Gathering Thanks!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend--ours was simply incredible--I will tell you about it as I go through my list of gratitudes.  Today is my birthday and I received the best gift I've ever gotten on a birthday--You will find out what towards the bottom of the post.

3 gifts yellow

the yellow in the spectrum--
light coming in through my front windows cast this beautiful glow on my
lavatory in the powder room

post-it notes

--fondly remembering when my husband used to come home from work and take the Nintendo away from the boys so he could play Pac-Man--remember the little yellow Pac-Man guy?  A couple of years ago, our youngest son found an old "working" Pac-Man" game and gave it to my husband for Christmas.

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A gift cool

An itty bitty can of diet Dr. Pepper--

A gift warm

my cozy winter sleep shirt that I actually have worn the past two nights

A gift sun-soaked

my cheeks after standing out in the sun fellowshipping with the guys from the Ranch--

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3 gifts autumn

football, even though my Razorback piggies (ranked #8 in the nation before today) lost-

I am a loyal, true blue fan--I would never bad-mouth them or the coaches--

I am wild about those Hogs--

our first day in the 80's in many a moon

rehanging a fall front door Razorback decoration given to me last year
during football season

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3 gifts growing

my love for my husband

the knowledge of the guys at the Ranch

my front porch ferns after fighting with the extreme heat for several months

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3 gifts given

a canvas I painted for the guys at the Ranch--

Some of the guys from the Ranch holding the canvas I made for them--I will get a picture with all of the guys soon--

the gift of eternal life I witnessed God give to one of our newest guys at the Ranch--I was privileged to be able to pray the sinner's prayer with him--my most awesome ever birthday present!  I am humbled and honored--thank you, Lord--

the gift of our love and time that led us to drive 2.5 hours to Ash Flat, AR to hear one of our guys, Michael Butler, give his testimony--there is a description of that wonderful day right below--on the way there we went through Evening Shade--remember the old Burt Reynolds tv show--?

We just returned from an incredible day at Ash Flat Cross Roads church, this is Michael Butler's home church--
Michael and two of his grandparents were baptized today. 

Paul Bruich, Kyle Shaw, Michael, and James Loy gave their testimony. 
The duet who sang was incredible--
Thanks so much to those who granted permission and made it possible for the men from the county jail to get to come and 

hear the testimonies.

We also had some ladies from another facility and I'm sorry I didn't catch the name of the place they were from but thank you, ladies, for worshiping with us.

The meal the ladies from the church prepared for the whole congregation included ham and chicken, green beans, corn, dressing and gravy, every kind of pasta salad you've ever heard of, slaw, a salad bar and all kinds of desserts--oh my, ladies, you went above and beyond the call of duty--

Thanks to their pastor for his hospitality--thanks to the "singers" who sang after lunch--so much talent--

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A gift made-

Some little signs for my granddaughter's wedding--I have one more to do--It is a "Here Comes the Bride" sign that a little two-year old will carry as he is being pulled in a red wagon.

A gift masked--

A gift masked that became unmasked was the Holy of Holies--I heard the most incredible sermon about it this week when our church worshiped with an African-American congregation from across town.  I will show a small clip from the sermon--The preacher got pretty happy after he described the veil being torn, ripped from top to bottom after Jesus had drawn his last breath.  He started describing our God and well, watch the little clip and you will see that the people got pretty excited also.

A gift marveled-

I marveled at the baptism of the grandparents of one of our residents at the Ranch

3 gifts moving--(except it was doubled and there were 6)

Today when we were coming home from Ash Flat and nearing the outskirts of the Little Rock area, we saw these funny squiggles in the sky--At first my husband said he thought they were clouds and then he said that they might be the contrails from the air show at Little Rock Air Force Base--

Well, they were but they were ALSO the contrails from the Blue Angels--they put on an hour long show and as we drove closer and closer to Little Rock, they became more and more distinct--racing together straight up and then immediately diving coming straight to the earth and at the last second leveling out--wow! the acrobatics they were doing took my breath away and finally we were actually driving right under then--

You see, they all took off to the four corners of the Earth--and we could look out every direction and see a plane and through the sun roof--just incredible--I never dreamed I would get to see the air show today--how good is God!!!!!!

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