Count Your Blessings!

It is time to count your blessings, everyone! Happy Thanksgiving all! Do you know the story of Squanto? He is the Indian brave for which Thanksgiving really is all about. It goes way beyond pilgrims and Indians breaking cornbread together. We have heard the story before and it is a good one. Try to look it up. I know last year we ran across an animated version of the story when we were using the remote to flip through channels. Hoping it is on again tomorrow!

For the past week I have been reminding my family to think about what has happened this year that they are thankful for. The key is is that it has to be signifcant to the year, so that years later people will have an idea of what was going on in that persons life.
I told DS since he was thankful for animals last year - he needs to come up with something more original. Family, friends, house, food - are givens and not considered original.

My blessings are:
1. New church, great worship, support of small groups
2. Monday night bible study
3. UW Children's hospital and temporary-ness of a broken arm compared to what other families are going through
4. Kyle helping with yard work and household chores - thus saving me back pain

The Blessing Box was featured in Creating Keepsakes in the November issue. A great year of publications is another blessing I have had in 2007, but since I limit to four - the blessings affecting my family seem most important. I do thank God for every opportunity He gives me in the area of my creative passion.
I wanted to share two views of the Blessing Box not shown in the publication or the on-line feature.


The box opens up and a tray lifts out that contains our blessings. We pass this around at our evening dinner table and drop in our blessings for the new year, and reminisce about blessings past.

Abby is doing wonderfully - her spirits are high! Thank you for all your prayers. Now, we just have to keep her from reinjuring her arm. She is so active and will not receive a hard cast for another week. Will be glad when the extra protection is there! Yet, I looked in her closet and am rather sad at the pretty Christmas dresses she will not likely be able to wear because of the cast, and will have outgrown next year. Still hoping the cast will come off just before Christmas!

I pray everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and wonderful time with family and friends. I think of the families still in that children's hospital and wonder what they must be going through. Terminal illness, severe injuries? I feel so blessed that Abby's injury was only a broken arm. I also learned that my nephew hit black ice driving home from Nebraska tonight for Thanksgiving. The car is totalled, but he is unharmed. Praise God!! I know that God is good all the time and His love endures forever!