Thanks Giving

Every day my heart is filled with gratitude to God for another day of living. Today, spending time with my precious youngest daughter, Caroline, the Gratitude Meter went wild! It was a day of so much beauty, companionship, and adventure for us, and I believe the memories we made will last for a long, long time.

Gratitude takes my breath away. I catch my breath, heart in my throat, over and over and over again each day. The flaming trees, everywhere we turn here in North Georgia, and the friendliness of folks here. The sweetness of our house, and the comfort of our wide, deep back yard, where the dogs can run with abandon since it is fenced.

And today was perfect.

We shared a Mexican meal together. Shrimp quesadilla for me, chicken quesadilla for her. We talked about a book she is reading for school. We shared how much we both miss her two big sisters, all the way down in South Forida. We decided, impulsively, to go to Babyland General, where Caro once went with her father and me to pick out a Cabbage Patch baby of her own. I introduced her to the charms of tiny Helen, Georgia, and then we took a leisurely drive through Unicoi State Park, near Anna Ruby Falls. All in all, the day was long but filled to the brim with good times and happiness for my girl and me.

Tonight, getting ready for bed, I thought about my recent feeling that God is calling me to wait on my dream for overseas missions. As I thought back on today, remembered the open smile and the joy in my young girl's eyes, I realized that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing for my God and for His kingdom. I am raising this girl to know Him. I am making her a priority. I am showing her that she is more important to me than making my own dreams come true. And that is no small matter, because I have longed for missions for most of my life.

But I keep thinking of that verse that says what will it profit a man, if he gain the world and lose his soul? and I am thinking about another one that says if you have all the wisdom in the world and you do all the good deeds you can think of  and you give to the church and you minister to the poor in His Name, but if you do it without love, if you don't have love, it all comes down to nothing in His eyes.

I don't know about you folks, but I saw love in my daughter's eyes tonight, and it was the love reflecting back from mine to hers. For this one day, my Caroline got that she mattered to her mother, that she was the most important, beautiful, valuable person in my world. That may not be much when you compare it to telling an entire orphanage about Jesus, but somehow, I believe it was enough for God, and I know it was enough for Caroline and me.

Do you have a dream that you have to put off tonight? something you really want to have, to do, to be? and it isn't happening for you right now? The Bible says that hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire, when it comes, brings life.  Day by day, God is showing me the truth and beauty of that verse.

All we really have is today. Right now, this very minute. I just want to fill mine up with Him, which means to fill it up with love. Because that is Who and that is What He is: He is LOVE.

I love you. Thank you for reading my blog. You are one of a mighty crowd of ...let's see...TWO! (You and I!)  God bless your day with what matters most, and crown your life with His abiding love.