What do YOU HOPE for today?

Welcome to THANKFUL THURSDAY

I AM THANKFUL THAT APRIL FOOL'S DAY IS OVER!

I'm such a sucker (and I say that in the most civilized way)! I loathe April Fool's pranks!

I was "punk'd twice in the first ten minutes of the day for crying out loud! My son's best friend announced that his overweight, diabetic, hip-dysplasia-suffering Golden...Lab had died. As I babbled on and on about how sorry I was for him and his entire family--WHAM! I'd been punk'd. Have I mentioned, I HATE April Fool's pranks!

So BRAVO and throw out the welcome matt--it's April 2nd!

What things do you hope for this day? Our TT hostess, Laurie at Women Taking A Stand: Standing Boldly in our Faith, has chosen Hope for this TT theme. (Please visit Laurie's blog--it's worth a visit for the name alone! Love! Love! Love it!)

According to Wiki.com, the word HOPE appears in the Bible 121 times in the KJV, and 159 times in the NIV. There are also other related words such as 'hoped' and 'hopeful'.

Biblegateway.com offered 174 references when I did a HOPE search this morning!

"What is my point?" you ask in hopeful anticipation????? ;)

• To always remember where our HOPE comes from!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13)

• I HOPE that my dear out-of-state friend finds peace and comfort as their family sends their adult son back to Teen Challenge following a relapse of addiction after years of sobriety.
• I HOPE a college cohort finds peace and comfort as her family is dealing with their son's incarceration
• I HOPE that friends and family who live in the Red River Valley will be safe and kept from harm's way. I HOPE there are no more blizzards and flooding!
  

"He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1:10)

• I HOPE that my own MIP continues to grow physically, emotionally and spiritually
  
• I HOPE that my daughter and son-in-law may have the desire of their hearts.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12)

• I HOPE for God's favor on all of our Kingdom work!
  
• I HOPE for peace and assurance as I learn to put my faith, my trust, in God's plan for Setting Boundaries~my passion and a gift from God, fulfilling my purpose!
  
• I HOPE every contact I have made will say YES!

"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold" (2 Corinthians 3:12)

• I HOPE to be able to set aside my will....and live in God's Will for my life.
  

"But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope" (Galations 5:5)

• I HOPE you all will return for tomorrow's post by Val! "First Friday's with Val" will be posted and waiting for your return! ;)

"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31)

My blogging friends, our HOPE is not in vain, for we have "a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time" (Titus 1:2)

May God Bless each of this day and "guide [us] in [His] truth and teach us, for [He is our] God [our] Savior, and [our] hope is in Him all day long" (Psalm 25:5).

Just because it's Thursday

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I look forward to Thursdays....for the sole reason it IS THANKFUL THURSDAY!

Early in my blogging adventure, I discovered Grace Alone. Stumbling upon Iris's blog was, simply, a God-thing. For a little more than three years now, Thursday's have been a very special day of focusing on our blessings! Iris has recently announced that she will be taking a leave of absence from personal blogging...she will be missed...and I pray her time away will be refreshing and rewarding as she follows God's leading. THANK YOU Iris for faithfully leading us to God's Grace!

I am thankful for the conveniences of life; I continue to struggle with some sort of (horrendous) virus this week...and let me tell you...I so appreciate my washer, dryer, dishwasher--and take out! ;)

I am so thankful for my nephew. He and his three daughters have been living with us since before Thanksgiving. He and his wife are going through a very difficult challenge. My heart has been blessed on more than one occasion as I have been able to witness Joe's faith grow in the face of a terrible loss. Three daughters, under the age of 5, loss of financial stability, and pressures that no 27 year old man should ever face--he is amazing! He is not just surviving...he is thriving. God is doing a mighty work in his life...and I am so thankful to have a front row seat!

I am thankful for the opportunity to introduce to you....a very talented young girl. Shelby (in the video at the top of this post) is my cousin, Joy's daughter. Her talent is bigger than the years on this earth...she is only 14! Please take just a few moments and listen to her sing...she does not disappoint! Shelby....you rock!

I am so thankful for family. And for new family that God brings into our lives. Tomorrow, at Partner in Prayer for Our Prodigals, I am so pleased to introduce you to someone who has blessed my life since I first met her while blog surfing! Just couldn't resist getting to know a woman who titled her blog, "I Am My Kids Mom!" I love a women who knows who she is! I discovered we had so many things in common: both moms, both Christian Counselors, both understand the pain of loving a prodigal, both....both....both....! Once again, I learned that God has a way of bringing just the right people into our lives at just the right time. Valerie Wolff has agreed to be a Guest Blogger on the first Friday of each month. Because I am SO creative, her posts will be entitled....."First Friday's With Val!" Stop by tomorrow and meet Valerie!

See you then! In the meantime, enjoy the blessings of this day...and every day!

God's Mercy

THANKFUL THURSDAY

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

I awoke this Thankful Thursday with a heavy heart; tempted to LAMENT yet again, yet--this verse rang continuously through my mind as I readied myself for another day.

I am so thankful that God's mercy is NEW EVERY MORNING! Why, perhaps because I NEED it every morning! Most assuredly, because of His great faithfulness, but, LORD I need MERCY!

