“For all the blessings of the year, we thank You, Lord.”
As 2014 was slipping into 2015, I kept singing the line
above which comes from a Thanksgiving call to worship. The words remind me to
thank God for all the blessings of the past year. For friends and family who
support and encourage me. For new friendships that have blossomed and old ones
that have deepened. For work I enjoy and through which I can see God’s hand at
work. For miracles in my life and the lives of those I love.
God’s blessings have taken many forms this last year.
After four years of not seeing them, I had two opportunities to spend time with
friends who are more like sisters and are separated from me only by the physical
distance of hundreds of miles. I had the joy of planting flowers in my yard and
then watching them bloom and attract butterflies and hummingbirds which brought
me the gifts of wonder and delight. The children and teenagers in my life have
often renewed my spirit by sharing their innocence and their exuberance. As I
started an additional job adventure, colleagues and co-workers offered
much-needed advice, help and encouragement.
And there have been tremendous gifts from God Himself this year,
both seemingly big and seemingly small. He has given me wisdom and guidance
when I needed it most. He has afforded me strength and comfort as I continue to
grieve and heal. And He has given me an inexhaustible supply of joy. So, as
2015 begins, I thank God not only for all He has done in the past year, but I
thank Him in advance for all the blessings of this new year.
I am thankful for sweet friends like you! HUGS!
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