about five and a half hours of sunshine heat every day the sun is shining. What a God of blessing we serve. If God chooses to bless us so much, is it any wonder people like to serve one another?

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  16. Have I mentioned how grateful I am for a husband that provides such good things? I have had enjoyable time eating junkfood and now it is time to get back to work. The onions and peppers and tomatoes are cooking with some nice fresh eggs. And I never have to shop. What a blessing God we serve!

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  19. Oh, it’s a thankful room!

    I’m thankful for friends like you!

    I’m grateful for a job where I can go for brunch and meet a whole new bunch of young people – one couple of whom just got engaged this morning! So exciting even though I didn’t know them before!

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  20. This is my new favorite room, Jo. Thanks for getting the ball rolling. Good to see you Kare. How goes the marathon? I am grateful for good authors and good directors to make uplifting books and movies.

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  22. I am very thankful for Donna and the tremendous encouragement she has been throughout this adoption process. You have no idea what a blessing you being you has been. Thanks.

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  24. No, Kim, just as you have been an encouragement to me over the years, especially when you stepped up to the plate at the awful time, Donna has continually been an encourager through the years. And I appreciate that.

    And He provided us with you as well. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to raise adopted children, special needs, oppositional defiance, disruptive disorder, autism spectrum, etc, with very little support? They, whoever they are, say not to even try. You people are my main support group. God has provided a couple of folk here who are beginning to help out in serious ways. We have always had a few, but you are the people I talk to. And I am grateful and grateful for the real stepping up and getting this going and keeping it going.

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  25. We have the neighbors, they provide respite and that is another thing for which I am grateful. They have even taken all of the children a couple of times. Even over night once. They take eight year old about once a week now. He gets to watch television. Not so good for him but a break for me and for his little sister. Another blessing.

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  26. Did I mention how grateful I am for Chas and Elvera and The real and Cheryl? They are prayer warriors and counselors. When the going gets tough, I know I can count on them. More blessings. Hey, when you look around, they are all over.

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  27. Ah, what a nice idea.

    Very thankful for this past year.

    What I’m most conscious of is that this past year really felt like we fell “fully” into being family. Honestly I wasn’t feeling like it was much short of that the year before. But I was still feeling my way just a little bit with my in-laws (like what was expected of me when) and there were times when I felt like I had to give the girls a little space. This year none of us was “feeling our way” anymore, and it was good.

    My husband buying me a camera got me a chance to get lots of good photos–way too many photos, really, tens of thousands (though a whole lot of those were “push down this button that takes 10 quick photos . . . and then delete all ten photos since the bird didn’t do what I was hoping he’d do”), and I photographed more than a dozen new species of birds and also a red fox. I’m thankful for the unique chances that camera has given me to study God’s creation closer.

    I’m thankful for a house that’s warm enough, and enough editing income to supplement the family income a bit and have stuff I enjoy doing.

    I’m thankful that at ten Misten is still healthy and energetic.

    I’m thankful that I feel like I finally have friends at church.

    I’m thankful for this lovely private library my husband and I have built, and fingertip access to thousands of good books.

    I’m thankful for the first family reunion for my side of the family in 15 years, including my husband finally getting to meet my last brother, one other sibling finally meeting my girls, the girls meeting stepcousins and having an excellent time too, and no deaths in my family but three more weddings.

    I’m thankful for having two sweet young daughters who desire to follow Christ and to love people.

    And quite thankful for this little community here, quirky as some of you are. (Not me. 🙂 )

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  28. I’m thankful for a lot. Grandchildren and children. We opened Christmas presents today, after pancake breakfast. Two nieces were here as well, since their home is 5 hours away and they had to work too much (McDonald’s) to go home last week and this.

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  30. And I am grateful for Peter L. It is good to know there are Christians teaching. What an impact! He might never know what some small word here or there is doing in the life of a child. Besides, he is a pretty good brother. God’s mysterious ways….

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  31. Well, lookie here! It did work. I am grateful for the complexities of technology and some of it is even able to penetrate my brain. But not much is needed and I can just enjoy the rest. That would be thankful for the time again.

