A fear I’d written about a few days ago came to pass yesterday. As predicted, the wind from winter storm Elliott raged more than 30+ mph when we crossed the 2.5 mile long Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge, and it was quite a terrifying experience. Construction near the center merged two lanes into one, further ensured by concrete barriers. I was grateful for little traffic. At 40′ in length, our motorhome may as well be a huge sail for wind that strong, and on at least one occasion I felt a gust move us unexpectedly. I was so grateful not to be driving; being a passenger was harrowing enough, particularly as I gazed at the wind-blown, chaotic waves below.
Needless to say, I am very grateful we arrived safely. I’m grateful to be someplace for a little while, and I’m grateful that these cold, windy days aren’t going to last too much longer. It’s a beautiful place to be for the holidays!
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. ~Ephesians 2:8
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Yesterday I was reminded of how very, very fortunate I am. Our friends took us to Mexico by way of the U.S. border crossing at Progresso, less than 10 miles from where we’re staying. We’re that far south.
We parked, walked across the international border, and each paid $1 to immediately face a barrage of vendors peddling everything from dental services, pharmacias and chiropractic care to shoes, leather goods, jewelry and lots more. It was overwhelming to say the least.
Shopping at the pharmacia was a pleasant experience, and I was able to pick up some over the counter items that I’ve heard are in short supplies in some places.🙏🏽 My husband thought he might be able to pick up a bottled or two of his favorite liquor at a good price, so we went hunting for that, but apparently tequila is the only thing there that’s really a bargain. Still, the experience was fun! Actually, we were left alone while we shopped inside the stores;🙏🏽 it was outside that we were hawked by both vendors and young children peddling trinkets and Chicklets.
Outside, stalls were lined up one after another, every vendor vying for attention. I really didn’t need a thing, which was good because I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed being pressured to buy, and I can’t haggle. It’s nice to be in a place in life where I’m satisfied with what I have. I have enough.🙏🏽 Actually, after seeing what I saw today, I’m convinced I have more than enough, and for that I am truly grateful.🙏🏽
We ate lunch and continued perusing a little while longer before heading back across the walkway to the blessed United States of America.🙏🏽🇺🇸🙏🏽 I was so grateful that our friends escorted us over—they’d been over several times and knew the drill—and for the experience itself. After inserting 30 cents into the turnstile and showing my drivers license to the stoic border patrol agent, I was granted access across the bridge. It was the first time I used it in lieu of a passport, and it worked, so I was grateful.🙏🏽
What a day God had planned for me yesterday! I can’t wait to see what He might have in Mind today. The wind from the winter storm threatens to be an issue, but we only have to travel 60 miles, so that’s a blessing. We’ll get to where we’re going soon enough.
You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. ~Psalm 4:7-8
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Our 250-mile trip yesterday was uneventful 🙏🏽 and we arrived safely at our next destination which is in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Seeing palm trees along the highway was a complete surprise; I’ve never associated palm trees with Texas. Nevertheless, it was a VERY welcome sight🙏🏽, especially considering the arctic blast about to grip the entire country for a few days.
Our reason for coming here was to visit a very special friend of mine—another RVing, walking buddy of mine. I have been blessed with a few such special friends; we may have met as many as 30 years ago, somewhere along the way, and we still keep in touch.🙏🏽 What an awesome blessing from two activities I dearly love: travel and walking!🙏🏽
I believe the connection to certain souls we meet along the path of life is Divinely orchestrated, and I believe there’s a lesson to be learned from each one. I’m grateful for the gift of a whole day with my special walking buddy. 🙏🏽
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. ~Proverbs 13:20
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That’s exactly what just happened in my life just now (6:30 a.m.)
I’d gotten a text from my daughter late yesterday, one that started with, “I need to vent.” I’m her sounding board, and I’m grateful for that.🙏🏽The text went on to describe succinctly the latest BS involving her ex. I’m grateful she can bundle it all up in a couple of sentences.🙏🏽
This morning I realized I hadn’t replied to her message, so I sent the following: “God, grant me the *serenity* to accept the things I cannot change, the *courage* to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.”
