"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High."--Psalm 7:17
There have definitely been highs and lows for 2017 for our family. At the beginning of the year, we found out that my husband’s 88 year-old mother had terminal lung cancer. In March we were able to celebrate our son’s marriage and welcome a daughter-in-law into the family. Then, at the end of August we found out our daughter had papillary thyroid cancer. Shortly after that we had to put down our beloved 15 year old family dog. And sadly, this month of November we have watched my mother-in-law, a once strong and independent woman slowly deteriorate from the cancer that is ravaging her body.
Despite some of the hardships and grief, there are blessings in the midst of them. This week, our biggest blessing came in our Thanksgiving celebration. One of the perks of your son literally marrying the girl next door is that it sure makes holidays easier.
This past St. Patrick’s Day, we were blessed to be able to see our son marry our next door neighbor’s daughter. I have been praying for a Godly spouse for both of my children since they were toddlers. All I can say is that if you let God do His work in your children’s lives, that He will answer those prayers better than you could have ever imagined. As a parent, that is hard to do and a whole other blog topic!
When we moved into our house 10 years ago, and met our next door neighbors, I had no idea that not only would they become good friends of ours but also one day our son’s in-laws. Honestly, I couldn’t have ever imagined my son marrying into such a great family. Before he started dating his wife, he lived with her brother and was becoming good friends with her sister and brother-in-law. How many people get to marry into a family where you get along with everyone like that? Only God can orchestrate that to happen.
We normally host Thanksgiving at our house for my side of the family. However, this year with my mother-in-laws illness, my husband wasn’t up for committing to do it. Thankfully, our next door neighbors offered to not only host us, but also their older daughter’s in-laws as well.
Since we live in Texas, you never know what the weather will be like in November, but praise God, it was in the 70’s and half of the group was able to eat outside too. What a blessing to be able to share that holiday with three families that all get along.
As we close this month of November, did you make it a daily habit of writing down at least one thing you were thankful about each day? Do the praises that come out of your mouth match your heart?
Dear Lord, thank You for all my blessings, not just this month but every day. Thank You how you have both physically and spiritually nourished me this week. Help my verbal praises match my heart. Amen!
I have one more washcloth to give away this week of the praying hands washcloth. I will be praying for God to lead me to a person that needs some encouragement this week.
How are you doing with your memory verse? “Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”—Psalm 106:1