Gifts

I believe in gratitude. A grateful heart blesses. I try to make it a regular practice to share the gifts I've been given, sometimes sharing weekly or monthly.

You can never give God enough praise - every gift is from Him.

Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. James 1:17

So, I'm indulging my love of listing and sharing 5 recent gifts:

1. God always comes through! The Hubs and I have reached that stage in life when it seems every time you turn around, some piece of equipment breaks down. Breakdowns can cause a strain on our fixed income. No one knows our budget better than the Father. I ask Him for help each time things look bleak. He always enables Jim to fix the problem or provides in some way to get the job done. Recently, we've had three problems crop up:

• The mower needed a pulley - Jim found one for less than $25 and was able to fix it himself.
• The a/c quit working correctly. Thankfully, we have a maintenance agreement that covered the problem - and two room a/c units that were able to keep the house reasonably cool until the big one gets fixed.
• The biggest problem of all - a sewer problem: A new toilet didn't take care of the issue and the various things Jim tried were to no avail. It looked like a call to Roto-Rooter was in our future. (House calls in our neck of the woods are VERY pricey!) After prayer, the idea came to Jim to ask the village water department to borrow their heavy-duty snake (much bigger than the one we own). They lent it to us and it got the job done.

Sometimes, God answers your prayers by giving you ideas!

2. Family events:  Birthdays and holidays such as Mother's and Father's Day are wonderful blessings from God. Getting together to celebrate strengthens family bonds and makes parents' hearts joyful! Beginning in May and going through July 8, we have 7 family events ... and grandbaby #3 is scheduled to arrive the first week of July making 8 celebrations. 

Which is why I'm thankful for ...

3. Rest: I've had a few more opportunities for rest lately and I definitely count them as blessings. Of course, it's the most fun when you can rest at one of the beautiful areas found in our region.

There's just something about the blues and the greens found lakeside that is restful.

4. You guys! I've got the to-do list down to nothing! If all goes as planned, Friday will see the last item on the list done. I'll start Monday with a clean slate. Oh, of course, there is always a drawer or cabinet that could be arranged but nothing pressing. Love the feeling of accomplishment.

5. Quote of the week: I love sharing the gifts of wisdom and insight I have found in my reading. You can never go wrong with a Max Lucado quote:

"Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” -Max Lucado

And that is a wrap on the Journey. What's been happening in your world? I'd love to know! Feel free to leave a comment and share.

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I'm linking this post up with the awesome group of bloggers at Friday's Fave Five. You can meet at Susanne's space, Living to Tell the Story. I'm also linking with Arabah Joy's Grace&Truth and Crystal's #FreshMarketFriday communities. Because everyone needs to know when God gives gifts.