Wednesday, January 1, 2014

JANUARY JOYS!

Let us RELISH the New Year!
This year I plan to write down THREE DAILY BLESSINGS free-form.
In other words, I will no longer use a template.
I will simply think outside of a pre-imagined box and see what happens.
I blaze new trails of blessings and anticipate a year filled with new adventures.
So, I begin at the beginning but continue numbering that now enters its third year.



#2120- 2122:: Cranberries and an Orange to 'relish' the New Year; Tea and ginger cookies on a cold, gray day; lingering by a warm fire.
Gas flames dance in all directions
#2123-2125:: Smile inside as the wind whips frothy, waiting for snow; Soon huge flakes whip through the air and settle in drifts; Shovel hits pavement and snow keeps coming.

#2126-2128:: Grateful that Below zero chill outside makes inside inviting; that I can Go outside bundled in down with feet sticking out like a penguin; for Hot chocolate after shoveling snow for a very short time.

#2129-2130:: Blessings for the opportunity to
Stretch by the fire on a Saturday with sun peaking form lingering clouds; Happy dancing as snow melts on streets; Preparing for tomorrow's celebration of Epiphany.

#2131-2133:: Gifts of a House Blessings for 2014; Story of the Wise Men as they were 'enlightened' by their visit with Jesus, the Light of the world; Celebration of Epiphany as we seek new insights in our walk with Christ.

#2134-2136:: Thanksgiving for the actual day of Epiphany, the 12 day of Christmas; Melting snow and clearer streets; A dental visit to keep my teeth clean and healthy.

#2137-2139:: Gracious thanks for household heat; Gas fireplace; Option to stay inside as winds blow to bring wind chill to -22.

#2140-2142:: Gifts of so many women attending the bible study today; Women gathering at night to celebrate helping others return to
school; Women, backed by loving husbands, encouraging others in need.

#2043-2045:: Led the church meeting with the Holy Spirit guiding me;  A guest brought positive insights to encourage us; Clear roads and not as cold.

#2046-2048:: Snowflakes coated our porch screen; Nice white to cover the dirty, gray, icy old snow; Almost balmy weather after the sub zero weather we had earlier in the week.


#2049-2051:: Community meeting that helped to solve some challenges; Affirmation of God's Grace when reading about the baptism of Our Lord and the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven in the form of a Dove;

#2051-2053:: Celebrate our renewal as we reflect on the Baptism of the Lord; Give thanks that the weather allowed so many more to attend church today; Blessings for good, healthy food at coffee hour.

#2054-2056:: Thanks for . . . A gorgeous, mild day so perfect for running all the errands we put off for
the past two weeks; Magic markers! Letting fresh air into the house for more than a minute.

#2057-2059:: Good news of a friend's cancer in a small, controlled mass; Rejoice that dad is back to his humorous, healthy self; that the weather is not too bad for my 1.5 hour trek to a meeting.

#2060-2062:: Discovered new towns when we drove the wrong direction; Enjoyed a 2 hour trip that turned into 4 hours; Black, moonless night with thick fog by the time we arrived home SAFE!

 #2063-2065:: Last night's full moon brought a sunny, fog less, warm day; An hour drive filled with
wonders now that dense forest is now black twig-like sticks; Spending time with hubby as we work together.

#2066-2068:: God is with me as I iron our ruffled feathers; GRACE wraps me in a warm embrace as I listen and speak and discern; Time flies as my mind winds through an interesting maze of conversation.

#2069-2071:: Writing is imperative as I did not have time yesterday; Words slip through my mind and end up as spirit-filled grace on paper; Piles of papers no longer bother me as I prepare for the next day.

#2072-2074:: Ahhhhh, to remember our baptismal vows and celebrate growth in Christ from that new
beginning; So many details for the after-church meeting all fell into place as we celebrated so many treasures of all who attend this little church; Communicate through Challenges as we Celebrate our differences and rejoice in what we have accomplished through the Lord's leading.

#2075-2077:: A time of quiet contemplation; seeking a deeper relationship with my Lord through hours of scripture meditation; Gray skies and muddy landscape waiting for more white sprinkles to cover the dirt; Knowing the Hope - who was and is and is to come - leads me every minute of the day.

This is the chain of LIFE inside
every human being from
conception.
Awesome!
#2078-2080:: The gift of SNOW! and lots of it. Oh Joy! Most of are able to stay home as roads are treacherous; Hubby shoveled three times but the drifts erased his hard work . . . he loves being outside in this stuff.

#2081-2083:: Its January 22 - a very important date of the year when we celebrate LIFE!  Ten busloads from our area went to D.C. to make a statement in spite of frigid temps; God is so good to bless us with the freedom to speak our minds, hearts . . . Life!

#2084-2086:: The gift of a fond farewell to a dear sister in Christ as we attended the service of her burial; Knowing she is with the Lord as she shared Him with others her entire life; My personal assurance that, when I die I will also be with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

#2087-2089:: The gift of GRACE as I made straight a bit of a crooked path with another precious sister in Christ; God's grace to help me process the piles of changes that need to be made at work;  Grace from hubby who drove me in snow and ice and COLD and waited patiently for me after work to bring me home.

#2090-2092:: I Thank the Lord for two new families at church as I write personal notes to them; I thank the Lord for helping me to remain patient as I process numbers for the annual report; and a HUGE thank you for taking 'self' time for a nice hair cut.

#2093-2095:: Epiphany- a time for that 'aha' experience with the Lord; the Light of Christ enters the soul as we worship; The Light fills the darkness with wonder - epiphany.

#2096-2098:: Blessings for my Brother on his birthday; Grateful that I have warm clothes to go out in this cold weather; Thanks to God for remaining in good health as so many around me are sick.
#2099-2101:: Grateful that the sun shines on this coldest day - below zero- that we are out and about; Clear highways make traveling easier once we get
out of our neighborhood, ICE puddles that are good for mini skating rinks - maybe for mice?

#2102-2104:: Thanks for meeting with community women to teach Lectio Divina; Praise for eager hearts to embrace this new form of praying through scripture; A nice quiet time to reflect and interface with God.

#2105-2107:: I could actually leave my 'down' coat at home and wear layers; A nice visit with an elderly couple who have not been able to get to church with all this snow and ice; a special meal with hubby as we celebrated warmer weather.

#2108-2110:: Thanks for the opportunity to cocoon and spend time catching up with reports and notes; a nice conversation with a dear friend who appreciated prayer; putting words from my heart on paper.