Thankful Thursday~Special Blessings

So much to be thankful for in these turbulent times. Thankful that Hurricane Sally, that went nearby yesterday, did not cause us any harm, and as far as I know, the people that I personally know in the panhandle area were not seriously affected, but there is much devastation around them. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who may be dealing with the effects of this storm.

I was blessed and thankful to see this little rose blooming in the Memorial Garden yesterday.

It is reaching toward the sun and the pond...

and toward the sign that is there in memory of our son. I am always thrilled to get a flower from his garden. 

It is like a special gift from heaven, usually close to some special event. My birthday is coming up in a week, and as I don't see any other buds forming on the bush currently, I will accept this as my birthday rose from my son.  Thank you, Matthew!  I hope it will last all week. Sometimes they do.

Not sure what kind of bugs these are,* but they seem to be a pair and both are enjoying the nectar of this little yellow wildflower where we take our walks:

I am thankful for these special little blessings from nature. Always a treat to see something new and interesting.  Another amazing part of God's Creation.

*Note: it is a "Notch-tipped Flower Longhorn" type of beetle.

Another special gift this week, as I was sitting inside at my computer in my "room with a view", all of a sudden this hawk flew up onto the porch railing outside my window.  I wish the pictures were a little clearer, but I had to use my phone camera and zoom, and the shadows were kind of dark, so it isn't as clear as I'd like, but what a neat surprise!

I've never seen one come up this close to the house before. 

At first I thought it was our usual Red Shouldered Hawk, but after looking at it more closely, I believe it is a Cooper's Hawk, because of his white throat and hooded forehead.  Whatever he is, he was a total surprise and a blessing to me.

Another blessing was lighting this little fireplace the other night...

No, we didn't turn on the heat..., just the flame for the ambiance. The nights are getting darker a little earlier,

and it was fun to pretend it was cool enough for a fire:

We were celebrating the fact that our kids made it home safely from their trip to Minnesota.

Here is our sweet daughter in law Rose (right), with her sister Sherri, who came with them to stay  for awhile.

Here is our wonderful son Benton:

And my handsome hubby John:

Thankful also for our son's help in spreading some dirt in our back yard.

We are dealing with some erosion issues because of all the rain, and adding dirt is a temporary solution, while we figure out a more permanent fix.

Just so thankful to have strong people to help us!

I am also thankful that my cold seems to have pretty much gone away. It really acted more like a bad allergy/sinusitis attack. Whatever it was, I am glad it is going, going, gone!

Our Psalm of praise from this morning's devotion came from Psalm 118

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

For His mercy endures forever."

14.  "The Lord is my strength and song,

and He has become my salvation.

15.  The voice of rejoicing and salvation 

is in the tents of the righteous;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.

16.  The right hand of t he Lord is exalted;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.

17.  I shall not die, but live,

and declare the works of the Lord.

18.  The Lord has chastened me severely,

but He has not given me over to death.

19.  Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will go through them,

and I will praise the Lord.

20.  This is the gate of the Lord,

Through which the righteous shall enter.

21.  I will praise You,

For You have answered me,

and have become my salvation."

29.  "Oh, give thanks to the Lord,

for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever."

Amen.

What are some things you are thankful for today?  I hope you have a blessed and beautiful day.

 

Who Holds the Keys to YOUR LIFE?

 Revelation 1:9-18 and Psalm 118:13-21 Read all these verses, but in particular Rev. 1:17-18 "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive FOREVERMORE. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."

Psalm 118:13-21 "You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the LORD helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly...  I SHALL NOT DIE, BUT LIVE, AND DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD. THE LORD HAS CHASTENED ME SEVERELY, BUT HE HAS NOT GIVEN ME OVER TO DEATH! Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them. And I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise YOU, for YOU have answered me, and have become my salvation!"


Lord, we claim this by faith today on behalf of our son Matthew...in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen!!!