I am thankful for His Word...His living-breathing-word that whispers conviction, hope, redemption, promise and love.

I am so thankful for the family of God! A friend sent me a blessing this week that touched my heart profoundly, "I've been thinking a lot about the scripture that says...whatever your hand touches will be blessed...I believe that applies to you as well. Your hand touches a person...they prosper. Your hand touches a computer to write...your words prosper. It is a VERY BIG promise little lady. Blessings..." Her words of encouragement were a reminder from God--He knows the desire of my heart and has partnered with me with His blessings!

I am thankful for The Internet Cafe Devotion ministry and the award extended to Partners In Prayer for Our Prodigals blogsite this week. Thank you to each of you who stopped by with congratulations and words of encouragement. You are such a blessing to me! You are my "living letters!" ("You show and make obvious that you are a letter from Christ, not written with ink but the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts"
2 Corinthians 3:3).

Isn't gratitude more fun than lamenting!?!?!

Once again, I am thankful for Thankful Thursday--Iris, you bless us with the opportunity spend an entire day in Thankfulness!

No longer am I pleading, "LORD, have mercy?????"

I can now proclaim, "MY LORD HAS MERCY!" Mercy, not because I deserve it, but mercy because it is part of His character. His mercy is new every morning not because I need it but because He is faithful to provide it. All of creation is dependent upon Him--and He has proven Himself faithful, over and over again. As the psalmist wrote, "The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." (Psalm 145:9, Amplified)

Kinda' makes you wanna SHOUT! Doesn't it!

May "Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance", this THANKFUL THURSDAY!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

Today, I am so thankful that SANITY is making a comeback! I am excited to invite you to watch a FREE webcast with Allison Bottke LIVE as she presents, "Finding SANITY in an insane world." There is still time to register at http://www.settingboundaries.com/live-webcasts/

I am so thankful for each email and response we have received since the launch, on January 12th, of our new website.

I am so thankful to be able to share the message of SANITY with hurting parents around the nation....and globe. Our first SANITY Support Group has been registered....in South Africa!

I am so thankful that God uses our pain for HIS glory and purpose!

I am so thankful that His message of hope and healing is like a soothing balm for our aching hearts.

Have a blessed Thankful Thursday...and don't forget: register to watch our inaugural webcast tonight at 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. CST. I'd be so thankful if you could join us. ;)

And...please leave a comment with your valued feedback! Thanks!


Today's Thankful Thursday is being hosted by Laurel Wreath. Thanks Laurel!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

‘Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”’ ~ Mark 10:27 (ESV)

This is the Scripture that Iris chose for this week's Thankful Thursday entitled--Possibilities.

It doesn't get any clearer than that--does it! Her closing words to us this week blessed me, "remember: never give up on a dream – be patient – as you know: All things are possible with God."

Following the web launch this week of Setting Boundaries, I have been livin' that dream! Yes, I have a new understanding of WHY Moses' hair turned white when he stood in the presence of God on that mountaintop...but why would a girl expect any less when she finds herself in the very presence of God's purpose for her life????? :)

This has been a monumental week at Partners In Prayer for Our Prodigals!

• I am so thankful that God matches our passion with His purpose. Friends, I still pinch myself as I find myself in the very presence of God, stunned by His wonderful gift of taking our pain and giving it purpose. Pain without purpose is just pain. Pain with God's purpose....is Glory! As the SANITY Support Group Network Creed states, "....I will begin to understand that it is often through pain that God does some of His best work....."
  
• I am so thankful for the body of Christ. Sisters and brothers in Christ, family, and Cyber friends and friends IRL are at the top of my thankful list each and every day! We are not alone. Karen, thank you for proving that this week as you enthusiastically helped me with the endless techie problems.
  
• I am so thankful for God's plan for each moment of our life. I never saw THIS plan as I attended and graduated from college (finally!). I never saw THIS as I prayed moment by moment for my MIP. I never saw THIS as I began Partners In Prayer for Our Prodigals three years ago. But God KNEW and was preparing my heart and the way for Setting Boundaries! He IS so faithful, no matter our faith.
  
• I am so thankful for YOU--although we may not know one another IRL, God has brought us together on this glorious day (yes, I said glorious--even though the outside temperatures are topping out at -21 degrees, with wind-chill it is -35 degrees!)--where was I: oh yes, GLORIOUS day....for we cannot forget that God "inhabits the praise of His people;" (Psalm 22:3) so girlfriends--as we share in this Thankful Thursday post, we are standing (or sitting ;)) in the very presence of God! THAT my friends, is glorious!
  
• I am so thankful for Iris; and for this possibility in her life. Iris, we are praying for you as you step into God's purpose for your dreams!

Do you have a dream that you feel has been misplaced? Deferred? Dashed?

Make this day the day that you lay them ALL at God's altar of HIS possibilities for your life! He IS faithful, even with our most dreaded pain and our most desired dreams.

"Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."--1 Pet. 4:19 NASB

"He is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23).

"Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens: and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds" (Psa. 36:5).

