Monday, November 22, 2010

HAPPY THANKSGIVING



Psalm 100 :4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.


Thanksgiving Day will be here in a couple of days, and my heart and home are almost ready. I have been going about my preparations ~ cleaning and making my shopping list ~ while dwelling on all I have to be thankful for.

Psalm 26:7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.

This has been a year FULL of incredible change and tremendous blessings. God is so good to me. I owe Him everything. In the midst of all the challenges, He has remained as always ever faithful, and saw me through each and every trial and change. When I was diagnosed in May with breast cancer I honestly had no idea rather or not I would ever be able to walk the road that lay ahead of me. My emotions were of course all over the place, and the enemy went right to work trying his best to fill my heart with fear and defeat. But through the doctor’s visits and decisions my God held me tightly close to Him, and I felt His peace and strength in a very real and tangible way. I do feel soo blessed that when all was said and done, my cancer was caught so early all I needed to do was have a double mastectomy. This was not easy of course, or in any way not a life changing event, it just seemed so little when others face that and follow it with radiation and/or chemo. I feel I got off easy. How I have praised God for this. But I know that even if that would have happened, He would have remained firmly by my side and walked me step by step through the whole thing. I have watched in such admiration for their courage both Elaine from peace for the journey and Stacy from His way... Not mine as they have traveled this very road. I have the seen the power of God work in their lives in such a tremendous way I feel I will never be the same. What an inspiration they have been to me and to everyone who is privileged enough to share this journey with them in any way at all. I have prayed diligently for both of these precious gals every since I heard their stories, and I will continue to until their road towards renewed health is over. I would be remiss if I didn’t add my thanks to my husband who has loved me unconditionally for 35 years, and who stood by my side a pillar of strength to lean on whenever I needed him. And not just with the cancer ordeal, but every day since the moment we became man and wife. I will admit that I can be high maintence at times, haha, and how he has put up with me is a testimony to his great love of God and his desire to serve. I am also so thankful for my kids and my sisters. Their love for me was never as obvious as those days following my surgery when I found myself so weak and emotional I am not sure if I could have ever managed without them. And they all did so tirelessly and unselfishly. How grateful I am.

This year also brought us the joy of a new home. It is just perfect for us in every way, and my gratitude for this can’t really be expressed fully. I just love it. This move took place just a couple of weeks after my surgery so I was pretty much useless when it came to all the work that needed to be done. But yet again, my family stepped in and took care of things for me. I won’t be forgetting the giving of their time and effort ~ EVER ~ I am quite sure.

This year also brought a stroke for my mother, and I will be forever thankful that He spared her life and has brought her so far in her recovery that you would hardly ever notice that it happened. Every minute that we have got to spend together since that day has been a gift and one I won’t be taking for granted.

I’ve watched all my grandchildren grow and be healthy and show such promise for their futures. My children are all doing well and bless me everyday just by their existence. How I love them all. And finally, my grateful heart looks to all of you. The world of blogging is something that must be experienced to be fully understood I think. It has been so much more than I ever imagined it might be. The support I felt during my cancer ordeal was something I leaned on and counted on more than you could know. I loved knowing how many of you were praying for me. I “felt” those prayers, honestly I did. The friendships I’ve made have been both fulfilling and just what I needed in this season of my life. I wish I could mention each and every one of you that have added so much to my life in this last year, but I won’t even try. Just know that I appreciate you all for the unique gift that you each bring to my life. You have brought me joy, laughter, tears and knowledge of a mighty God who holds us all in His very hands and makes us all The Way We Are.

Psalm 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL! Enjoy this time with your family and friends and may we all remember to fill our hearts with gratitude to the One whom we all owe everything to.

1 CH 16:34 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.






16 comments:

  1. What a lovely post. I too have much to be thankful for!!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Debbie!

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  2. So blessed to call you friend and sister in the Lord. You encourage my heart weekly. You are a token of God's love and grace. May He fill your cup to overflowing.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Love in Christ,
    Stacy

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  3. If I ever need to know how to put my priorities in place...then here is where I need to come. Your grateful heart has taught me so much. To walk through these changes in your life...well it has brought me strength! Your faith has gone beyond just words...it has produced life.
    Blessings to you and yours...I have been so blessed to get to know you.
    Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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  4. Wow you have been through a hug amount in a year, but God is always faithful. I am so glad you shared this, it blesses me so much the verses you have chosen and how you give glory to God. I wish you and your family a lovely blessing filled Thanksgiving. So thankful God has seen you through.
    I love that He is always with us in the midst. I love the quote by John Bunyan, " I am on the bottom, and it is firm." Sometimes life is like that, but joy always comes in the morning.
    Hugs!

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  5. I needed this tonight, Debbie. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your beautiful family!

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  6. I love your gratitude in the midst of the trials you've faced this year. It really is a testimony to God's grace. Thank you for sharing it. I've come to appreciate your friendship here in blogland!

    p.s. I'm having another cookbook giveaway at my book blog if you're interested.

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  7. Have a great Thanksgiving with your family Debbie!

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  8. Debbie,
    You have been through so much this past year. What a blessing it is to hear your praises to the LORD. What a witness you are for His glory! How wonderful, too, that you have written this down so it may be strength for generations to come. May God give you much joy in this new year as you continue to fix your eyes on Him!

    Happy Thanksgiving!!

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  9. What a great post Debbie! You have had quite a year and have gotten through it with an amazing faith that I look up to. I hope your Thanksgiving is perfect! Enjoy your family!!

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  10. Oh Debbie Sweetie...
    God bless you and keep you safe and healthy this wonderful holiday. I had no idea you had been diagnosed with cancer and had gone through surgery. I will continue to pray for your health sweet friend.

    I got so sick in May, spent 10 days in the hospital in ICU for 6. I got pneumonia and had complications from my chronic asthma. As a result, I have lost most of my speaking voice, it will not return, it is permanent. I am thankful that I am here, I can push voice out some days better than others. DH says I sound like Katherine Hepburn. I shake a lot and sometimes I try to speak but nothing comes out. I was off of work for 4 months, but am back to working. God is SO wonderful. I don't need a voice to speak in my job. I create online courses and can live in a world of silence. At first, it was quite hard for me, but now I ask what do you want me to do Lord? What is it I can do to help others like me? Am I supposed to educate people on Spasmodic Dysphonia? I don't know, there isn't much to know about it. There is no cure, and some days I am better than others. It sounds as though it has been a rough year for both of us sweetie. 2011 is going to be our year to shine.

    Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours. Many hugs and SO much love, Sherry

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  11. Beautiful post. Amazing when we look back over the year we see how wonderful the Lord has been to us! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

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  12. I love you my friend.

    Have a very blessed and joyful Thanksgiving.

    Big Hugs,
    Alleluiabelle

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  13. I just love the ginger bread man in the cup. That is just too cute. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family,

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  14. I just love the ginger bread man in the cup. That is just too cute. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family,

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  15. Your grateful heart inspires! For someone who remains grateful no matter what she has gone through, and remains worshipful despite any circumstances, that is someone who truly has tasted God's goodness. Happy Thanksgiving to you sister Debbie. May the Lord bless you abundantly and your whole family. May His strength and healing cover you all. I'm grateful our paths have crossed. Love you in Christ.

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  16. Debbie, what a beautiful Thankful post, and I just want you to know that you have been such a wonderful example to me, in what it means to fully trust God in all circumstances. May you and your family have a most blessed Thanksgiving.
    Much love,
    Sue

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!