To my surprise, my daughter replied, “I was actually saying that yesterday.”🙏🏽
I realized immediately that this was an answer to my prayers, and I thanked God wholeheartedly. 🙏🏽I also remembered a dear friend who’d recommended a certain book of prayers for adult children that I’ve been praying daily and thanked God for her. 🙏🏽
And the day’s just starting! Actually, it’s a travel one for us, where we’ll drive 250 miles to the Lower Rio Grande Valley to spend a couple of days with friends from Ohio. We were at the same RV resort five years ago and became walking buddies. We haven’t seen them for a couple of years because of covid, so I’m excitedly anticipating the reunion. I feel very fortunate and am so grateful to be an RVer…because of that, I have met so many beautiful souls from all over along this sojourn that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.🙏🏽
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ~Psalm 37:4
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My husband absolutely made my day yesterday when he commented on how nice our bedroom looked, and thanked me for making it look that way. To be honest, I was surprised; surprised he said what he said and even more surprised that he even noticed. What is our bedroom in the RV is small and I usually keep it tidy anyway, mostly for my own sanity.
I was genuinely touched by his appreciation and was sure to tell him I was grateful for his comment. We’ve been married for so long, we have come to expect certain things to be a certain way, not giving much thought to the effort it takes to get that way. This was a reminder for me to be aware of all the things my husband does to keep the motorhome running and in shape, and to put my appreciation into words.
A little appreciation goes a long way.
Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. ~Psalm 51:15
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I think of this mural in Springfield, Missouri, every time I find myself getting anxious about something that’s expected to happen in the future. In this case, Wind. I’m getting all wound up over something I CANNOT control.
Now that we’ve been in southeast Texas for a couple of weeks, I’ve been reminded of just how strong the wind can be here on the Texas coast. It’s forecasted to be ‘breezy’ on Friday, the day we’re supposed to cross over the 2.4 mile long Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway that connects Port Isabel to South Padre Island. It’s the longest bridge in Texas, and it crosses the Laguna Madre and the Intracoastal Waterway.
So I’ve been finding myself fretting over the bridge, its height, the water below, and now, the wind. I could feel my anxiety ramping up, and I knew I needed to do something about it before it got out of control. In a lot of ways, the anxiety felt familiar; I felt like this a couple of years ago when I first started driving the motorhome.
That’s when it dawned on me to do the same thing now that I did then to get over the fear (because that’s what it really was.) I’m grateful for the inspiration and the accompanying willingness to be proactive. I have been learning about driving a motorhome in the wind. Thank God for the Internet, and bless all the people who post How-to videos on YouTube! I’ve also been reading articles on driving high-profile vehicles in windy conditions. And if worse comes to worse, my husband and I have no issue with tucking into a parking lot somewhere and waiting for better weather. My days of living on a boat may be way behind me, but my reverence for Mother Nature has remained.
As much of a concern that it is, I must remember that there’ve been numerous times I’ve appreciated the wind–on hot summer days, listening to windchimes, when I used to sail, and now whenever I fly my kite. So I have to remember to be grateful for the wind, even for the tinges of concern it’s giving me presently. Most of all, I’m grateful to have learned the difference between what I can control and what I can’t, and the peace that comes from that. I give God all the glory for this turn-around in my nature. Gratitude is teaching me to live in Today.
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. ~Matthew 8:26
Something uncomfortable has come up in my world that’s turned my morning ritual on its ear. One of the books of devotions that’s been a staple of mine for several years has been “Jesus Calling,” by Sarah Young; indeed, it was pivotal in my recovery from alcohol addition and eventual return back to God. The daily readings referenced Scripture, which ultimately pointed me to reading the Bible. My morning routine has included that book for at least five years now. This has been my habit and I (usually) don’t mind waking up before the crack of dawn just so that I can begin. My morning time with God sometimes lasts for an hour or two since there is a certain progression of books involved.
I recently learned of the controversy surrounding this book and all of Young’s knock-offs that followed, and it’s given me a lot to think about. It all boils down to whether or not to trust another’s interpretation of Scripture, or to read it myself, use discernment and draw my own conclusions. As I go further and further down the rabbit hole and learn more about the issue, I can’t help but admonish myself for spending so much time and money on other devotional and books…religiously following certain individuals blindly…instead of solely reading the Word of God for myself. Certainly their words must have tickled my ears. Just because every once in a while a Biblical passage was referenced, I assumed ALL the words were true. I violated the rule I advised my daughter only yesterday: Never assume anything.