"Thy faithfulness is unto all generations..."--Psa. 119:90

We can walk in His possibilities! Aren't you thankful for God's faithfulness!

Happy Thankful Thursday!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I sit at my laptop this morning, one eye swollen shut and both eyes a lovely shade of brilliant red! The surgery on Tuesday went well but I must admit, I don't like looking like a deranged raccoon! I have been icing both eyes during the day and the swelling has gone down on my left eye but the right eye is still swollen shut. Please forgive any typing errors! (wink! wink!)

Although my vision is limited for the time being, I am so thankful for another Thankful Thursday! What joy it truly is to dedicate time to thanking our LORD for His bounty of blessings!

I am so thankful for a text message I received on Tuesday from my MIP and his fiance. It reads:

To our Nip n Tuck Mom: Our prayers are with you that you'll make a quick recovery. Just wanted to let you know you're in our thoughts and we love you!

Seriously! That's what they wrote!

Isn't God amazing! He is at work in our son's life and blesses me with signs of wonder! I am rejoicing!

I am thankful for family who cares for me even though I look like a cross between a cyclops and a raging raccoon.

I am thankful for a Doctor's skilled hands and patience with this Midwestern mama who complained a little during the "twilight anaesthesia." I just needed to let him know that if this anaesthesia is called the "I don't care" anaesthesia.....why did I still care?????!!!! (wink! wink!)

I am thankful for the beauty of the Christmas Season. For as much as I complain about the cold weather of Minnesota, there is just something special about a freshly fallen snow at Christmas time.



I am thankful for the miracle God has done in my nephew, Joe's life. He and his three girls have been staying with us for the past couple of weeks and they have blessed us so! Tara, who is four, put both hands on me yesterday morning and prayed, "Father, God, heal Diane in Jesus name!" I have been wearing sunglasses around the little ones so as not to give them nightmares...but she risked approaching me in my sleep to pray! What a blessing!


And, I am thankful for frozen peas--which work very nicely as an ice pack for my aching eyelids!

However, with so much joy abounding--how could I even begin to complain. God is so good! Have a great TT!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

• I am thankful for the Scripture Iris chose for this Thankful Thursday! 

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.  O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!  (Psalm 30: 11-12)

• I am thankful for my MIP's happiness and calm.  
• I am so thankful that God has brought a life's passion and placed it in His purpose!  
• I am so thankful to meet Nadine IRL!
• I am thankful for my friends and family who are now officially "Writing Warriors."  For those who will be ministering to a MIP in a State Prison by writing to this new Christian as he steps from "mourning into dancing" even while still in prison.  If you have been called to a prison ministry--please let me know and email me!  Join God's "Writing Warriors" and bless this new heart!
• I am so thankful that the LORD inhabits our praise (Psalm 22)

Thank you Iris for faithfully giving us the opportunity to start each Thursday in the presence of our Lord!  

Thankful Thursday

Sitting in the lap of God!

• Today, I am thankful for God's Truth: Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning" (NIV). Today, I am sitting in the lap of the One who "has made everything beautiful in its time." In His lap, I am awakened to the value of all our life's experiences--they have been "written in His book" (Psalm 139: 16). Our God takes our pain and makes something beautiful out of it...."before one of them came to be" ... each and every time!
  

• Today, I can "shout for joy and gladness; [... for] 'The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant" (Psalm 35:27). I am sitting in the lap of my dream maker! After a life-time of silently dreaming, yet, silenced by fear, today, I am boldly stepping into the gift He has given me, the same gift He offers you--He makes our dreams come true even when we are afraid to believe! He delights in the well-being of his servant!
  

• I am thankful I can "walk in the light of [His] presence" (Psalm 89:15). When my fears darken the path, His very presence will light my way.
  

• When confidence is shaken, God reminds me that "He will not forget me!" (Isaiah 49:14-15
  We are not in this life alone--we are loved by our Heavenly Father who could no more abandon us than "a mother [could] forget the baby at her breast [or] have no compassion on the child she has borne" (Isaiah 49: 14-15). Our Heavenly Father knows our hearts, He loves us, and wants to lead us to His "springs of living water" (Rev. 7:17).
  

So today, I am sitting in the lap of my Heavenly Father and His loving care. His care for things that I have been unable to say out loud; for things so desired, I have been unable to speak. For things so painful that I could never have "fathomed" any divine purpose. And yet, as I sit in His lap, I can feel the Truth of His presence: our God "makes everything beautiful in its time."

Today, take the time to sit in His lap. Make time to discover the Truth of God's heart.....for yours!

THANKFUL THURSDAY-part two

(See what happens when I can't speak for Wordless Wednesday--I take two posts on Thursday).

O.K.....so I was on my way to StarBucks to tap into some HIGH SPEED...(couldn't resist the double inuendo!) ....and the air conditioning guy showed up a little earlier than expected. Interesting what new air filters will do to the air circulation in a cabin!

THEN, a neighbor came by to find out if our air conditioning was working--because--of course, he saw the air conditioning truck!

THEN, it was time for lunch, and being the good mom that I am, I fed the children!

THEN, THEY wanted to go tubing--o.k. now they're pushing my maternal patience! Don't they know, I have BLOGGING to do!

