I wanted to shoot out a short missive before things get moving for this holiday celebration.
I start call this weekend which, historically, should not be too bad and now much easier since my father-in-law now has a high speed connection to the Internet.
Football is the usual fare on Thanksgiving afternoon so I may pop out the old laptop and work on a article or two. I have an idea or two for an article that I may try to play around with. I really need to get more articles out on Helium. I still have the eight I originally wrote and I have earned a whole 17 cents so it's about time I add to my vast fortune!
The Chicago branch of the Bowman clan will be in town for Thanksgiving this year and G'Pa B will be coming to town for Turkey day too! We will have a full house.
On a sadder note, the Bowman family will be having one of her "firsts" this Thanksgiving. The first without G'Pa A. For my family in losing Grady, the "firsts" were the hardest part and I do not imagine it will be any different for the Bowman clan. It is sad for me...
Though it is more traditional to reflect on the past year closer to Christmas time I'm feeling a bit nostalgic this morning so I will just take a peek backwards.
There is no escaping the fact that it was a tough year for the East Iowa Larson branch this past year, and as I look back it occurs to me that I really never want to face another year like that again. On the other hand, it is the tough times that force us to look to God who waits for us to call on Him. He answers prayer, too! Oh, it is true that the way He answers those prayers may not be the way you would like for Him to answer them but He is faithful.
When I see all the times this past year that He took part in our pain and brought us to see Him in action, it was a real blessing in spite of a poor heart attitude. In fact, in the darkest times of the past year He provided. It is incredible to look back and see where He intervened. Right now? Right now God has granted to us some relief. I would not say a mountain top time but the stress is of the normal, holiday type and not manufactured, as it is when you look ahead and worry about what might happen. No wonder God calls worry sin. It really comes down to a lack of trust in His provision.
No, it has not been a fun year but it is very good to look back and see how God has provided but I need to take what I have learned and remember it for the future. Because even though God has granted to us a reprieve from a difficult year, He also promises that this life is hard and there will be ups and downs. But when we learn to see God's hand in those times, how He moves to help us, as He promised He would, we then experience a growth in faith and, if we have gained any wisdom form our past, are quicker to turn to Him when the next "tunnel experience" comes our way.
Have a God filled Thanksgiving! We all have a tremendous amount to be thankful to God for this year.
Bye!
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