How comforting these words are to me today...  As many of you are aware, our son Matthew has been diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive cancer: Desmoplastic small round cell tumor.  This week he will most likely be going to see specialists in Boston to determine the course of treatment.  Our first reaction to all of this was shock, confusion, and amazement.  We are still in shock, but I think we are all ready to start fighting this thing!  Satan has been trying destroy our son since before he was even born...

• While in the first trimester of my pregnancy, my body threatened to miscarry...but God intervened and we got through that.
• At the seventh month of pregnancy, I developed a kidney stone. At first the Dr. thought I was going into labor.  Thankfully, the kidney stone delivered itself instead of the baby.
• In the eighth month, Matthew was born, 3 weeks early.  He was jaundiced and had respiratory distress. It was a very difficult labor. The Dr. told my husband that he most likely had some major problems, either Down's Syndrome, or Hydrocephalis on the brain.  Neither was true.
• At eighteen months, Matt was hit by a car and suffered a skull fracture and concussion.  He miraculously recovered in record time and it was only by the grace of God that he was not injured more severely.  My husband was attending Bible College to prepare for the ministry at the time. Satan tried to derail us through this incident, but it didn't work.  We went on into the ministry anyway.
• At age seven Matt fell down a flight of stairs and hit his head...scared us all senseless, but the emergency room Dr. pronounced him just fine and very lucky.  God was there all the time.  BTW, we were in Seminary at this time, preparing further for the ministry.
• Somehow he got through adolescence without too many incidents...His guardian Angel stayed close by watching, I am certain.
• At age eighteen, Matthew was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  He had to have surgery to resect the majority of the tumor, and a radioactive iodine seed was placed on the remainder to dissolve it over the course of a year. Had it not been for the miraculous intervention of a dear friend at the exact right time prior to this surgery, calling the Head of Neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, the wrong procedure would have been done, and Matthew's memory may have been destroyed in the process.  God was there supervising and guiding the Dr. and Matthew came through with flying colors and went on to college that fall.  He had some residual short term memory issues, and, as a result, was not able to complete college, but he went on to have a successful career as a draftsman anyway.
• A year later another tumor appeared in his brain.  The radiologist report stated that it was large and possibly inoperable.  He was sent back to Detroit for surgery. While we waited in the pre-op holding area for the surgeon to take him to surgery, the surgeon finally appeared in her street clothes, disconnected Matt from the IV, removed the halo that was bolted into his head, and said, "I have good news for you...Matthew does NOT have a tumor!"  She really couldn't explain what had happened...but we all knew...God was there...again....  
• A year later Matthew married his lovely wife Nicole and lived a wonderful, healthy life...with the exception of a ruptured appendix on return from their honeymoon. The poison traveled up the shunt tube that remains in his brain, and was close to entering his brain before they could do the surgery. He was rushed to Maine Medical, where he stayed for several weeks recuperating on extremely strong antibiotics.  He fully recovered after about six weeks of antibiotic therapy.
• A few years later Matt and Nicole brought Noah Matthew Steiner into the world.  A beautiful, healthy, extremely bright little boy! (9 lb. 13 oz)
• Now, at the age of 37, Matt has been diagnosed with this serious, rare, aggressive cancer.  My first response was..."God has already performed so many miracles in Matthew's life...is there a limit on how many miracles one person can have? Is there a limit on God's mercy and grace?"  So many people have responded to this question that there is NO limit on God's love and mercy and power to heal and save.  I believe that with all my heart...Matthew's life has been one of great praise and a testimony to the power of God to heal and work miracles in the world today.  Satan does not want that message to go forth.  Why he has chosen to pick on Matthew in the way he has is a mystery to us...but Satan is a defeated foe. He cannot win...Jesus Christ has conquered death by His resurrection from the dead...so whether Matthew lives or dies physically...his life and his testimony continues on for eternity.  Through Christ, we are all victorious over death and the enemy of our souls. 

Psalm 118:22-24 says: "The stone which the builders rejected (Jesus Christ) has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 

This is the day the Lord has made;

We WILL rejoice and be glad in it!"

Lord, "I will praise YOU, for YOU have answered me, and have become my salvation."

Amen.