Prayer Journal #14

 Today's verse in our devotions (Rhonda's and mine) is one of my favorites and one I remember:

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  1 Corinthians 13: 13.

Joyce talks about showing kindness to others.  Her first example was of an older couple, both afflicted with arthritis, and the husband painting his wife's toenails because she couldn't.  That is sweet, and it reminds me of something Gary did for me this morning.  Baking quick bar cookies is on my agenda and I know when I go to the kitchen, the box of cake mix, three eggs, the bag of chocolate chips, and a stick of butter will be on the counter.  All I will need to do is put it all together and into the pan, which will be sitting on the counter also.  He does that.  He will pull the ingredients I need out and have everything ready for me.  Isn't that sweet?

Joyce also goes on to talk about random acts that we can do.  I like to send cards, so I do that occasionally, especially to those I think might need cheering up.  I have yet to buy someone else's meal and we don't go through the Starbucks line ever, but I suppose we could do that at Dairy Queen or another drive-thru.  I do remember being in the Meijer parking lot in West Lafayette a couple of years ago.  An older lady was wandering aimlessly in the parking lot, pushing her cart.  Finally we asked if she needed help, and she couldn't find her car. After her pushing the alert on her key and hearing nothing, we asked questions about color, make, and model and finally the alert worked and we found her car.  What had happened was she parked in a different place than usual, but she was still thinking that she had parked straight out from the entrance/exit door by the cart return.  Well, she did, but she had come out the wrong door and became confused.  It took us about 10-15 minutes to find her vehicle, then help her load her bags into the back, but the sense of helping that we had was so worth it.  After all, that has happened to me several times.  I am notorious for NOT paying attention to where I park and sometimes can't find the Escape when I return to the parking lot. 

The prayer today: 

"Father, don't let me pass up any opportunity to be kind to another person. You are kind to me, and I want to be kind to others. Thank you.  In Jesus' name.  Amen."

Prayer Journal #13

 I have missed a few days. Life got in the way----a trip to Kansas City to see Nick participate in his last show as a Junior Angus Association member.  Before that Cooper was here for a week---four days at our house, then three day in Millersburg OH with us.  Add in the Independence Day holiday and our days were packed.  I didn't have time to post in my weight loss forum nor did I keep up with the Joyce Meyer devotions that Rhonda from San Antonio and I share.  But I am back for a few days!

My prayer this evening is one of thankfulness.

I am so thankful for....

--our immediate family.  I love spending time with the kids and they like spending time with us.  Having Cooper here for several days was great and I loved listening to him, talking with him, sharing stories with him, and watching him interact with his cousins.

--our extended family.  So many times families split apart when the children grow into their adult lives.  Gary's family is still close, and that means so much to all of us.

--safe traveling. We drove to Ohio and back plus the miles we traveled to shop and enjoy lunches and ice cream, visiting the cemetery and driving past the old house.  Even though we didn't actually drive to Kansas City, Clay did and we were passengers.  No issues at all.  No problems.  No near misses.  God was watching over us.

--good health.  Health is an issue as we grow older, and we have had our share of concerns which usually happen in the summer months.  However, knock on wood, we have been fairly healthy the past few months. I am so thankful that all of our doctor's appointments have been just routine check ups and nothing of concern.

--summertime. Spring is my favorite season, but I do enjoy summer.  Landon was joking this evening that our house seems like their home sometimes because they are here more often than they are at their own house.  That's true! But we enjoy their company, we love the kids (big ones and little ones) and we are so thankful that we were able to find this property, buy it, and move here so that they have a place for their livestock, to bring the kids when a babysitter is needed, and to share occasional meals with us.  I like the daylight lasting until after 9.  I like the warm summer breezes.  I wish it would rain, but I like the sunshine that summer brings.  I like not wearing a coat when I go outside.  I like sitting on the deck or in a chair by the barn. We are so thankful for all of this.

--God' protection over us.  How do I explain this without tears in my eyes?  I can't.  But I am so happy that He is always with us.

Thank you, Lord, for all of the blessings you have afforded us.  We know we are so undeserving, that we disappoint you in our actions and words each day, but we are also so grateful for your forgiveness and your costant love for us.  We thank you for our family, for safe travels, for good health, and for the changing seasons.  We could use some rain so moving some rain clouds into our area would be appreciated!  Thank you, Lord, for continuing to love us each and every day.  In Jesus' precious name, Amen.