Thankful Thursday and Counting Our Blessings

I am joining with Rebecca Jo at "Knit By god's Hand" for Thankful Thursday. Click HERE to meet others who are also thankful today!

What am I thankful for today?  Well, right now I am hearing rain on the roof...and we need it so badly! Thank You, Lord, for sending the rain! 

Today we had a wonderful visit with our dear friends from our former home. These folks were a part of our Home Bible Study that we held in our home for several years at that house. They became very close and precious friends, and it did make it difficult to move away from there, but they only live about 30 miles away so we can still get together as often as we can. Today they came to help celebrate my hubby's birthday (which isn't until Sunday, but we are celebrating all weekend long)

Hubby likes pound cake, and so we had that with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.  We also had Banana Pudding, his other favorite dessert. Most everyone had a little of each!!

Here are our friends who came to celebrate with my hubby:

Here we are, we three "amigas", enjoying a wonderful time together...

 Not only did they bring most of the food, but they washed and dried the dishes too!

Service with a smile! I sure do love these gals...

I am also thankful that tomorrow we will have a "repeat" of today's festivities, with a different crowd...my siblings and spouses and our kids...again, here to celebrate birthdays and just enjoy being together. So I will probably have more pictures to share after tomorrow.

Another nice thing happened yesterday and then again today...this really astounds me in a way. Yesterday I received a text message and then subsequent phone call from one of our newest people in our church here in our new community. Yesterday's call was to check up on me, to see how I am feeling in light of the fact that I will be soon having surgery. What's neat about this person is that she and I both share the same first name...and we both have reddish hair (well sort of...mine was red and is now faded, and hers wasn't red but now is...so that counts doesn't it?) She is also a newcomer to our community, and we have sort of "hit it off" because we share the same first name. I was surprised to hear from her, and so thankful. 

And then tonight we got a call from another newcomer to our church and community! She also wanted to check up on me and also on my hubby because he had an eye infection last week and she wanted to know how he was feeling as well. (He's fine now after going to the ophthalmologist and getting some antibiotic eye drops) What we have in common with this new person is that she also looked at our house here before we bought it and really liked it and thought about buying it, but decided it was too big for her (as she is alone) and then we came along and bought it, and she bought one across the highway from us about 1/4 mile away...and as soon as she moved into her house she came and visited our church and joined the choir immediately and joined the church a couple of weeks later! When we introduced ourselves to each other we discovered that she had actually toured our house and knew all about it and wondered who had purchased it and painted the door and shutters that lovely bright blue! LOL!

(This is how our house looks now with the bright blue shutters and door...)

And this (below) is the house BEFORE we bought it:   Those shutters and that door were very faded and dingy, and the deck was rotten and we had to repair and replace most of it. We also replaced the roof and the skirting. (This house was a repossession, so we were thankful that it was actually in pretty good shape inside and most of the work that had to be done was outside). It has been a labor of love (and money.)  I just noticed something...the grass is green in this before picture...so I am hoping our grass will come back in the spring after the rains and turn green again!!!  I'm glad I looked at this picture again. It gives me hope and encouragement and much thanksgiving for all that the Lord has helped us to do, with His blessing, since moving here last August.

Yes, we live in a small town and everyone seems to know what's going on every where, and we love it that way...and I LOVE that these two ladies who called are both brand new to our town and our church and yet they are calling on us to check up on us! Folks, that just doesn't happen everywhere you go nowadays!  Oh, and one of our neighbors brought us a delicious pineapple cake last week, she said as a "welcome to the neighborhood cake!" She apologized that it had taken her so long...but really...she has already been over here before, and I've been over to her house too...and she has truly been very neighborly...and that is SO refreshing!!!!!! 

All of these sweet blessings from neighbors, newcomers, and old friends have really blessed my heart and taught me a valuable lesson about reaching out to others and being a true friend and neighbor.
We started this month of February out by saying it was the "Love" month..., and I must say that it is living up to its reputation already.

Here's a few verses of Scripture about being a good neighbor and showing love to others:

Romans 15:2 (ESV)

2.  Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, 

to build him up.

Galatians 5:14 (ESV)

14.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 6:31 (ESV)

31.  And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Galatians 6:2 (ESV)

2.  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

John 15:12 (ESV)

12.  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Hebrews 13:1-2 (ESV)

  1. Let brotherly love continue. 

2.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, 

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Have a blessed and Happy Valentine's Day friends!

And don't forget to count your blessings!

You may be surprised at all the Lord has done even this week alone!