Grateful...
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." Psalms 100:4
Had a great time this year at Christmas, spending time with family. The grandkids are my delight!
As I waited in the airport today for the van service to take me home, I thought about how different this year was from last year. Last year when I returned home from Christmas vacation, I came home to a snow blizzard with over 2 feet of snow on the ground!. My state was declared a "state of emergency" and I caught the last thing on wheels leaving the airport ...that was a miracle. I made it home after an almost 3 hour trip that normally takes about 45 minutes. The poor van driver had to drive about 5 to 10 miles an hour throught the blizzard, but he managed to get all of us passengers home safely, God bless him!
When I finally arrived home, I found the house cold and the finished basement filled with over 3 feet of water! The water heater had broke and the water had continued to run for days. The second miracle was that I was able to get home before it flooded up to the main floor! The days that followed were almost a dream, as the Fire department came out to declare the house "Un-Inhabitable" because underneath all that water in the basement, the gas valves were still open AND the water covered the electric outlets (possibilty of someone getting electrocuted). So I had to stay for a week with my gracious neighbors while the fiasco at the house was being taken care of.
But through it all God was with me...though I recognized His Hand in that whole issue then...I now can see even more clearly how He was with me EVERY step of the way. My sweet daughter-in-law Nicole stepped in and used her organizational talents long distance over the phone to arrange my insurance company to do their job, my neighbors gave me a comfortable place to stay, my son, with his voice sounding so much like his father's, gave encouraging words each time he called, and my two sisters, brother and niece Debbie were just a phone call away when I needed them. God even used one of the customer servce reps to one day minister to my discouraged heart as I spoke with her on the phone; she gave me words of encouragement and even called me the next day to make sure things were taken care of and was just plain nice...which is not very common these days.
Through it all that situtation was taken care of and I give God all the praise and I humbly thank all the people that were there for me.
A year later I returned home to sunshine and a mild, beautiful winter day. The flight actually returned early, my baggage was waiting at the claims belt and the airport van only took 20 minutes to arrive. So unlike last year...and yet I know that He is the same God yesterday, today and forever. Just as He is God on bright and sunny days, He is also God during a snow blizzard. He will never leave us nor forsake us...His hand is always open towards us. He want us to stand firm in our faith that He will take care of us.
I just want to say that I am grateful. Grateful that I have people in my life that care for and about me and most of all grateful for a God that I can call "Friend" and in whom I can depend. Thank you Lord!
As I waited in the airport today for the van service to take me home, I thought about how different this year was from last year. Last year when I returned home from Christmas vacation, I came home to a snow blizzard with over 2 feet of snow on the ground!. My state was declared a "state of emergency" and I caught the last thing on wheels leaving the airport ...that was a miracle. I made it home after an almost 3 hour trip that normally takes about 45 minutes. The poor van driver had to drive about 5 to 10 miles an hour throught the blizzard, but he managed to get all of us passengers home safely, God bless him!
When I finally arrived home, I found the house cold and the finished basement filled with over 3 feet of water! The water heater had broke and the water had continued to run for days. The second miracle was that I was able to get home before it flooded up to the main floor! The days that followed were almost a dream, as the Fire department came out to declare the house "Un-Inhabitable" because underneath all that water in the basement, the gas valves were still open AND the water covered the electric outlets (possibilty of someone getting electrocuted). So I had to stay for a week with my gracious neighbors while the fiasco at the house was being taken care of.
But through it all God was with me...though I recognized His Hand in that whole issue then...I now can see even more clearly how He was with me EVERY step of the way. My sweet daughter-in-law Nicole stepped in and used her organizational talents long distance over the phone to arrange my insurance company to do their job, my neighbors gave me a comfortable place to stay, my son, with his voice sounding so much like his father's, gave encouraging words each time he called, and my two sisters, brother and niece Debbie were just a phone call away when I needed them. God even used one of the customer servce reps to one day minister to my discouraged heart as I spoke with her on the phone; she gave me words of encouragement and even called me the next day to make sure things were taken care of and was just plain nice...which is not very common these days.
Through it all that situtation was taken care of and I give God all the praise and I humbly thank all the people that were there for me.
A year later I returned home to sunshine and a mild, beautiful winter day. The flight actually returned early, my baggage was waiting at the claims belt and the airport van only took 20 minutes to arrive. So unlike last year...and yet I know that He is the same God yesterday, today and forever. Just as He is God on bright and sunny days, He is also God during a snow blizzard. He will never leave us nor forsake us...His hand is always open towards us. He want us to stand firm in our faith that He will take care of us.
I just want to say that I am grateful. Grateful that I have people in my life that care for and about me and most of all grateful for a God that I can call "Friend" and in whom I can depend. Thank you Lord!
Comments
Loved hearing about your lovely Christmas and seeing pictures of your beautiful grandchildren. I'm so pleased to hear you had safe travels and created wonderful memories!
Blessings friend,
Judy