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  32. I’m thankful for Mumsee’s thankfulness – so encouraging to me.

    I’m thankful Kim found us here.

    I’m grateful for a beautiful day with snow coming down.

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  36. Did I mention our missionaries? Let’s see who I can forget…Kyle A, Joanne, Phos, Tychicus, Jo. Who did I miss? Well, anyway, I am grateful for their willingness to go out and share the Good News with folks in a different culture. Having lived overseas in several different countries, I do know it can be a bit of a challenge. So I am thankful for their willingness to go and live there for a time and be used by God in a different environment. And that they allow us to pray for them!

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  37. Kare, how did the snowshoes work? I am also grateful for snowshoes but have yet to have sufficient snow and body strength at the same time to give it a go.

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  38. And there is Janice. Janice who was willing to take in the cat last year and allowed it to become such a joy in her life. But there is much more to Janice than the cat. There is the husband and the son and her encouragement and love for both. There are the many misadventures turned into positives. All good and I am thankful.

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  39. I am very grateful for snow. The two young ones are out testing their sleds. It has been cold enough to make sliding nice, but unfortunately, the more avid of the two is very small and light weight and I don’t think she contributes enough weight to make it work. That and starting on the going upside was probably not the best idea. But she is trying and she is willing and I am so glad she is part of my life. The boy? He is sliding in the driveway because he does not like to put out any extra energy. And I adore him as well. Thanks to God for delivering them both to my home.

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  40. I am quiet and alone today and what an uplift to my spirits to read the thanksgiving in this room. Want to call my children, but don’t want to disturb them.
    Thankful for the children and grandchildren, a blessing indeed.

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  41. It’s January, Jo, when are you coming up to Idaho? No way to be alone around here….And I am thankful for that because I would definitely be a hermit without them.

    Though I just had a very pleasant visit with a woman I did not know was my neighbor! A friend from church and the children helped her and her husband move a few weeks ago. They moved to the house next door so have been my neighbors for a long time. Thankful for how God brings people together.

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  42. I just read my last comment and it makes little sense. Not that that particularly matters but: the lady is a friend from church. She and her husband had some of my children help them move but they only moved to the house next door to the one they were in. The houses are farm houses. They live about five minutes walk from here, if you could walk directly across a large deep canyon. Which we can’t. But I am grateful to know them.

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  43. And there is KBells. I am very grateful for her. She seems to be somewhat fixated on some sport group but that is okay. She and her husband opened their hearts to a little boy and love him and care about him and are trying to bring him up in the love and admonition of the Lord and that is a good thing. I am thankful for her, though we don’t see her often anymore other than on the news thread.

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  44. And Rweaver, Texan and American with a solid Christian priority. An encouragement to read all of the time. Grateful for Texas and Texans.

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  45. And Linda, who we used to see much more but she is still around with occasional insights. Always solid and an encouragement to keep true to the Word. Thankful to God for bringing such people together.

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  46. Then there are the lurkers. Yapamom for one. R kessler for another. Bob Buckles shows up sometimes. Little brother Kevin B once in a while. And several others. We get little glimpses of them and I know they have much to offer. But are hesitant for whatever reason. Maybe life gets in the way of virtual life and that is a good thing too. I am thankful to know that there are so many people out there caring about other people and God.

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  49. I just got today’s local paper and found another link to Mumsee. The MVP for Boise in yesterday’s game was from my high school here in Grass Valley. Thankful for sports and that outlet for so many.

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  51. And I am thankful for newspapers and the written word. Newspapers are great around here. Eight year old who does not read has wanted the comics for over a year and he laughs and laughs at them. Several of the olders get them after him. I often cut out applicable comics and post them on their cork boards in the mud room. And do the crossword and somebody else does the Soduku. After I have read the paper it goes into the pile. In the winter, they are burned when starting the fire and in the spring and summer and fall, used for mulch or compost.

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  52. I am thankful that God has been working in my life and relationships. He is opening some doors that have been closed for a long time, and some that I thought were closed forever.