THEN, I get the message from my sister....enough of the waiting already...what's up about the wordless thing!

So now, I sign onto blogger (requiring a short nap whilst waiting for AOL to sign on!), and I read on the blogger page that there is a scheduled maintenance at 2:00 p.m. PT...which is NOW in Minnesota! YIKES!

Anyway--I will try to post this the old fashioned way! No photos--I can't afford the long winter's nap it will take to upload)...so please, see yesterday's photos and keep them in your mind....here goes.

My best friend in junior high school was Donna. I don't remember what class we met in, but I do remember that being with her was like a breath of fresh air! My home life was less than perfect and I didn't have many friends--one to be exact. Patty J.

I loved being with Donna--we laughed, we plodded, we schemed, we dreamed! Everything two carefree 13 year old girls should be doing. For those junior high years, I saw Donna each day in school and spent summers with her at every opportunity. That wasn't easy! She lived several rural towns away from the "big" city I lived in--St. Cloud. I biked to her house with regularity....imagining that now makes me wonder.....it was miles, and miles, and miles away from home. I had to cross highways and spent, I'm sure, more than an hour alone on rural roads. You wouldn't let a 13 year old do that today!

Her mom, Mary,  invited me to work on their farm one summer. Work? It was more like heaven. I stayed with their family, I ate like never before, and occassionally, Mary had me do a few household chores. Donna had a horse (I have always loved horses!) and knew tons of other people and the nights were filled with summer crushes, days at Briggs Lake, and sweet dreams for the future. A future that I had long stopped hoping for after the death of my beloved Grandmother when I was ten.

I had fun, I felt loved, and I pretended to belong. I had hope.

I returned home. The pressures of life became overwhelming and my hope turned to self-hate. When I returned to school, now High School, Donna remained on the straight and narrow, I took a huge U-turn! Our paths no longer intersected flawlessly and my behavior changed as my dreams faded. Behavior that Donna could never accept; still, without judgement, she pulled away from the crash I was heading for.

Skipping ahead just a few decades.....the photos from yesterday's post!

There's another story in those decades...I'll save that for another novella...I mean post!

While we have communicated from time to time over the years, it has been more than 25 years since I last saw her. While I was in college, my life would cross paths once more with her mom, Mary. Mary worked full time at the department store that I worked at, part-time during my first attempt at that college thing!  And of course, the way this small world works....my friend, Patty J., eventually married Donna's big brother...having two boys who are now grown, married and have families of their own!  

Decades later, I found myself searching (stalking?) anyone on Facebook who shared Donna's maiden or married name.  I found two of her nephews....each lovingly shared her current contact information.  I emailed Donna at her workplace....and the rest they say is history.  

The two of us met for lunch about a month ago and Tuesday of this week, Mary, Donna and I met nearby their old farm homestead for a great lunch!  Mary is now in her 80's.....has been married for 60 years and still lives on the farm I "worked" on so long ago.  Isn't she amazing!  60 years of marriage!  Did God choose a good role model or what!?!?

(I'm at Caribou!  StarBucks does not have WiFii here for crying out loud!) 

So, it seems, this post has survived two types of internet connection, a days worth of delays, a blogger maintenance schedule and the discovery of Caribou coffee......but what is most amazing on this Thankful Thursday....is God's amazing ability to reach into our hearts....take our brokenness and make us whole!  

It is truly amazing that Iris chose this Scripture for today's TT:   "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!  Psalm 30: 11-12!!!!!!

Happy TT!!!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for "family of the heart." 

Last weekend, my sister Dixie and I traveled to Mason City, Iowa to meet two cousins we have never met.  

Their father, our father's brother, abandoned their family when they were merely preschoolers.  

My Uncle Ernie, Aunt Darlene, and their daughters, Linda and Diane have hearts of gold...and are not only the family historians...they are the family reconcilers!  

They found Mary Belle and Sam; they traveled great distances to meet Mary Belle and last weekend Sam traveled from Montana by way of Nebraska to meet us in Mason City. 

My father was one of ten children--Darlene and Marilyn are his two remaining sisters alive.  My cousin Cheryl joined the reunion and my heart was full. 

Sound simple enough?  No, it's complicated. 

Have I blogged before that my father is not my biological father?  My beloved siblings are my half-siblings?  And, the family in the photo--who I have loved dearly from afar--is not biologically mine? 

I was 48 years old when I discovered this truth....a truth that rocked my world and left me feeling as though I had gone to sleep with both legs and woke up as an amputee.  I had to learn to walk again and the past several years I have learned to accept that I will never know who my biological father is. 

I, do however, know who my Heavenly Father is and I am so grateful that He placed these people in my life--one way or another! 

I am so grateful that my sister and I were able to experience this reunion together.  It was an astonishing reminder that while we may not be related by DNA and circumstances prevented us from meeting earlier....we are family!  Family of the heart! 

I am so thankful for my heart-relatives; those who have repeatedly assured me when discovering the parental snafu(!)....that it didn't matter....they loved me and I remained their niece!  Of course you say?  

