30 Days of Thanksgiving ~ Day 5

~ I thank God for my memories of grass, I grew up on a farm. It made me happy to see still green grass in the summer air with contented cows grazing

~ for the painting I allowed myself to buy for the room in my newer house. Because we are unsure what we are doing it is hard not to stay in a standstill with decisions, but with two kids still 12 and 7 that is not the thing to do

~ the painting was just right for the room

~ I decided to thank God for my problems as well as my blessings like this morning the cat came back inside while I was leaving. Maybe perhaps it was better for me to leave at a later time, who would know that?

~ cheerful family members

~ a lovely surprise in the mail. It seems I am well organised for Christmas, I won't have to worry. I didn't write down what I had planned, now I see it is all organised. I know I didn't go ahead with a food voucher that I was going to use for my son's pantry when he goes to uni, but I think that will be OK. We can keep back some items from our hamper like spices and spaghetti sauces



The theme today is water. What an image "your soul shall be like a well watered garden". I was in my garden at the newer house on Tuesday, though it was drying out and we were there to fix the watering system, the lush growth from the rains was still evident. The English styled plants were at their optimum heights with flowers everywhere. It was a joy. Here is a picture of my solomon's seal.

"“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” (Isaiah 58:9b-12)

...The secret of life is to love the Lord our God, and our neighbours as ourselves. But how are we to love the Lord? We cannot manufacture love. We cannot love to order. We cannot by an act of the will command its appearing. No, not in these ways is love created. Love is not a work, it is a fruit. It grows in suitable soils, and it is our part to prepare the soils. When the conditions are congenial, love appears, just as the crocus and the snowdrop appear in the congenial air of the spring. What, then, can we do? We can seek the Lord’s society. We can think about Him. We can fill our imaginations with the grace of His life and service." ~ Anglican Prayer blog

11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

58:11 Guide thee - Like a shepherd. And he adds continually to shew that his conduct and blessing shall not be momentary, or of a short continuance, but all along as it was to Israel in the wilderness. Satisfy - Thou shalt have plenty, when others are in scarcity. Make fat - This may be spoken in opposition to the sad effects of famine, whereby the flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen, and the bones that were not seen, stick out. A garden - If thou relieve the poor, thou shalt never be poor, but as a well - watered garden, always flourishing. Fail not - Heb. deceive not, a metaphor which farther notes also the continuance of this flourishing state, which will not be like a land - flood, or brooks, that will soon be dried up with drought. Thou shalt be fed with a spring of blessing, that will never fail. ~ From Wesley's Notes on the Bible

There is a whole website with these two scriptures Jeremiah 31:12 and Isaiah 58:11 called Watered Garden.

I am thankful for the lack of water restrictions here at the moment, and that the weather has warmed up and we don't run out of hot water, our hot water doesn't run out in summer. I am thankful the river is high from melting snow. I see contented cows in lush pastures and am thankful for that. It really is such a joy, such a lovely color, summer grass before it dries off. I was blessed by that sight yesterday as I drove to get my groceries. By the way there is a small amount of snow left on our mountain.