Spring praises

It's been awhile since I've had the opportunity to drop in on my friends from Friday's Fave Five. I'm in awe of the hostess of this vibrant community, Suzanne, who has shared five highlights in her life each week for 627 WEEKS! Talk about consistency! 

This spring, I can praise for so many things. 

I'm thankful it IS spring, and I'm thankful 2020 is behind us.

I'm thankful for sunshine and yellow crocuses, like the ones my friend brought to me from her garden:

Nature has planted little bouquets of these beauties up and down the roadways bringing joy to every traveler. I often think of stopping and taking close-up photos of them but always tell myself I don't have time ...

I'm thankful for my family, both at home and in my church. I'm thankful for those I can see in person. We might not hug as much as we used to; but there is no substitute for seeing their sparkling eyes.

The biggest news around our house currently is that my husband is healing from open heart surgery and then another stay in the hospital that resulted in an ablation to take care of an A-Fib problem. The days have flown by while we focus on meds, rehab and rest.

I praise God for improvement and am believing for a total recovery. During this time, I've been delving into the Word and finding a lot of joy out of The Passion Translation. In 2021, I'm reading the gospels over and over again each month to really get down into my soul who Jesus is and what He said and did while here with us on earth.

It's rocking my world. 

I'm also thankful for an app I've been using on my phone: the One Minute Pause. (It's free. I may have mentioned it previously.) It's a creation of John Eldredge; and he recently updated it to include pauses that focus on mental strength. I've sure needed uplifting in that area in these last few weeks.

I want to end with a portion of Scripture he uses in one of the pauses focusing on worship. It's not the same translation he uses, but The Passion Translation is so beautiful:

My heart explodes with praise to you!
    Now and forever my heart bows in worship to you,
    my King and my God!
Every day I will lift up my praise to your name
    with praises that will last throughout eternity.
Lord, you are great and worthy of the highest praise!
    For there is no end to the discovery
    of the greatness that surrounds you.

Psalm 145:1-3

Don't you love the idea of your praises lasting throughout eternity?

And, It is so true, there is no end to the things we can discover about our God. Every time I dive into His Word, something new is revealed. Every day there is something about Him to praise.

I am just so thankful. What brings thankfulness to your heart? I'd love to know! Please share in the comments, and consider linking your own post to the Friday's Fave Five community.

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I just want you to know how highly I value those of you that make your way to the Journey to read my words! I believe encouraging others with the written word is a worthy calling. Thank you especially to those who respond. You make it worthwhile.

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