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  53. I am thankful for each one of you in this wonderful, sometime crazy, community of believers meeting in cyberspace. I am thankful for my wonderful husband, my beautiful daughters, my adorable & sweet grandson, my dumb dog, my crazy (but in different ways) kitties, my home, books, good movies, indoor plumbing, peanut butter, & on & on. I am mostly grateful for the new work (or maybe it’s just more “sudden” progress on an old work) God is doing in my husband’s heart & life, & in mine.

    Mumsee – You have been quite the encourager with your many thankful posts! You & your family are in my prayers. I enjoy reading the email updates.

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  54. Did I mention Six Arrows? I am thankful for Six Arrows. She allows us to see some of the battles she has. Such as her internet overuse. Do not, at this time, scroll up to see how many mumsee posts there are today. And her not getting through the Bible. And her this and that. Letting us know we are not alone in our humanity. Transparency is good and I am thankful for that in her.

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  55. And Joe B and the lovely Cyndi or is it Cindy? Anyway, his wife. We don’t see much of him, I don’t know if he lurks, but he is also a light pointing us to God. Thank You, for Joe B and wife.

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  57. And there have been many who came and went. NJL used to laugh at the antics of four year old in glasses (remember when he tried to flush his glasses?) and here he is nearing nine years and still in glasses. Sandy from Florida, TJ and Cameron, Debra, Montana grandma, Lucia, etc. They have all been blessings in their own way and most we will see again though their paths have diverged for now. Thankful to have virtually met them. Can you imagine what an incredible assembly is going to be in Heaven?

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  58. And we also have Random and Ed and was it Coyote Blue? People who openly didn’t know the Lord, but who were nevertheless a real part of our community in times past, letting us pray for them whether or not they wanted our prayers. I told Ed when he left that I’d remind people periodically to pray for him, which I haven’t done recently . . . and we’ve been reminded recently, too, that Random may have health issues that need our prayers. For his spiritual health particularly, since no matter the state of his physical body and mind, his soul is probably within a short distance of eternity.

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  59. Old standbys like Karen O and watching her children grow up. Praying with her for them and continuing to pray with her. Praying with her for her husband in his health and work and growth in the Lord. Learning so much from her about how God uses emotions. I am thankful for Karen and Lee.

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  61. Mumsee – I’m curious. What did you mean by “Learning so much from her about how God uses emotions”?

    Well, I’m curious, but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see your response, because I really need to get to bed.

    Goodnight all you fellow Wanderers.

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  62. Karen, I come from a very stoic family and emotions were held in check. My churches I have attended have leaned away from what might be called the charismatic side so my training is that emotions tend to be a tool of the devil. You have reminded me that they are a gift from God and are to be used as such rather than something to be feared. I never actually believed they were a tool of the devil but that seems to be the general direction of thought when people are trying to keep emotion out of the picture. You allow God to talk with you through your emotions but you are aware that emotions can lead one astray. All good and I am better for having known you. Thank you for being you.

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  63. I am grateful for my children and the grace they have extended to me. I am grateful for my husband and the grace that he extends to me each and every day. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be in camping ministry. I am grateful for my husband’s job and that they gave him an extra 30 seconds to do his physical fitness testing this year. Three years ago he had a very hard time getting it done in 4 minutes flat, he was over by 5 seconds. He should be able to get it quite easily this year.

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  64. I am grateful that my husband’s severe neck injury from this summer has healed so quickly and well. I am grateful that my parents purchased a laser for us to help in his healing after I switched jobs and no longer had access to one.

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  66. I am thankful for Mumsee and the work she and Mike do with their children. I am thankful that she shares her joys and struggles with us and that we can pray for the Nest.

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  70. Pretty nice to get out walking without a need for armed guards or the equivalent, Jo?

    Speaking of missionaries, and we were, I also wanted to point out how thankful I am for Miss Phos, but also for her dad whom we met through her. She came and gave us three weeks and then he came and gave a couple more! Faith in action. What a blessing both of those were. Very thankful to God for meeting needs way beyond what we imagined.

