Treats From the Father

I have taken, these past few years, to noticing and enjoying unexpected little treats from the Father. God has a way of surprising us with little gifts. Often, we are too blinded by other things in our life to see them.

Tonight, I had decided to begin a habit of walking, just a little, each evening. I have a trick knee as well as aches in the joints. This is not uncommon at my age. About a year ago, I picked up a free hardly-used quad cane from a Freecycle member. I use it for long hallways when I'm out or for anything further than one or two mobile home lots in distance. I must do this to be safe and avoid falling and risking breaking a part that isn't yet damaged.

Anyhow, I knew I should start small so that I would feel successful and thus encourage myself to do it again, and again, and again. My nephew walks faster and further than I do each evening. I used to try, a year ago, to keep up with him. I finally realized I need my own pace and my own goals. So, I began. I told myself I could easily manage half of my block on our senior mobile home community street. That means about 9 homes/lots up a slight grade, cross the street, and 9 homes/lots back down.

I was very happy with my results. I did not feel out of breath like I used to do when I tried to keep up with my nephew last year. On the way back down, though, I felt my knee beginning to act up so I was sure to tread very carefully. When I came in, it seemed my lungs felt better (even though they never feel bad) and I felt more alert. I felt good about the walk. I decided at that point to do that much every evening for a week, then I will increase it, on a weekly basis, gently. I will occasionally do it in the early morning, as well. I am always up at dawn and often out at the grocery, or dropping off payments of one type or another, before 7am. On mornings when I do not have errands, I will walk.

I was very excited about the way things went. After we were both back home for about half an hour, I heard a knock at my back door. Nobody comes here that late (almost 8pm). By the time I got to the door, which was open for my kitty to sit on the back steps, there was a really big pizza on the dryer by the door and my neighbor was strolling back to her home across the street and one up from me. I called to her and she told me it was leftover from a party they had just had over at the community pool. When I opened it, it was a whole pizza. I figure God used her to give me a nice treat for being such a good girl tonight. I quickly downsized the pizza by one slice, as did my nephew. We will have fun picking on it for the next day or so.

Thank you, Father, for all the times you treat me, your child, with surprises. Please bless me with open eyes so that I may recognize your hand in these acts of kindness. And please bless my neighbor for her thoughtfulness in sharing her bounty.

God Gave Us a 48-Hr Break, and Then He Sent Us a Miracle

Well, God gave us a 48 hr break, and then a miracle on top of that..

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that the electric company had told me we could not get any more extensions, and we were due for cut-off today. I took a chance and called when they first opened this morning and they said that they couldn't give an extension but it takes them at least 48 hours to take action and assign a disconnect, so I have until sometime Friday. I only have part of the electric bill and just need another $10 to make the total. I should be able to get that by Friday.

Friday, I must have both the Gas and the Electric or this time, they will absolutely disconnect.

I don't mind the TV/internet/phone that much (they're due end of the month), but I do not know how we can manage without gas and electric.

I knew we needed prayers, big time, and I sent an email to several folks who I know to be people of faith.

Your prayers are VERY powerful, my friends.

A friend who has since moved to upstate NY with her DH and their 13 yr old kitty just called me and asked for my utility account info. They are going to cover the gas bill, by phone, from up there.

I am so in awe of how wonderful people are. These folks are not any better off than your household or mine, and yet they are doing this. They said it was because when they were here in LV, we were good to them. What few things I did for them do not compare to what this means for us.

Anyhow, it looks like we will be all right for this week and weekend. I will deal with next week's worries next week. For tonight, we will sleep a lot more easily that we have done all week.

Father, thank you for hearing the prayers of our friends. Bless them abundantly, please, and thank you for placing them on our path. Remind us all that even a simple prayer on one's behalf can have miraculous results.

Learning to Trust in His Love and Learning to Quit Worrying

Thought I'd post briefly about how our household is doing regarding our struggles following my nephew's job loss.

I have to smile at times like these, as unlikely as it sounds. In spite of our grave worries, the Lord seems to bless us with just enough funds or other resources at just the moment we need it.

Now, this should be enough to make me serene and calm and trusting and faith-filled, right?

I'm afraid that I am just a mere mortal, a human who is still prone to worry while waiting for God's supplies to arrive.

I pray. And I wait. And I worry.

Just when I think I've reached the end of the line, the Lord throws me a few more inches of rope.

I am not ungrateful. In fact, I am just the opposite. I am filled with gratitude. I am awed by the timing of his blessings.

Likewise, I am ashamed that I even allow worry into my life.

