Endless Blessings

When you get in the habit of looking for little blessings throughout the day, it sure makes life more enjoyable.  And you start noticing more and more of the special gifts God shares with us throughout the day.   They're all around us.  Even when challenges arise, they don't seem so bad because you are more in tune with God's little gifts.  Here are a few of my Blessings from the past couple days.  I'd love to hear from you.  Would you mind sharing some of your blessings with me by clicking "comment" at the bottom of the page? 

* Having lunch with my good friends Jet & Vickie, whom I used to plan Classic Club trips with when I worked at the bank.  (#80 - great memories!)  We haven't worked together for over 7 years, but that doesn't stop us from meeting for lunch every December to catch up with one another.  (#81)  Jet always brings each of us a bag of homemade caramels, which I always look forward too - they're awesome!  (#82) 

* We attended a benefit for a friend of ours who lost his lower leg in an accident at work.  Just being able to go, and show our support for Ben, is a blessing to us. (#83)  The attitude that Ben has, despite all of the challenges he faces, is remarkable.  He is a great example for everyone.  (#84)  We enjoyed good food, fellowship, and a silent auction.  At the end of the night, we left with a really nice (simple, yet beautiful) solid oak Quilt Rack.  Yay!  I needed a place for my quilts, other than in a pile beside the couch.  I got to meet the man who made it, after he saw Chad bring it over to me at the end of the auction.  Butch said he made one just like it for his wife.  It was a blessing to visit with him.  (#85)  God has given him a special gift of craftsmanship.  This quilt rack will always remind me of Ben (whom the benefit was for) and of Butch (who used his hands to make something so beautiful).  (#86)

* Chocolate Fudge.  (#87)  I decided to make some fudge with a jar of marshmallow creme, and because my eyes aren't as good as they used to be, I misread the recipe.  Instead of a 5-oz can of evaporated milk, I used a 12-oz can.  Oops!  After I realized the mistake, I searched for another recipe that would solve the problem.   I found one, but the amount of butter was way different.  I didn't want to throw out what I had already started, so I decided to make it with a little extra (okay, a LOT extra) butter. Ten TB too much butter isn't really that bad; right?  My sister Erin gave it a new name:  "Butta-Fudge".

* Christmas Lights - WOWZA!  (#88) On our way home from Ben's benefit, Chad surprised Jillian with a little drive to see some fantastic Christmas lights.  They decorate like this every year, and it takes up half of the city block, both in the front yard and back yard.  It's amazing!  If you roll down your windows, you can hear Christmas music playing.

* Favinger Christmas (#89) - This is the Christmas celebration we have with my grandparents, which is always on the 2nd Sunday of December.  It was my aunt Sandra's turn to host, and she asked me to bring Chicken Tortilla Soup and some munchies.  It wasn't until we got back home and started puting things away that I realized I forgot to add the Cilantro to the soup this morning.  Ooops!  There were 30 of us that were able to make it today.  My grandpa said that he has a lot of friends who don't get together with their kids and grandkids as a big group over the holidays.  I've heard people say they don't realize the good that they have until it's gone.  I hope our extended family doesn't take these gatherings for granted.  Some day, they may regret it.  Here's a picture of my grandpa and grandma (#90 - who celebrated their 65th anniversary this fall), and then one of all the kids - grandma's rule says "you have to be in the photo unless you're no longer in school." 

* Supporting Tiny Hands International by attending an Open House (#91) at my friend Laurie's home.  I got these two really cute handmade coin purses at the Open House.  They are all made by girls who are rescued from human trafficing in Nepal. 100% of the proceeds from their product sales go towards supporting and improving our children’s homes, anti-trafficking efforts, and women's empowerment ministries.  You can help too:  order on-line, host a "Product Party," or visit their store in Kearney at the Old E-Free Church (across from Harmon Park).  (See the back & front?  Aren't they cute?!)

* Sweet & Sour - One thing we do with our kids every night as we tuck them in is talk about our "Sweet & Sours" for the day (#92).  A sweet is anything good that happend or we enjoyed during the day.  And a sour is anything was wasn't particularly enjoyable.  Jillian likes to add the category "silly" each night where we say something that made us laugh during the day.  Sometimes they surprise me with their sweets & sours & sillys.  Othertimes I'm pretty sure I know what they'll say.  Either way, it's always a time I look forward to each night at bedtime.  It's a blessing that doesn't go unnoticed.

Thank you, God, for all that you provide.  =)