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  72. I ran out of awake before I ran out of thanks. I am thankful for Annms and her husband, daughters, and Connie. She is a busy woman with lots of love and people who love her. That is a good thing, She has lots of encouragement for others and is willing to ask others to pray. Thankful that God brought her along to minister to us and hopefully, to be ministered to as well.

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  73. It goes without saying but I will say it anyway, I am eternally grateful to God for Who He is and what He is doing and what He has done. The creation, the salvation, the relationship with Him, and the interweavings of our lives with one another. So complex and so amazing and so wonderful!

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  75. Very thankful for the warmer weather. It is up in the teens today. And I see thirteen year old daughter did not leave the hoses attached to the hydrant. That is a good thing as it means the hydrant probably did not freeze. She was sent to water the cows and horses a few days ago but rather than water them where we had been watering, she went to an old tank and filled it. Well, that means she attached hoses which had been put away for winter and filled a tank with no heater. I learned this because yesterday she came in to tell me she had jumped as hard as she could on the trough but the ice would not break. Oops. I am thankful that she is willing to try. I am grateful to God for bringing her into our lives to teach us about a different perspective.

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  76. I had almost forgotten the things I’ve written about emotions. Yes, they can be good or bad, but they can’t (or shouldn’t) be denied. The good ones can be used by God to bless us & others, & the “bad” ones (anger, depression, etc.) can be used by God to show us our further need of sanctification, or that there is some problem we need to address.

    You thanked me for being me. You’re welcome. I can’t be anybody else! 🙂

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  77. I got to thinking last night that this thread continued on and on because some of us were trying to prevent mumsee from getting the last post on the first “secret room” since she had gotten the first. Well, we accomplished that, since someone else got #400. So, perhaps I will only lurk in the secret room from here on out, and see how long it takes for all else to end the run. After all, I think I was the last one to post on the 2000+ comment Scrabble thread at WMB. But since those posts have all been removed from cyber space, no one can check.

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  78. Turns out, thirteen year old lied. Why does that not surprise me? She changed her story to: she filled the trough with buckets, then she said she broke the ice with a stick. The ice that would not break when she jumped on it??? Again, so glad God brought her to us so we could see a different perspective.

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  79. I do not know what you are talking about, Peter L, I am not competitive. I thought I mentioned that a few hundred comments ago. But I am thankful for you being on here.

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  81. I am thankful to be healthy enough to get all of the chores done this morning. I am thankful that I am almost always healthy enough to get the chores done.

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  82. Husband had a chat with the knee surgeon this past week and we will need to discuss those findings. But I am thankful that we live in a country where it is possible to get knees replaced if one is so inclined. The amazing possibilities are just that: amazing. And I am thankful that God has put us here. Even for people in other countries, we send doctors and nurses and other providers to help with the needs elsewhere and sometimes bring the afflicted to this country for medical treatment. It is amazing to me that people can be aware of this and not see it as an incredible blessing from the God Who cares.

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  83. I am very grateful for bathtubs in which to put little boys who are very hyper after their breathing treatments. I am also very thankful for breathing treatments for little boys with asthma. I am exceedingly grateful for little boys. Especially my little boy.

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  84. Thankful to find a sale last night on large, cloth maps of the world. I got 20 and may get more. I have one in my class and would like to give them to PNG classrooms which usually are lucky to have a chalkboard only.

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  85. Thankful for missionaries who keep their eyes open when they come home for a furlough. People who are not there don’t know what is needed. Like tangerine jelly beans.

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  87. Very nice reading all the expressions of gratitude here. We really have so many things (and people) to be thankful for in this world.

    I am thankful for all of you, how you help me stretch and grow.

    There is, of course, much more I could say, and many things I could list, but let me just say at the moment:

    I am thankful for our refrigerator, and a daughter who is willing to help me clean it right now. 😉

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  88. I am thankful for my refrigerator too! It held all the leftovers and all the future meal fixings over the holidays!

