32 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 11-26-15”

  2. My hubby and kids are in Bandera… I decided not to go as each time I’m there, I become an emotional wreck for at least a week after…and, since I spent five days there a couple of weeks ago, I just didn’t feel up to it. Connie is staying with me and we’re going out tonight for dinner.

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  4. I’m thankful for my salvation; God’s provision of a faithful husband; the indescribable gift of my two daughters; Connie, my adopted mom; dear friends; this blog; prayer partners; the new women’s small group Bible study I joined this Fall; and coffee!

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  5. All of this was written yesterday for posting today. :

    On her program on Fox yesterday, Gretchen Carlson asked “What are you thankful for?”
    I am thankful for:
    Not necessarily in order of importance, in order they occurred to me. Though the important things likely occurred first.

    For the fact that God saved me through faith in Jesus Christ. This was always important, but I become more aware as I age, and see friends pass on.

    For the fact that my entire family is following the Lord. And they seem to be raising their families faithfully (III John 4)

    For finding and connecting me to the perfect mate for me. I have told you several times about the miraculous way this happened.

    For a successful and interesting career, even after some early misdirections.

    For the fact that I didn’t have to pay for some of the stupid mistakes I have made. (I won’t belabor this. Just know that I have made them and repented and came away unscathed.)

    For friends I have known through the years. I started naming these, but ran out of room.

    For the fact that I was born in America. This is especially true as I think of those trying to escape oppression and other disasters.

    For the fact that I was born in this epoch. I was part of the greatest nation in the world. Not only the most powerful, but the one that responded to disasters and mitigated evil in other places as we were able.

    For health. For myself and my wife. She recently got a prescription to retard the progress of dementia. They say that it could, but not necessarily degenerate to Alzheimer’s. Otherwise we are both in good health.

    And. Not by any means least: My co-bloggers. I (we) appreciate what Aj and some others contribute to the fellowship we have on this blog.
    .

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  6. Can’t top Chas’ list, as there are many similarities for all of us. Of course, I still have a daughter (D3) who hasn’t turned to the Lord yet, but she is respectful and has some Christian qualities. Pray for her soul.

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  7. Thank you Chas. A lot of what you wrote can apply to all of us although like you I worry about future generations.
    I am thankful I am married to a man who is for the most part easy going. He is in a lot of pain most of the time and sometimes he gets grumpy but it doesn’t last long. I am thankful for the many ways he has changed my life. I have always said love is a verb not a noun. His actions show his love for me and would show for BG if she would let him.
    I am thankful for BG. She and I have had some good times lately. She is what I never knew I always wanted
    I am thankful that God put Mama Ruth in my life. Some may say how awful she died at a holiday but I think it is quite appropriate. She loved this time of year and now we can remember her at a Thankful time of year
    I am thankful for all of you. During the day if I need a friend I have only to pop over to the blog and there you are.
    Now as for me …those table linens aren’t going to iron themselves and I want one more cup of coffee

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  8. Happy Thanksgiving all!!!! 🙂

    The pumpkin pies are done, made them last night, the pineapple stuffing is in the oven. Now for my least favorite part….

    Peeling potatoes…… 😦

    Once they’re done, the turkey goes in, and I’m off to watch the 109th playing of the Phillipsburg/Easton Turkey day rivalry.

    Go P’burg!!!

    Then it’s back home to eat. 🙂

    And then, more football!!! 🙂

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  9. I hesitate to do this. You may skip it. know you aren’t interested in the friends I’m thankful for. But more as a tribute to them, I need to mention.

    I met Bobby Murray when I was ten. He lived across the street from me in Charleston. We sold peanuts on the Battery together. He talked me into joining the AF after high school. He died early, in his fifties.

