A Week of Good Things

-
Psalm 103:1-2 (NLT) ~

 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

I'm so thankful on this Friday for all the good things the Lord has done for us over the past week.  About 5 years ago I started writing a list each week of the many ways God had blessed me over the previous week.  I'm so glad that I started that tradition because it really has changed my whole outlook on life.

I still have bad days and my natural tendency is to complain, but I found that when I started seeing God's hand in every detail of my life, those complaining moments happened less frequently and for not as long!  It started with naming just one blessing, and then two and so on and it has definitely been life-changing.

This week I'm thankful for blessings #1851-1870

♥ The crew at our old home that showed up to help us move.  They loaded an entire house on a moving truck in an hour and a half.

♥ Firemen who helped us get the truck out of the mud after it got stuck in our driveway.

♥ Safety on the road.  Neither boy had ever driven on the interstate or for longer than an hour.  We had a 5 hour trip (ended up taking 6) in very foggy, rainy conditions.  They did great.  We were quite the caravan - the moving truck in the front, Nathan, then Stephen and I brought up the rear.  There were a couple of times when I prayed out loud as the boys changed lanes on a very busy holiday weekend, but they did a terrific job.

♥ Thankful that it didn't snow on the trip.  After all, we have moved to the snow belt of New York!  It has snowed every single day since we have been here.

♥ The fact that there were men on this end when we arrived to help pull the beds and "necessary" items out of the truck.

♥ Laughter & fellowship with friends.

♥ A sleepover for Emily with her friend, Mary.  It helped to ease the transition of leaving her church, home, and friends. 

♥ A great night's sleep in a new home.

 ♥ Smiling faces and warm hugs on Sunday.

♥ Lunch after the morning service.

♥ A multitude of help unloading the truck, including another local pastor and his family.


♥ Boys who feel right at home.  They don't always feel comfortable around new people and they both have commented how much they like everyone.

♥ A multitude of little kindnesses shown over the past few days.
♥ A wonderful Christmas Eve service.

♥ A beautiful Christmas in our new home.  The tree was up, gifts were wrapped ahead of time and under the tree, and I managed a ham dinner.  Not too bad for having moved 3 days prior.

♥ Already meeting new people in the town and hearing their stories.  One woman was moved to tears as she shared visiting her son's grave the day before.  I was able to lend a listening ear and some encouragement and prayer.

 ♥ Getting unpacked and settled.  I can see my floor!

♥ Nathan, who was feeling a bit anxious the other day, was able to get his fire gear and pager yesterday.  The anxiety melted right out of him!


♥ A movie night with the family, seeing The Hobbit at the local theater.


 and finally....

 ♥ God's goodness, all the time.

Comments

  1. LynnDecember 27, 2013 at 9:55 AM

    Terri you have done marvels doing Christmas and a house move just a few days apart. For some reason I thought you were nearer to your old home. God bless you all.
    L.x.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriDecember 27, 2013 at 11:20 AM

      We are about 5 hours to the North & the West of where we lived before and about 5 miles from Lake Ontario.

      Delete
  2. ElizabethdDecember 27, 2013 at 10:59 AM

    I think you are amazing to have achieved so much in such short time, even including time to post blogs. I continue to pray for this time of transition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriDecember 27, 2013 at 11:21 AM

      Thank you for your prayers, Barbara. I didn't post pictures of the other side of the room! ;-)

      Delete
  3. AnonymousDecember 27, 2013 at 12:18 PM

    Amazing how "at home" you all seem to be already! God it good! :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kate @ Teaching What Is GoodDecember 28, 2013 at 9:21 AM

    Terri, thanks for sharing all of this. It is very encouraging to see how the Lord has worked out the final chapter of the move and His sweetness to your lovely family through it all! I've been praying for a good and easy transition for all of you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love your comments and encouragement! I can't always respond back but do read each comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Oh What to Do; I'm Sixty-Two!

-
Image
Today is my sixty-second birthday and it's hard to believe I've achieved that....um....seasoned age! My first thought this morning was one of not being sure that I like it. However,  as I thought I about it, I decided to take joy in the fact that I've reached an older age. Because age comes with benefits. Benefit #1 - I'm a bit wiser.   When I look back at some of the decisions I made when I was younger, I cringe. With age has come the ability to slow down and think things through before I make major upheavals in my life. I've also discovered that getting worked up about certain things is just an absolute waste of emotional energy. Benefit #2 - I'm enjoying my life.   As I've aged I've learned all kinds of skills and hobbies and can honestly say that I'm never, ever bored. I love all the different things I'm able to do and it's fun! Benefit #3 - I've learned to appreciate my relationships. With age I've learned to work on developing a...
Read more

Eating to Live

-
Image
  Despite the unexpected busyness and interruptions, I have been plugging away at my weight loss as well as writing the plant-based, whole food cookbook. Recipe testing fell by the wayside the past two weeks, but I've still gotten a good chunk of the book done. I also got on the scale this morning for another one pound loss which makes a total of 61 lbs. since I started this journey back in July. It's second nature at this point and I have so much more energy and feel healthy. The only negative is that because I've lost so much weight I'm seeing some sagging, crepe-papery skin happening. Yuck. Some of that is age and I need to figure out some toning exercises. It's definitely a life-style change, but a positive one which I'm so thankful I started on. The pictures above are a small selection of meals I've eaten the past two months and many of those will be included in the book.  This will be a printable e-book as I find that will be the easiest and most cost ...
Read more

When the Unexpected Pops Up

-
Image
On Thursday afternoon, just as Dan and I were getting ready to leave for a meeting, we received a phone call from our son. He was sitting on the side of the road with a blown engine in his car. The problem is he lives 3 1/2 hours away. After back and forth phone calls he called a tow truck and got it towed to a garage. He ended up renting a car and headed here for the holiday. We've been working with him to figure out his next steps because he still owes thousands of dollars on the car which will also take a significant amount to replace the engine. His rent is going up in the new year. His seasonal job ended and he is trying to find something else, but needs a car for that to happen. His car still has not been looked at by the mechanic. It is all more than a little overwhelming. Long story short, we extended an invitation for him to live here temporarily so he can get out from under all of this. It would save him money on expensive rent and utilities.  The timing was right since h...
Read more