Well, of course!  However, that must not diminish the love they have extended to me and the joy I feel for being part of their hearts!  Yes, it is expected that after 48 years, the love would remain the same in spite of such divisive news--and still, my heart is nourished, it is blessed by their love!  Their love helped me learn to walk again as I stumbled through the shocking news, the unraveling questions, the injured heart.  I am whole....because I have been loved by my "family of the heart!" 

Welcome to the family Mary Belle and Sam!!!!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

Please, please, please, take the next 8.43 minutes to listen to this amazing discovery.  I know how difficult it is to spend more than just a few seconds at each blog that you visit--but this may be the best 8.43 minutes you spend today--this week--this month--this year.  

Be blessed--be thankful--for truly, in Him, all things hold together (Col. 1: 17)! 

 WOW! WOW! WOW!

THIS is truly amazing.  Thank you God--we are truly "fearfully and wonderfully made~"

Thankful Thursday

Can I tell you a story? 

It's a God-thing story....

My sister-in-law, my MIP's Aunt, has been a partner in prayer with us for our son.  Every friend she has, has been asked to pray for her nephew.  For the last five years, her friend, Lynn, who is also a Chiropractor has been praying for Curt. 

Last Sunday, Curt's back went out again, after working only five days at his new job.  (Thank you God for the new job!)

Knowing only that my sister-in-laws friend was a Chiropractor, I called to ask for the number and Curt was able to see Lynn on Monday morning at 10:30 a.m.  After seeing Curt's back and body, she told him that his back was the worst case she had seen in a young man after all of her years of practice.  She affirmed his pain and began to educate him as to what was happening.  She could tell by the pallor of his skin, his shallow breathing and the egg-sized balls of muscle spasms evident on his back--that he was in extreme pain.  As she shared this with him, his response was, "You mean the pain is real?"  She told him that she was certain that by the end of the this week, her treatments would provide pain relief and with just a few more treatments, she could work with him to get his back healthy enough to NOT experience these episodes again.  What hope. 

But that's not the only hope I am thankful for today---

As I was sharing my joy with my sister-in-law yesterday about the relief of pain Curt feels already and the hope he has experienced knowing that this compassionate Doctor has assured him they can work together to keep the pain at bay, my sister-in-law informed me through her tears that Dr. Lynn has been praying for my son for five years!   FIVE YEARS!  And now, God has brought Curt relief through the very person who has been praying for an unknown prodigal....Curt has been in her prayers and is now in her care!  

Do I hear an AMEN!  

Do I hear--isn't God amazing? 

Friends, when we are in the battle, we don't always see the tangible evidence of God's presence. On this Thankful Thursday, I want to proclaim as the blind man in Mark 8:  "I see!"  

And as if this wasn't enough, you will see by the photo I have posted that my entire family was together two weeks ago for dinner.....that's my entire family!  Every one of my children sat at our dining room table (with my mom too) and we enjoyed a meal together.  For this I am grateful! 

Have a great TT; may you be "rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2: 7). 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Thankful Thursday

As I was brushing my teeth this morning, these are the literal thoughts I had as I 

 squeezed the tube of fresh smelling, plaque killing toothpaste onto my toothbrush: 

• I am thankful I don't have to mix baking powder--or is it soda--to brush my teeth

• I am thankful for modern technology!  Remember this?!  I will never complain about washing clothes again!  (Someone, please, hold me accountable!!!!)

Trust me, I didn't look so happy when, in my childhood home, we had to hang the 14 loads of Monday's laundry outside during the Minnesota winters!  

But today, the thing that I am most grateful for is:  are you ready?  This midwestern momma has discovered texting!!!!  Have I mentioned, I love my new iPhone!  

However, it is not the application I am most grateful for...it is the message contained therein. 

Last night as I was texting my prodigal to say goodnight, I wrote: 

"Son, I LOVE this texting thing, I can say g/n without bugging you!"

He replied:  "I love you mommy!  U never bug me! lol!  G/N"

This message alone is worth whatever small monthly fee, to find yet, another way, to stay connected with my son.  I am so thankful for his words.  When you are the parent of a prodigal, you long for just a glimpse of the former things.  In four simple words, I heard "my son" once again.  

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us"  Romans 5:5

Thank you Jesus!

Thankful Thursday

Do you ever feel like you're on top of the world!?  

I do! 

And for that I am thankful. 

So many days are spent in the valley, in the darkness of our struggles.  So many days, I forget to look up, look out, and get out of the way so my God can do His handiwork. 

Just the like the handiwork of His creation.  When I stand atop the lava rock of 7R Mountain n Gordon, Texas, I pause as I feel the warmth of the sun and the gentle touch of the valley breeze.  This is one of those places, some people call them vortexes, I call them God's touch.  I am so thankful for His very real presence in our lives.  I love how He shows up! 

I am thankful for my friendship with so many bloggers.  Today, we are celebrating Grandma Dawn's 300th post.  Who could have known that two middle-aged women, living cross country from one another, would be blessed with a friendship...for such a time as this!  When you have time, go over to Dawn's blog to say Happy 300th!  

I am thankful for the special time we had on our son's Spring Break.  