    I was walking across campus at USC (Columbia) when I met up with a guy named Al Tolley. Al asked, “Are you a Christian?” I assured him that I was. He said, “Great” and invited me to an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) meeting. I went and liked the group. Margaret Smith and JoAnn Berry were part of that group. That was a turning point in my life. Al was important to me. He died a couple of years ago.
    Al had a red headed girlfriend named Margaret Smith. I loved Margaret too. But I was already going with Elvera when they broke up. Margaret cried on my shoulder, and I would have started going with her. (Elvera, much later, says she kinda suspected that I might.) It was best this way. Our personalities were too different, it wouldn’t have worked. I we lost touch. I hear she died of breast cancer in her early fifties. I hope Margaret had a happy life.
    At USC, I met a guy named Vernon Fash. We still e-mail each other. Vernon was at Southwestern with me. He is a retired AF chaplain.

    On my first day of employment at the Army Map Service, I met a couple of guys. I still e-mail Ed Ording. The other guy is Mel Rogers. Mel used to be my friend. Now he’s kin. He married my SIL and we will have dinner with them this evening.

    You can tell that this could go on forever. Klein Beach, Bob Myers & Wendell Murray were HS friends who were at USC when I left the AF for college. They are the reason I went to USC.
    I need to mention Eddie Vandall, Muriel Edge, Lynn Schink (on my e-mail list), Myrom (Slim) Roberts .
    I know I have forgotten some. But people you meet along the way are in important part of who you are.

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  10. What am I thankful for? Oh, so much. I could echo much of Chas’s list.

    I’m thankful that Christ saved me, is sanctifying me, adopted me, and placed me into His family (the church).

    I thank Him that He brought along a gentle, loving man to marry me and make me a wife and mom.

    I thank Him for two sweet daughters and the young man who has chosen one of them;

    for an 11-year-old dog who is going deaf but still has a gleam of mischief in her eye, along with a much greater interest in having her people pet her than she had when she was a young pup;

    for a country location that gives me lots of chances to see and photograph wildlife, and a husband who sometimes takes me walking to state parks;

    for a sometimes crazy-full editing schedule, with mostly interesting books;

    for friends far and near, old and young, black and white and other;

    for a home library full of thousands of books;

    and that the snow from Saturday has finally melted.

    BTW, I forgot that I had sent AJ a turkey photo and I sent him several more. 🙂 But I’m guessing the guy at the top is probably hiding somewhere today, and his buddies too. But I liked the way his wattle is backlit, and his buddies are all just big blobs you hardly notice. This was taken a few months ago when cocks were still all in one group, hens and chicks in others. By now the poults are grown and they’re all back together as one big happy family.

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  14. I am thankful for my home and family. Thankful that I have a husband to share it with. I am thankful for my son, who is my constant companion and joy. I am thankful for my daughters. They are fine young women who continue to grow and mature. I am thankful for all of my grandchildren. What a joy and blessing they are.

    I am thankful for God’s faithfulness. He truly is good all the time.

    I am thankful for my friends and church family. I am thankful for the godly women He has put in my path to mentor me.

    I am thankful for the work that He has provided. I am thankful for my hubby’s job.

    I am thankful for AJ and all of you who give me insight into other topics. I am thankful for the opportunity to pray for others.

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  15. Happy Thanksgiving!

    I am thankful that God knew me long before I knew Him, and He wanted to write my name on the palm of His hand. I am thankful that Jesus is humble and gave over willingly to Father God’s plan to use His life and suffering to offer salvation and eternity with God to all people. I am thankful for a quiet Thanksgiving at home. I got extra needed rest this morning. I am thankful we have our God who gives us grace and does not require works or other odd behaviors to be a part of His kingdom. I am thankful for the Bible and the variations of translations and study helps available. I am thankful for my small family and Miss Bosley. I am thankful for good food and the skill to cook it. I am thankful for an annual week of vacation at the beach.
    Of course, I am tremendously thankful for AJ and how he kept us all together and for the many friendships and Christian community here. I am thankful for church families in my community, both Baptist and Methodist. I am thankful for Christian Library International and all the other ministries I support financially. I am thankful for the military and what it has meant for our nation from the beginning. I am thankful for our Founding Fathers and how they wanted religious freedom for all in this nation, not just some lop – sided religious tolerance. The listing could go on and on…God is ever so good!

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  16. It is to the market and then back to work for me today, but I am thankful to have meaningful, fulfilling work.
    Also last night’s gathering was full of sweetness. After dinner we all sang hymns together, one of my very favorite things to do. To praise Him together!

