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November seems to have gone by in a flash. This last day brought a wonderful surprise. The results of my recent bloodwork were posted to the patient portal, and not only was every item on the cholesterol panel normal, but it was the best cholesterol report I ever remember having. 

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Feeling twice blessed by all the yummy leftovers I get to enjoy for my supper tonight. 

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Feeling thankful for my family, and for my granddaughter who hosted Thanksgiving this year and made it so special.

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An honest compliment about the painting I recently finished from a friend who is very artistic and wasn't just trying to make me feel good. Hearing her say it looked really nice made my day.

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Feeling thankful for my friend who came over today and stretched the canvas I had been working on for me.

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A $20 gift card from SBKC.  

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Usually I'm the who needs help getting my shopping bags up the stairs to my apartment. Feeling grateful to have been able to do that for someone else today.

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Thanks to my very generous daughter,  being able to have someone come in once a month for a couple of hours to help me with my chores. 

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Feeling grateful to have never been homeless, and for the blessing of a warm, comfortable home with a reliable thermostat.

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Buds on my Christmas cactus cuttings.

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A heavy downpour after a long drought.

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Forty percent off plus free shipping on the new paint-by-number kits I ordered. 

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Went to get my one small cavity filled today. My dentist has retired, so I made an appointment with one of the new doctors at the practice. It was a horrific experience. Feeling very grateful for Tylenol, and that it's working.

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A large box of jigsaw puzzles a friend gave me.

30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING - 16: THERE IS NO EXCUSE

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

but against the rulers, against the authorities,

against the powers of this dark world and against

the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

(Ephesians 6:12, NIV)

What I did was without excuse. My neighbor is moving and reached out to offer me something she was looking to get rid of, and though I could have used it, I rejected it in a most unkind and hurtful way. Though I later texted her an apology, my heart feels heavy that I have again missed the boat and failed a test.

When this neighbor first moved in I had high hopes that we would become good friends, and that probably was the Lord's intention, but not in the way I expected or hoped. I was thinking only about me, and how I would benefit from this relationship, rather than about how I could become a good neighbor and friend to her

She has a lot of baggage (as do I), and managed to push every button I have. Whatever she did, even with the best of intentions, came across as annoying, irritating, condescending, deceitful, or manipulative. 

What an opportunity to practice seeing someone through the Lord's eyes instead of my own, and to respond with the same patience, kindness, grace, and unconditional love He extends to me. What an opportunity, as well, to explore, identify, and address, why my buttons were being pushed. (As the old saying goes, when you point a finger at someone, there are four other fingers pointing back at you.)

In hindsight, I realize the Lord had offered me an invaluable gift that I rejected, and I'm feeling gently rebuked as several Scriptures come to mind:

Galatians 6:10--Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Acts 20:35--In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

And then the whole passage about the sheep and goats in Matthew 25 that contains the verses, The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (verse 40), and He will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." (verse 45) 

OUCH!!!

I am truly remorseful to have sinned against the Lord in this way, and am praying He will show me how I can make things right with my neighbor--over and beyond my lame apology. 

I am grateful beyond words that the Lord doesn't treat me the way I deserve, or respond to me the way I have responded to my neighbor so very many times. I am so, so grateful for His mercies that are new every morning and that He never gives up on me.  

Psalm 103:10-14 -- he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

1 John 1:9 -- But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

With this post I am confessing my sin. I am trying to forgive myself the way I know the Lord has already forgiven me, as well as absorb the lessons contained in this eye-opening experience so I do not repeat my transgression.

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A wonderful surprise greeted me when I went to the library today. 

Beautiful flowers in the two empty spots where the azalea bushes used to be.

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Feeling very thankful that my dentist had rescheduled the appointment I was supposed to have today. Today turned out to be a dreary, rainy day, and I felt as though I was coming down with a nasty cold.

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The view from my window. 

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There were several things I was thankful for today, but the greatest was that my daughter was here when my thumb got caught between the legs of a folding TV snack tray I was trying to fold and I couldn't get it out. She came to my rescue in a flash. 

A very practical example of the meaning of 1 Thessalonians 5:18--In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you--which is so often misinterpreted. 

It does not mean that we should give thanks for the distressing things that happen to us (such as the pain of my thumb getting caught between the legs of the table and the panic of not being able to get it out), but rather, that we should find something to be thankful for in the midst of it (like not being alone when it happened and having someone who could do it for me so I could get my thumb out). I was also thankful to have a soft gel pack in the freezer we could immediately wrap around it once we got it out.

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Feeling thankful for the stash of frozen grapes in my freezer.

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Before the pandemic, members of our prayer team at church used to meet in the prayer room on Sundays to pray for the services as they were going on. Sadly we did not resume doing this after we were able to go back. 

Sometimes I would go in and pray by myself, but it's not the same as having others to pray with.

Now, thanks to one of the elders who had left around that time but has returned, the ministry is starting up again. Today was our first day.

Feeling grateful for this unexpected new beginning.

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Signs of new life in one of my succulent plants that has been dormant for a very long time. Feeling thankful I did not give up on it, and that the Lord never gives up on me either.

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Feeling grateful for my faithful, long-time prayer partner and friend.

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Feeling extra thankful for clean water to drink and a well stocked pantry and freezer. May I never take these luxuries for granted.

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Feeling grateful beyond words for the new iPhone my daughter just bought me to replace my old one that got smashed in the Harris Teeter parking lot on Monday.

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I brush them all, and although none would have been better, I was very thankful for just one small cavity at my routine dental checkup.

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I am thankful for my kind, loving, caring, thoughtful, fun-loving daughter. She is, and has always been, a very special blessing.

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Grateful for a beautiful blue sky day and a lot of fall colors still left to enjoy on my way home from church.

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Feeling very grateful for good vision and a steady hand as I work on an intricate project.

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This book, How To Pray by Pete Greig. 

It is one of the best books on prayer I have ever read. 

Today's gem was a quote that reminded me not to get frustrated by Facebook's algorithms that keep many of my posts from being visible and that have twice suspended my account for invalid reasons. 

God is in control, and there is no algorithm that can prevent Him from getting a post to whoever He wants it to get to.  

All that is not the love of God has no meaning for me ... If God wants it to, my life will be useful through my word and witness. If He wants it to, my life will bear fruit through my prayers and sacrifices. But the usefulness of my life is His concern, not mine, and it would be indecent of me to worry about that. -- Dominique Voillaume