I am thankful that I am on Week 9 (of 15) of my last class needed for my Certificate in Christian Counseling.  This online course has been the most challenging and demanding course in my three year course work.  And yet, I am thankful for the many options we have in today's technological world!  Online courses are the best!  You don't even have to leave your house to "go to school!"  

I am thankful for the sunshine outside.  I am so-o-o-o over winter....and ready for Spring.  When we were in Texas, the song birds woke me up every morning with their beautiful calls.  I had forgotten their wake up calls--for so

 many of our birds fly south for the winter.  I can hardly await their return.  The birdfeeders are full in anticipation.  

I am thankful for the beauty found in all of God's creation.  While there's no place like home, if you pause for just a moment, you will feel His presence where ever you are!  

It is then you find peace.  Serenity.  Gratefulness.  His provision.

I am thankful that God is just like that!  

Thankful Thursday


It's been awhile since my last post; thanks to each of you that has emailed during my absence. I love my blogging friends and miss you--even in my silence.

The question begs to be asked--WHAT could possibly be going on that would stop me from blogging? After all, an addiction needs to be fed! There are places to visit and people to see! How does it happen that we become so busy we are not able to pop in and say "Hi!?"

It's simple....life! Add to that my bent for procrastination and you get--silence.

Still, I am thankful for and smile throughout the day as I think about this blogging community!

Emma and Katie are doing so well. Stop by Grandma Dawn's site and take a peek! They! Are! Adorable! And such gifts! I am so thankful for God's blessings on Kristen and her entire family. As Heather continually testifies: "God is so good....ALL the time!"

I am thankful for the busy-ness of taking two college courses...at the same time! How in the world do our "traditional" students take four courses each quarter? My brain is having just a little trouble multi-tasking while storing two separate sets of data and facts without meshing them together! And still, I love learning! May of 2005, I finished a non-traditional student degree in Psychology with a focus on family and marriage. However, I needed to finish just a few elective credits before I receive my degree. My cohort walked in graduation, I went on to plan the final stages of our daughter's wedding. Then there was the extended trip to South Africa. Then the Holidays. Then Argentina. Then Summer. Then.....then....then.....and I find myself looking at 2008 without wrapping up the necessary credits so I can begin my Masters work. Hence--the last remaining credits are being hit hard this semester: A Literary Analysis course and The Use of Scripture in Christian Counseling to secure my Certificate in Christian Counseling.

Seriously, friends, WHAT WAS I THINKING! Life does not slow down just because I need to finish these credits! So I have been busy trying to add an additional 20 or 30 hours to my week of studious commitment.

So before I sit down with my text in hand and finish my assignment for tonights class, I wanted to stop by and say a long overdue....."HELLO!" "Hope you are doing well" and "I'll be stopping by your place...SOON!"

I am thankful for the opportunities that come our way and the freedom to pursue a life-time goal...even in a "non-traditional" way.

I am thankful for the distraction and the subtle ways this effort models to my children. Mom is more than just a "Mom;" she is a real life woman with real life dreams and goals. This is important, especially for a parent of a wayward child. It is vital for our own well-being to step out of their life and into our own--all while praying that God will storm into their path and redirect their ways.

Have a great TT!

Thankful Thursday

My heart is troubled upon hearing the most recent news of yet another wayward son whose struggle became deadly. We have all seen and heard the reports of the deadly shooting in Omaha, NE. It is difficult to imagine such despair; a hopelessness that could cause such anger put into action in a Mall during this Season of Hope.

"Now, I'll be famous." These were four of his last words, spoken during a disturbing phone call to the mother of the family he had lived with for the past year. No doubt, a mental breakdown leaves one with a distorted perception, however, I also believe another contributing factor is the 24/7 media coverage of every incident like this that leads a young man, struggling for purpose, longing for acceptance to believe that he can find esteem, even in infamy. However, I am convinced there is a spiritual dimension that is in play as well.

In the temptation of Christ, found in Matthew 4: 1-11, Satan, the "father of lies" (John 8:44), offered fame to Jesus during the isolation of a forty day and forty night fast in the desert. With every temptation, Jesus responded, "It is written....." ""It is also written....." "For it is written...." Oh that everyone who is seeking satisfaction, longing for acceptance, yearning for peace--could find the the healing power of God's written Word (Hebrews 4:12).

In all honesty, I don't know the young man who struggled so throughout his life only to end it in such a desperate way. And yet, I could. For any parent of a prodigal, this tragedy only reminds us how horribly wrong their wayward journey could become.

I don't know his parents, his siblings, or his loved ones; and yet, we all could be one of them. "There but the grace of God, go I" has a familiar ring at such a time as this. Subconciously, I think we all feel this; sadly, our fear is often voiced in criticism. "Where were his parents?" "What did they do wrong?" "Why didn't they do something to prevent this?" At the heart of this criticism is a lie that suggests if, as parents, we do everything right, nothing will go wrong. Not only is this an untruth in our post modern secular thinking, it is spiritually unfounded.

While a tragedy like this offers very little to be thankful for, I am thankful that, as Christians, we can bring a different perspective to this. A perspective that is found within the Word of God. The Word of God is "living and active...[it is] sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." What is the attitude of your heart today as you reflect on this very public but personal tragedy?