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  17. Picked Carol up and we’re waiting for a table at Mimi’s Cafe near Griffith Park. It’s a cold day, only about 60 degrees. Parka weather. And Ugg boots and sweatshirts and ski sweaters, depending on people’s fashion preferences. 🙂

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  19. Despite the kitchen sink backing up and me finding out the plunger had turned to stone over the years and no longer worked even partly, and despite my finding a small auger that was too big for the drain which prompted me to untangle a wire hanger and poke with it which produced a hole in the pipe under the sink, we still managed to have London broil, green beans with almonds, and key lime pie. It’s a new first in my life to not have turkey in Thanksgiving Day. But it was all good and I hope the red meat will build up Art’s iron level.

    Miss Bosley has enjoyed the sink plumbing issues. She is easily entertained. I guess I could go Black Friday shopping on Thurs for pipe to fix that part of the problem, but I would not want to get in the way of a rabid shopper who might try to beat me to the good deals on plumbing supplies. 🙂

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  21. Thankful for friends who tolerate my grammatical and spelling errors along with gremlins, real or imagined, who make strange rearrangement of some things I key in. 6 ou are all good sports to put up with it all. Speaking of sports, thankful, too, for Peter ‘ s posting weekly during football season.

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  23. Oh, Donna, sorry you had a cold day for Thanksgiving! We had an unseasonably warm one here; I think it got past 60!

    The snow from Saturday finally all melted, too.

    We had a nice day. We were nearly the only ones present under 60 (my husband’s sister is a couple years under), and so it was hardly a raucous event. The men sort of watched football and then everyone slowly decided it was time to leave.

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  24. We broke freezing but just barely. Though I never saw the ice melt on the ground, so it may just be the weather station is not in our area. It should be back to the teens tonight. A beautiful day. Lots of outdoor time though we did wear sweatshirts with our slippers.

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  26. We had a nice dinner with Mel and Polly and her family. Their daughters and family came from Northern Virginia and Denver. They will remain for the Collins dinner in greenwood on Saturday. I think I told you that it is no longer at our house.

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  27. Janice, you crack me up. 🙂 My plunger is always in prime working order, with a house built in the 1920s it gets pressed into service more often than I’d like.

    So patio dining at mumsee’s?

    We have snow on our mountains which make for a nice view right now.

    Surprised traffic wasn’t too bad today, even the normally bumper-to-bumper 101 Hollywood Fwy was a pretty easy cruise. So I made good time coming and going.

    Carol wanted to go by a Christian book store just to see where it was, so we did that after eating — the sign on the front said “Jesus solves every problem.” Except we got lost after that, winding up on L. Ron Hubbard Boulevard.

    But got her dropped off before 4 and met her new roommate, Bethany, a large black woman who’s in a wheelchair but seemed very friendly and nice, I liked her. She was cruising the hallway when we were introduced.

    And it’s back to work for me tomorrow.

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  28. Reminiscing about past Thanksgivings with Carol today, I remembered the time I won the role of an apple in the elementary school Thanksgiving play. I wore a big apple sandwich board onstage.

    I had a small line, it was admittedly a minor part, but I embellished it by stamping my foot, a little method acting that was. My aunt and uncle, who came to watch with my mom, said I was brilliant.

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  29. Donna, in Chicago I was always amazed at how empty the roads were on Thanksgiving Day. I would have thought that would be the day everyone is going somewhere, even those who don’t work and aren’t usually driving around. Of course, some are hosting and not going anywhere, but still, how can the roads be nearly empty on that day when nearly everyone has somewhere to go for lunch?

    Misten is going to be a happy puppy for Christmas. I just ordered her a dog bed that she will love. I got her a bed when she was a puppy, but she grew bigger than the bed and she chewed it. I took it away from her when she chewed it and gave it back a few weeks later, and that time she chewed the zipper and the zipper pull fell off. Since she was already really too big for it, that was my last attempt to get her a bed. I’ve never really had any place in my house big enough for a dedicated bed for her, anyway, so she has had bath mats scattered around that she can lie on or we can walk across. But now she is getting a bed with a bolster (backrest and/or pillow), with orthopedic support, and she should enjoy that. I figured I’d get her one when she got to be an old dog, and meant to get her one last year but couldn’t find one that wasn’t $200 or more or so cheaply made it wouldn’t be much better than her bathmats. If it comes before Christmas, then we’ll go ahead and give it to her early; she deserves a soft place to sleep.