    I am thankful for the young staff – program leaders, cabin leaders, workers all who come to work and volunteer at the camp I work at. Such awesome young people – so encouraging.

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  89. And I am very thankful for our two refrigerators and four freezers. These folk can put away some food but it has let up since the first years. It seems when children first come into the family, they eat and eat like there is no tomorrow. They hoard they hide, they sneak, etc. But once their bodies get adjusted to regular meals and their minds get comfortable after a couple of years, eating tapers off to normal amounts. So we should be able to retire a couple of freezers soon (though we appreciate the gifts) and probably the fridge. It is nice though, living so far from stores, to have the convenience. For example, when the semi dumped its trailer full of french fries last fall, and some kind neighbor brought us twenty boxes of a dozen bags each, we had room for them!

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  92. grabbed my two in-town grands today and took them shopping with me. I am working on bulletin boards for my classroom. I wanted to find some trees for background. I asked in the fabric dept. of the local craft store and she showed me a fabric mural of trees and mountains. It will be used for years and years and is just what I needed. God is good.

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  103. If I had been on time,
    I could have made this rhyme:

    I am grateful for poetry
    And this is comment seven-o-three.

    But come, let us not be sore,
    We have opened the door to 704.

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  106. Oops, that’s what I meant to say, Peter — that my 1:09 was actually #704. Saying that it opens the door to 704 made it sound like that one was next.

    Maybe I could have said “opened the door on 704.”

    7-o-7
    I’m gonna love heaven.

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  107. Did you call me “5”, Peter? True, I do have five arrows living at home, but there is another one. 🙂

    7-0-8
    I hope I’m not late.

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  113. Definitely slowing down here. Is this thread coming to an end after two weeks of postings?

    Don’t know if I’ll be last, but I will claim 714. Fourteen has been a favorite number of mine for a long, long time.

    714 — yes.

    Last — maybe? 😉

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  115. Ha! I just came here to see if anyone posted after me, and you weren’t there, Karen. Then I refreshed the page and here you are!

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  120. Nice to see both of you Karens here. 🙂 I didn’t really want to be last. I figured using the “L” word would get things going again! 😀

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  123. I am thankful to have my husband and children home, though it is always an adjustment after they have been away. They are quick to pick up other habits.

    Today another girl turned seventeen. So we are back to four seventeens, one eighteen and one sixteen. Soon, two of the seventeens will be moving out and on. Hopefully it is all good. Son will be moving in with his older bio sister as he has graduated and the new seventeen year old will be moving in with daughter where she will be able to get a job in the medical field. So they are not moving out on their own so much as moving in with family as yet another stepping stone. I am grateful to have had them and grateful to have them ready to move on.

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  124. That was an enjoyable post to read, Mumsee. All those transitions, stepping stones. Neat to hear how God is working in your family, guiding each of you along the path He has for you.

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  125. and when they leave it changes relationships among all who are left. I was so surprised by that when my oldest left for college. God moves us into something new as He moves them into something new. God is good.

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  126. Although we didn’t like the way or the why of Emily leaving home at 18 (to live with R), after we got used to her not being here, we ended up having a fuller relationship with Chrissy.

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  127. Maybe I should have said “after we started getting used to her not being here”, because it really took a long time to really be used to that, but not such a long time to start having that fuller relationship with Chrissy.

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  128. YF & I had another nasty Facebook discussion (nasty on her part, not mine). I decided that’s it, I’m not going to comment on her more controversial posts (about homosexuality or abortion, primarily) anymore. Maybe later I’ll write more about what transpired on that Facebook thread on the current Our Daily Thread.

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  129. I am thankful that the family is willing to go to church without me. Of course, husband said, “anybody who does not go to church this morning does not go to open gym this evening.” I am home with three ill little people and an ill self. Nothing significant.

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  131. Thanks, Karen. We are resting and drinking plenty of fluids. And enjoying the stop. I am grateful that God slows us down periodically and I am glad He told us rest was okay.

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  132. I am also grateful that I was able to assign my chores and they all got done. All I had to do, and there were plenty of volunteers to do it for me, was to sweep the deck of a couple inches of snow. It got me outside with a quick light job.