"I feel like there is nothing I can do" is another familiar refrain at such a time like this. As Christians, however, even in the midst of the most horrendous situations, there is always something we can do: we must pray!

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

Pray for the victims of this Mall shooting, pray for the families who are grieving during this Holy Season, pray for the family of this young man who has caused so much pain in his despair. Let's make a difference today; let's put our faith into action as we stand apart from the relentless reporting and critiquing. May your world see that "the Word of Christ" dwells "richly in you" as you hold all of the victims of this heartwrenching tragedy in prayer today.

2 Corinthians 1:4 "...who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Aren't you grateful that our God "comforts us in all our troubles"!

Aren't you grateful that our God has provided a way to reach out to others--even though unknown!

Aren't you grateful that God uses the experiences of our own pain for the future comfort of others!

I am thankful to join you in prayer today for those, known and unknown, who are hurting today.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful today for home; it is good to be back! We so enjoyed our time in Ireland, but there's truly, no place like home.

I am thankful for options; like being able to be a stay at home Mom long after 2/3's of my children are grown. It seems as my "job" has changed a bit during the last years, my appreciation for the years at home continues to grow even as their physical presence lessens. For all of the SAHmom's of little ones in bloggity-ville--let me affirm the great value of your choice.

I am thankful for the lunch I shared with my grown daughter this week. We had a very nice lunch at one of our favorite restaurants and then did a little window shopping at a nearby mall. To my delight, Christmas has returned in store displays. It is a very good thing.....as I never did put my Christmas tree away last year! It's so nice that the Season has caught up with my housecleaning!

I bet you're wondering how it is that my Christmas tree has been up an entire year! Back to options! It is an artificial tree (of course) and it is decorated with birds, nests, and colorful pinecones and such. As our lower level is more cabiny-in-decor--it seemed to fit! Plus, with these maturing children, our storage room has grown substantially with the items they bring home after each move! Since I had to reorganize the storage room before I could put the tree away--I decided to leave it up as a creative decorating item! Ya think I've started a trend?

I'm thankful for my family, for our love, and for our happiness. Yes, we have our struggles, but underneath each trial is a heart filled with gratitude that we belong to one another and are journeying through this life together.

I am thankful for community--both IRL and not-yet-met (further known as NYM!) I am thankful to Crystal for hosting Thankful Thursday; and to Iris for her faithful dedication to all of us in blogland. We are a blessed community!

Thanks for stopping in--be thankful!

Have a great TT!

(Still looking for those leprochauns and Bono!) Diane

Thankful Thursday

While I have been able to get a lot done before I leave for Ireland in just a couple of days, there is still so much left to do. On this Thankful Thursday, I am tempted to sit here, paralyzed by the undone, and throw a pity party! In fact, I have been immobilized this morning and am still in my exercise clothes; yes, I had good intentions of hitting the treadmill this morning, but all that has been racing is my mind filled with anxiety for what is not done, what will happen during my absence and what if...what if....what if!

And then.....

I am reminded of a devotional that I finished writing this week for publication on an online devotional for November 8th. Don't you just hate it...I mean love it....when God brings to your mind, using your own words.....His Truth that always crashes the best of pity party!

Psalm 116:5 November 8, 2007

“The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”

Is your God big enough?

In his book, Your God Too Small, J. B. Phillips lists some names we have developed for God in our adult thinking: Resident Policeman, Parental Hangover, Grand Old Man, Meek and Mild, Absolute Perfection, Heavenly Bosom, God-in-a-box, and Managing Director. Suggesting that we bring our childhood beliefs and life experiences while defining God in our adulthood, Phillips purports that we find ourselves perplexed by a description of our God who is not big enough for our modern day needs. “While [our] experience of life has grown in a score of directions, and [our] mental horizons have been expanded to the point of bewilderment by world events and scientific discoveries, [our] ideas of God remain largely static.” Ask yourself this question today, “Have I ‘conformed to the pattern of this world’ as I understand who God truly is? (Romans 12:2)

….but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” It’s time for some transformation of thought! “His good, pleasing and perfect will” is evidence of His gracious and righteous nature; our God is not limited to our mental capacities. He cannot be put in a box; still, as Phillips states, “Many men and women are living today, often with inner dissatisfaction, without any faith in God at all. This is not because they are particularly wicked or selfish, or as the old-fashioned would say, “godless,” but because they have not found with their adult minds a God big enough to “account for” life, big enough to “fit in with” the new scientific age, big enough to command their highest admiration and respect, and consequently their willing cooperation.” Yes, it’s time for the renewal of our minds!

I avoid conforming to this world—we all try. And yet, when we limit our understanding of the true nature of God by our mental processes during trying times, we conform indeed. Renewing of our minds changes our prayer of “Why LORD?” to “Thank you LORD!” Thank you for your Holy power and never ceasing love to bring something eternally good out of every bad situation I face. Thank you LORD for your never-ending presence in my life, even when I do not have the ability to see it. Thank you God for your Holy grace, girded with compassion which guides your perfect will for my life. Ah yes, renewal works!