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  30. Merry Christmas, Misten! 🙂

    Carol called, I guess the facility where she lives didn’t even serve a turkey/thanksgiving meal today (which is odd because I asked the lady at the front desk last week if they would be doing that and she said yes). So she was glad we went out.

    And I’m still worried about the lack of medical watchfulness there, something clearly did happen to Carol nearly 3 weeks ago now (mild stroke, or ??) but they have not acted on it other than to have a doctor’s assistant talk to her and tell her since she no longer was slurring her words there was nothing they could do.

    Maybe so, but whatever happened should be diagnosed and identified — there might be some therapy or medication she needs.

    But there remain some effects from whatever it was, she’s moving and talking and eating so much more slowly now — and it dawned on me today that she “appears” at times to be mentally disabled (she has mental illness but a very high IQ and she’s never appeared to be ‘retarded,’ to use an inappropriate term). But now there’s something about her facial muscles and body language, slow movements, and a lack of coordination or something that are so different. 😦

    I think I’ll call the facility director to see if I can talk with her about my concerns (the facility nurse was no help when I called her last Saturday). Meanwhile, I think it would be best if Carol could return to her former residence in Downey, they seemed much more attentive to the residents, Carol knew people there, there was a hospital right across the street and she had a regular doctor there.

    I never heard back from Carol’s brother, he’s generally pretty good but sometimes feels like he has to wash his hands of her for a while, I guess. Carol has a bad habit of asking about her birthday & Christmas gifts way in advance and he’s kind of over that, told her this year he wasn’t sending her anything. Ugh.

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  31. Like everyone else here, I am thankful for Jesus & my salvation, & for my marriage & family, as well as a myriad of other blessings.

    Lately, though, I have been especially thankful for Emily. (Of course, I am thankful for Chrissy, & for her help & companionship when we babysit Forrest – whom I’m also grateful for. 🙂 ) Emily & I had gone through a period in which there was some underlying tension in our relationship, over little things, mostly.

    Happily, we’ve gotten past that, & our relationship has been so good lately. We are good friends as well as mother & daughter. One of the special blessings to me is how she is planning for Christmas. As I mentioned a bit last night, on the prayer thread, we have come up with a few simple traditions to add to our Christmas Eve & Christmas day celebrations.

    But it’s not just that. It’s the way she is including Lee & me into these plans. It would seem obvious that she would, since we all live in the same house, but, since she lives upstairs, she has the option of keeping some of that time for just her & Forrest. And yet, she’s not doing that.

    I told her she could use our Christmas tree this year, & I thought I’d just get a little, pre-lit & pre-decorated one for down here. But she is planning on having the tree down here anyway, with her & Forrest decorating it.

    There’s more to it than I can describe. It’s not only her actions & words, but the attitude behind them that is a blessing.

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  32. We had a nice day together today. Lee cooked the turkey, but Emily made everything else. She loves to bake & cook, & she is very good at both. Chrissy (who helped me with clean-up) has been here since yesterday afternoon, & will be staying until Saturday morning. (Forrest is thrilled that Auntie is staying for a couple days.)

    Tomorrow, Lee takes over the bakery route by himself. Please say a prayer that he can find all the stops easily. They’re spread out over much of western Connecticut, & there is a lot of driving involved.

    Emily, with her two part-time retail jobs, will work at one job from 10am to 3pm, & the other job from 5pm to 10:30pm. Since it would be an hour round trip to come home between the two, she’ll stay in Enfield & kill some time between jobs.

    So, Chrissy & I have a long day with Forrest tomorrow. (Please say a prayer for extra patience for Chrissy, who sometimes runs out of patience on a long day like that.) R said he has to work, but will take him for some time. Don’t when or how long, but am glad there will be a bit of a break.

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