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  135. I’m sitting here in a 72° basement with a blanket wrapped around me, still cold, for some reason. Then I read your -25F and windchill comment, Kare, and shivered even more! You are one hardy soul! 🙂

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  137. It’s 75F in our living room right now and I have a fuzzy blanket over my feet! The rest of the house is much colder as our furnace system is not completely/properly set up.

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  143. I’ve just turned my heated throw on to the lowest setting — my feet were getting cold. And it’s cooling off now that the sun is no longer shining in the window.

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  144. I went out to shovel the deck and somehow ended up in a snowball fight. Perfect weather for that. Even the decrepit old guy came out. Son was out in his barefeet.

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  145. Fun! 😉

    We’re at 1° now, with a feels-like temp of -17. Heading down to a predicted -12 (feels like -29) low by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.

    I don’t think I’ll be heading outside for any snowball fights in the next 12 hours. 😉

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  146. We had our week of zero and it has warmed up. We are even getting sleet So the roads are messy. I am thankful for a warm house and good car.

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  149. Thankful for my children. This afternoon it came up so we had a discussion on what people remember about being removed from their bio families. Sixteen year old mentioned that he was ready to see the paperwork so we brought that out for three of them. They were able to read about their condition when picked up, the situation at home, the different placements. They had morphed some of it in their brains so it was good to get a story closer to the time of events. Of course, one does not know the accuracy there either but it comes closer to what was going on. Other children watched over their shoulders but indicated they were not ready yet. That is fine. It is a hard thing. But so grateful the Lord has helped them get this far.

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  154. Thank you, Karen.

    Are you feeling some better, too, Mumsee? (I think you said you were among the ones not feeling well who stayed home yesterday?)

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  155. I don’t know, Six. It seems like it and then it doesn’t. That probably means I am feeling better. It is a strange illness and I am glad I got it too so I would understand how little girl was feeling. Several of the others brought a cold home from Boise, lots of nose blowing to add to the mix. And I am thankful again for such a kind hearted family. We work well together and lift each other up when we are down. Thank You, God.

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  156. There’s been a lot of that sort of illness in our area, too, Mumsee. Yesterday at church, practically everyone I talked to said they had been sick at some time over the holidays, and it went through entire families. Our pastor’s wife said almost the same thing you did, that she thought she was over the upper respiratory junk, but realized a day or two later she was not. It would wax and wane, but went on for about two weeks.

    But what a blessing, indeed, is a kind-hearted family supporting one another well in times of distress. Amen and praise God.

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  158. That’s one of the benefits of extremely cold weather, I think — it seems to kill the germs better than moderate temperatures in winter do.

    I’ll still let you have your 40-below-ish temps, though, Kare, and be thankful for my slightly-below-zero numbers here. 😉

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  160. Oh, we still get quite ill up here – it just hasn’t hit this household yet 🙂 There was a study done of university students – half sat with their feet in cold water for ½ hour and half didn’t. The half that got cold, caught colds – the theory was that getting chilled reduced your bodies ability to fight the germs that were already on/in your nose. Don’t know if that was ever re-tested but it makes sense to me.

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  161. Ah, well, I could be wrong. 🙂

    And that would be new and exciting, something for which to be thankful — that I’ve never made a mistake before this time. 😛

    In any case, glad it didn’t hit your household yet, Kare. 😉

    And 762!

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  163. praise for my third loaner car! I went with a fiend 2 hours away. We did some shopping and then went to a friends home to borrow a van for six months. Friend is going back to Ukarumpa until July to teach preschool, next to my classroom, and is loaning me her vehicle.

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  164. This van is so fun, a golden brown color with lots of special features. So different from what I drive in Ukarumpa. It has all these fancy features, including heated seats. Just an extra special blessing, totally unexpected.

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  166. so fun to keep returning to this page and finding it with different header photos.
    My friend and I have known each other for more than 40 years. We took a trip together in 1973. Still going deep together and challenging each other to grow. What a blessing.