Reflection: Who do you say God is? Have you put Him in a box or labeled Him within the confines of your own understanding? Or, do you rejoice with the Psalmist as he proclaims publicly how big his God is? Read all of Psalm 116; go ahead—“test and approve” all that God is--read all of the Psalms! Renew your mind today and discover our conception of God can never be too big!

So, today, I am thankful that no matter how big my anxieties become, my God is bigger.

I am thankful for God's Word, for His voice that speaks to us even when the roar of our world seems too loud.

I am thankful for God's gracious righteousness; that no matter my weakness and sin, He faithfully covers me with His righteousness.

I am thankful for the conviction of His Word: that His Word faithfully transforms my mind and renews my Spirit.

I am thankful that no matter where I am, God is there.

I am thankful for His very real presence and purpose for my life. Too often as I am overcome with reliance on my self....I forget that He is with me. I am thankful that when I forget who God truly is.....He is faithful to remind me!

Have a great TT!

Thankful Thursday

After a long delay in blogging, I have chosen a Thankful Thursday (thanks for hosting this week Lynn!) to return to blogville--I have missed you all. Our life remains stressful at best and I have been stunned into silence. Seriously, the old adage "when it rains it pours" is alive and well in my life!

Our son has still not heard back from the Clinic as to his acceptance into their DBT program. I have taken to heart all of your comments and have a letter ready to be sent to the Board of Directors, Clinical Intake Director, and Congressman Jim Ramstad (who is a relentless Mental Health Advocate). Thank you so much Gardenia for your recommendation to include the Judge! Each of your comments meant so much and have moved me into action!

Our son went to his second hearing last week, however, the prosecutor did not show up! Consequently, the Defense Attorney was not able to pursue her plan to cooperatively work with the Prosecutor to get our son into the Diversion Program, allowing him to work a therapeutic program and community service in lieu of a criminal sentence. More waiting. She has written the Prosecutor a letter and hopefully the wheels will be in motion for his October 5th hearing.

This wait, this stall, has been hard on our family. Our son, who returned from New Seasons with a motivation to move forward has fallen into old familiar habits. He is sleeping too much, he has become lazy; self-responsibility is fading. With too much free time on his hands, he has been lured into complacency and just within the last two days, deception has returned to his life. There is a pit in my stomach as I listen to his lies. Simple things; where he is, what he is doing, where he will be. His word lacks integrity. The hard work done within 30 days is being threatened by another 30 days.......of waiting.

My mother-in-law has been put into a nursing home following surgery last Friday to put in a pacemaker. She is extremely weak and made the decision herself to go to a facility that could help her heal and regain her strength. It was one year ago next month that she had her devastating heart attack that leaves her with only 40% of her heart function. A few weeks ago she began experiencing an irregular heart rhythym and after trying several medical interventions, it was decided she needed a pacemaker and will be pacemaker dependent from here on out. She is a trooper!

My mother was hospitalized two weeks ago with Congestive Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation. I brought her home to her Senior Housing apartment on Sunday night and continue to care for her as she recovers. She remains in Atrial Fibrillation and will be on a cocktail of medications for the next three weeks. If, at that time, she remains in A-Fib, they will do something called a Cardioversion, which is shocking the heart. She is very weak and very strongwilled. She was resistant to going to an intermediary facility and felt she could manage going home. She has discovered that just doing the basics by herself (showering, eating, dressing) is exhaustive work when your heart is not in regular rhythym. My sister, Dixie, leaves work everyday to have lunch with her, I visit her each evening for dinner. She also qualified for Home Health Care Assistance and a Home Health Care Nurse visits her three times each week for a check up and blood tests.

The weight of these ongoing circumstances is compounded by a looming crisis of faith. And yet, when I fall to my knees in despair in the midst of so much out of my control, I find that God is still there...even in the pit of confusion! He faithfully brings comfort.

I am so thankful for you, my blogging friends. Your words of encouragement sustain and strengthen me!

I am so thankful for perspective. No pity party here! There are friends who are facing life threatening circumstances ....and they do it with such grace! Just visit Heather and Kelly to be blessed!

I am so thankful for God's Word; it speaks--especially when I am silent!

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3: 16-21

I am so thankful that while things around are seemingly out of control and unmanageable, He is faithful to do "immeasurably more than [even] all we ask or imagine!" I am thankful that while I have been silenced by the roar of circumstances, I have heard in my inner being His promise of glory in Christ Jesus.....for all generations! Not just my mom's generation, not just mine.....but for my son!

Can you feel the comfort? Amen and Amen!

Thankful Thursday

Psalm 39:7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

Psalm 62:5 "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him."

Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

I am so thankful for God's Word.

I am so thankful that it is the living, breathing voice of God!

I am so thankful it is where we can find real hope. When circumstances of this world are less than sure, His Word provides the peace that passeth all understanding and offers hope and promise!

I am so thankful for these verses today. I have taken my eyes off the events of the week and placing them on His sure foundation. It is all I know to do:

Psalm 119:116 "Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed."

Psalm 147:11 "the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love."

Psalm 119:114 "You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word."

Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Romans 4:18 "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Romans 5:5 "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

I am so thankful that He turns our sorrow into joy!

"Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help."
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30: 10-12