But, human that I am, worry creeps in.

Dear Father, thank you so much for carrying us in your mighty hands during this trying time, and thank you for your blessings. Bless all those who have helped us and please bless them abundantly. Also, please continue to send me the grace I need to relax a bit more and to remember that you always come through for us.

More Thoughts On Thanks at the End of the Day

Three days ago, I posted about "plain and simple thanks for a good day." Last night, I was in bed, doing my usual "thanks for the good things in the past day," and realized how many things were good. I don't think we often really, truly itemize our blessings. They do not need to be huge blessings. We forget the simple things to be happy about.

Last night, for example, I had a long list. I was grateful that, in spite of my indecision on what to eat for dinner, trying to choose something somewhat healthy, I remembered that I had picked up some TV dinners in the morning. They were the cheapest of the healthy-dinners that I could find at that moment, $1 and $2 each. I had looked specifically at the sodium content and chose only those below 30%. It is incredible how much sodium is in those dinners.

Once I had finished thanking him for that, I remembered to thank him for that grocery trip in the morning. I only had $20 for that trip. With two minor coupons I had, and some smart choices, I only paid $19.72. And, I had picked up what I needed to fill in the gaps to cover the next three days, so it was, indeed, something to be grateful for.

I also thanked him for the fortitude and stamina I needed to do a few tasks in the house. These days, my energy level is not too bad, but my bones and other issues slow me down. I am always grateful when I can cross some things off my list at the end of the day.

I thanked him, too, for reminding me to make three phone calls. One was to cheer a friend after her recent triple bypass, another to schedule a pickup of donated yarn - all three were reasonably important to me. I also thanked him for the two bags of already-donated yarn I dropped off to two of our Friday morning charity crafters, and for the gently used cassette tapes I picked up from a neighbor to re-distribute to some homebound folks and to a friend who distributes to veterans.

It went on like that for a few moments. Each item reminded me of something else. I ended with a request for forgiveness for anything God had hoped I would do but which I did not get to. These little good-night sessions with him always warm my heart and put me in a good place so that I can easily go to sleep.

Thank you, my Father, for all the help you give me each day. Forgive me for what I do not do but fill me, the next day, with enough grace and help so that I can look forward to trying again.

Evening Thanks

A few years ago, I got into the habit of saying "Thank you" to the Lord each night before I fall asleep. It's the last conscious thing I do before I fade out, and only when I am actually in bed with the lights finally out.
Some days, it's hard to find something to be thankful for.

Well, that's not true. There is always a short list that I can start out with, no matter how badly the day has gone.

"Thank you, Father," I'll begin, "for the hot water I was blessed with for my shower."

Then I'll move onto the washer and dryer in the utility room of my double-wide mobile home. From the time I was about 21 until I was 62, I had to use self-service laundry places or laundry rooms in an apartment complex. Never were these near to the front door. Always, at these times, 41 years, I had to carry laundry back and forth, anywhere from several buildings away to several blocks away. So trust me when I say that even though that is on my "when I can't think of anything else to be thankful for" list, it is a truly big thing for me and I am truly thankful.

Another thing on that list is whatever food I had that day to eat. I remember when we were little kids, how often we had stewed tomatoes on bread for supper. So, anything more than that is luxury compared to other times in my life, long ago as it may have been.

Yet another is the mattress beneath my bod and the pillow beneath my head. When we first moved from California to Las Vegas, our things were still in storage. At first, we tried sleeping on folding outdoor chaise lounges with sheepskin throws for softness. After a few weeks, we tried folding cots. Eventually, we had to give in and buy mattresses, but the box springs and frames came even later than that. So, a mattress, lumpy or not, is always a luxury to me.

I thank him, too, for these days since 2001 when we have a self-contained home, even though it isn't a newer one and it has issues. For 41 years, I lived in multi-dwelling buildings - people call them apartments. I had people above me, below me, and beside me. I could hear their every sin and pleasure, and they could hear mine. Now, I am so wonderfully grateful for these past 10 years of privacy.

The list goes on. I thank him for my eyes because I saw some beautiful trees today, or my ears because I heard a bird's sweet song today, or the fact that I can feel the silky fur on my 14 year old kitty. Oh, yes, and I dare not forget to thank him for my kitty.

So, even though I might have trouble beginning my bedtime list of things I am grateful for each day, I always end up with far more than I could at first imagine. Even on a bad day, I go to sleep being thankful for the glorious things of that day.

On a good day? It is joyous.

Father, thank you for everything you have done for me, every day of my life, every moment. I pray that I never forget how many things I have to be grateful for.