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  167. I need this page to remind me to be thankful. Somehow I need to be thankful that my tenants in my home are moving out at the end of January. God is good and He will use this for good. Just hits me a little hard at the moment.

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  170. I am thankful for the heated seats in our Suburban, too. I think we also have heated seats in one or both of our Volvos, as well. They come in handy here. 😉

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  171. I am thankful for the two families who have signed up for piano lessons so far since I have reestablished my teaching business. They return to lessons this week, one today and one tomorrow, now that the Christmas break is concluded.

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  172. Sixth Arrow started piano lessons yesterday. Actually, she had her first lesson last August, a month before she turned seven, but I discovered she was not really mature enough for them at that time, so I decided to set lessons aside until a later time.

    I am thankful for her increase in maturity in the months since then. God is working in her in a lot of ways, and I am grateful for His faithfulness.

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  181. Our children figured out our password so we tried for a long time to reset it for the modem but were unable to. Son, the computer guy, tried to help and gave up saying he was sending us a new modem for Christmas. We waited, keeping the modem off whenever the children were in the house. Christmas came and went and the children bought each other items that turned out to have internet access (against the rules) so husband went out and bought a new modem. The children who had stolen the password paid for it. We are still waiting for the one son was going to send. Sons! I am grateful for my sons, they lend interest to my otherwise boring mundane life. Well, other than the daughters of course.

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  182. Good morning. Will we get to 800 and a new room at 801 today? In our new schedule, I plan a media fast for Thursdays, so I won’t see the changeover if it happens tomorrow.

    But I’m not going to sit here and run it up to 801 by myself this morning. 🙂

    Off to wake up the children and get our day started. Have a good one, all!

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  183. Today is the day yet another fledgling fledges. Husband drives him over to Seattle today where he will take up residence with his bio sister and the guy who brought him to us. He turns eighteen in about four months, so rather than look for a job here and then uprooting, it makes sense. Besides, she wants to dissuade him from his military ambitions. I am thankful for the four years we have had with him.

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  185. Not really, and probably not. Realize that most of my children will say whatever they think you want to hear at the moment. It remains to be seen. As my dad says, you don’t really know how they turn out until thirty five or so. We were talking about how to keep busy to keep out of trouble and I recommended volunteering and perhaps making job connections at church. I asked if he knew if his sister was still attending church. He said he did not know but his mentor told him the other day that the mentor’s brother has a church there and should be able to help him connect with a job and it sounded as though he planned to attend. His mentor is a part time pastor full time Christian in this area and he will keep in touch and remind him. The mentor is somebody assigned as part of the youth challenge program to keep up with the youth after they finish at the Academy for the next year. Trying to help them keep on track and son selected a Christian deliberately.

    But we had a good four years. He has grown a lot, learned many new skills, developed confidence, been exposed to the Truth, and been a blessing to us. Grateful to God for the opportunity to influence one more life.

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  189. I heard that one, too.

    That reminds me of an old album name I’d heard of — I think from Van Halen — entitled (I’m not sure how it’s “spelled”) OU812, or “Oh You Ate One Too.”

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  190. Due to my being an impatient person, and my upcoming media fast tomorrow, and the relative proximity to opening a door to a new secret room, I will proceed to do what I said I wasn’t going to do this morning — sit here and run it up to 801 by myself.

    (It’s not morning anymore, you see.)

    Feel free to jump in at any time, those of you who see what I’m doing. 🙂

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  193. And he told me tonight on the phone that he will go pick up some groceries tomorrow morning, while it is still bitterly cold, when he’s out getting his check and going to the bank.

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  195. He has been visiting his dad in the hospital a lot lately, too. He not only is a loving husband and father to me and the arrows, but is also a loving son.

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  197. He learned his strong work ethic from his dad, who worked tirelessly for his family — wife and eight children.

    His mom is a diligent worker, as well. Served her family lovingly for many years, raising the children. And when they had all left home, she went to work to help with the family finances.

    Worked for something like 25 years for the same employer, and just retired two months ago on her 79th birthday.

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