Admittedly, I am a newbie at reading the Bible. It was not a part of my growing up even though I was ‘raised in the church.’ I would refer to it as I read other devotionals, as though it was secondary. I now see that I had the cart before the horse.
I’m grateful that I now see I had it all backwards.🙏🏽 This morning, for the first time, I read the Bible exclusively, and still somehow spent a couple of hours doing so. My interpretation my not be as polished or even the same as the authors I’ve been reading, but I will get better with practice. I trust God will show me the right way.
I’m also grateful that this experience has taught me to do my own research on other issues, rather than rely on the opinions and words of others.🙏🏽 For far too long I have just accepted everything that was fed to me by the news media, but it’s becoming all too clear that We the People have been lied to about a lot of things. So I’m learning to connect the dots and draw my own conclusions independently.🙏🏽
Finally, I’m grateful that even at my age (68), I am teachable and willing to learn.🙏🏽 Discernment doesn’t come easy, but when it finally does, it rocks your world!
…as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. ~1 Peter 2:2
It isn’t easy watching anyone suffer the consequences of making a poor choice, especially when it’s a loved one, but the reality is that we’re all human and bound to make mistakes now and again.
And while the inclination might be to somehow “save” our loved one from the consequences, taking advantage of a teachable moment might be more valuable in the long run than momentary relief.
That said, everyone concerned is capable of learning something from the experience. I always wonder about the “Why?” What was the motivation was that promopted my loved one to make the choice she did? I speculate that it came down to “being liked.” Or being not liked. In any event, I’m grateful that the lesson was learned at a relatively young age; this particular lesson usually takes decades to learn, if at all.
What pressure our kids–and their parents and their teachers–must be under these days! How, with the Internet and social media, TV, movies as their major influencers, are they supposed to navigate the perils of puberty with its accompanying feelings and emotions safely? How far will we go, just to be ‘liked?’
Probably every elder generation has asked that same question throughout the centuries, so I have faith that the answer will somehow be figured out. By living, we learn.
Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good. ~Job 34:4
I listened to President Trump’s announcement regarding the right of free speech and what he will do within hours of his inauguration with rapt attention yesterday. The collusion of various entities with the intent to suppress vital information to the American people has become so evident that it’s hard not to see the writing on the wall. Admittedly, I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I have a ton of common sense. I remember all too well the campaign for the presidential election of 2016 and the over-the-top hatred of Donald Trump. Previously, he was an icon of a public figure, and all of a sudden, out came one news report after another about something he was alledged to have done. It was obvious that the media leaned towards the other candidate, and I wondered, “Why?” Those like me who supported Trump were deemed to be “deplorable.” That was a harsh condemnation, and I wondered, “Why?” There had to be a reason WHY so many factions were trying their hardest to derail the Trump’s campaign, and eventual election to presidency. The over-the-top, dramatic display of grief that those who supported the losing candidate made me cringe. I’m 68 years old, and I’ve never witnessed a more public outcry against one man. There had to be a reason.
What he said yesterday about the press and media suppressing information about the 2020 election and the covid vaccine made me wonder about the reality in which we’re living. I’m questioning everything and everyone these days. I am suspicious of all the people who came out of nowhere as a result of the 2020 presidential selection and have been elevated (by the media) to positions of authority. And I will never in a million years accept that a man who never came out of his basement during the presidential campaign won, supposedly with the most votes EVER received by a candiate. Please. I’m not stupid. But I think many people have been stupified by the media, the news, and their addiction to their phone and video games.
Wake up. The freedoms we know as Americans are on the brink of extinction. Pray ceasingly, because Satan is preying ceasingly.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. ~Revelation 12:12
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Making the choice to see the world through grateful eyes is a practice that continually brings forth blessings previously unimagined, from the tiny to the huge. And yet, there is nothing new under the sun–I’m just more in tune and aware! A few months ago, I began journaling gratitude before going to bed; instead of what I did that day, I started writing three things that I was grateful for. Now that I’ve been journaling this way for some time, I can look back and see all the things that made me smile, warmed my heart, and made me thankful to be alive. It humbles me to see all the ways God has been good to me in spite of my humaness. God is good indeed.
All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God. ~Deuteronomy 28:2
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