Thankful Thursday!

I have never deliberately written a post specifically for "Thankful Thursday", but I have been thankful for something almost every time I write a post!  However, since today IS Thursday, and it's been a rather busy day, I wasn't able to do my usual "Secret Garden Chronicles"... so I will gladly write some things I'm thankful for today!

#1.  Today is my wonderful hubby's birthday!  I am so thankful for this man that I've been married to for almost 48 years!  We've been through a lot of good times and some bad times...but all have been covered under the blood of Jesus Christ...and He has seen us through it all.   Thank You, Jesus!!

#2.  Because it was my hubby's birthday today,
we went to visit his mother, who is now living in a nursing home. She is almost 94 years old, and for the most part is doing very well, all things considered.  We are very thankful that she is adapting very well to the home, and she seems to be very happy there.  I love my mother in law, and want to thank the Lord for all the years we have shared.  God was very gracious to me to give me such a wonderful lady for my mother in law.

Isn't she lovely?  Yes, Thank You, Jesus, for this blessing in my life.









3.  After we visited my mother in law we had lunch with some very dear "old" friends...old in that they have been our friends for over 35 years...having been members of one of the early churches my husband pastored...and they have followed us to visit us in almost every place we have lived since that time...and there have been many.  I thank the Lord for good friends like Connie and Bill.  Their kindness and goodness to us throughout the years is one of the great blessings of our life.

Here's a picture of Connie and Bill taken last year on their 55th anniversary!!  They are truly great friends, and today I give thanks for them.

Of course, if I start listing friends and family for whom I am thankful, I will be writing all day and night!  So for now I am just talking about the special ones who blessed us today....

In addition to a delightful time at lunch with our friends, Connie blessed me with this delightful little teapot because she knows I love teapots and when she saw this she thought of me...Isn't it marvelous?  I just love it...and thank the Lord for such thoughtful friends again...



4.  I am also thankful for my immediate family...our sons here at home who bless us in so many ways...here they are working on the beautiful bench that they gave me for Christmas this year...which was the start of The Secret Garden... and we ALL know what a blessing THAT has been!!!

5.  And I am very thankful that our grandson Noah is flying down for a visit tomorrow, all the way from Maine!!!  We can't wait to see him and put our arms around him, if we can reach his neck...he's about 6'3" tall and 17 years old... Here's a picture of him taken this time last year when he and his mama came for a visit.  Love them both...



6.  Yes, I am very thankful for our daughter in law too...she has been a real blessing to us...and took such wonderful care of our son Matthew before he passed away from cancer almost 3 years ago.

Our family in 2014.  Matthew is the second to the end on the back row.

Yes,  as I said, we've been through some difficult times along with all the good times...but God has been very gracious to us, and we are very thankful.

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever."

Psalm 136:1