Giving Thanks ~ Week 5

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods. Psalm 95.2-3

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone but the spirit of gratitude lives on. It was a lovely celebration for us, a gathering of sweet family and relaxing times of reconnecting, sharing, laughter and love. The days preceding were busy but relaxed.  Rather than listing my daily thanks I am going to just bullet point the highlights. 

A lovely stroll along the boardwalk with my sweetie; 

a coffee date on the waterfront. Life is good.

Boulevard Park on a Sunday Afternoon

Taylor Street Dock, Bellingham Bay

Seeing the Lord provide for us in unexpected ways.

Strengthening our faith, even as we felt stretched and tested....

Plans coming together for my birthday celebration next month...

I was born the same year the Hula Hoop was invented... wonder where we're going with this.... hmmm

Road trip! Just a short one this time. 

Bruce and I with my sister and her husband. 

First thanksgiving spent with my sister in DECADES. 

We think the last time we might have spent this holiday 

together was maybe 1983? 

photo credit to my sister Anita, who isn't in the picture. phooey.

Spending the day with extended family.

A walk around the block with our grandson.

three generations of goodness.

 Love spilling over.

 Laughter.

JOY

did I say JOY? I mean, PURE JOY.

 Food.

Games. 

Phone calls. 

Skyping.

A hike for Bruce and I to work off that turkey dinner.

a hike above our town to the overlook

chocolate!

Sunny skies for the most part...

from the Deming Overlook,.

All woven together with God's grace, love and mercy. 

I am so thankful. 

Not Enough Chocolate

Goodbyes are just so hard. 

Yesterday was good in that we finished all the things on the list, go all his things packed and had time together for a walk, some great heart-to-heart conversation and prayer. 

Then it was off to meet the bus. We hooked up with one of the members of his little team at Wood's Coffee, next door to the bus stop. 

The time both seemed to drag out and fly by! I was glad we'd had our private good byes at home because when the bus is there and it's time to load suitcases and get going, there is only the hurried hug and kiss in front of strangers to sustain you and that is hard. I honestly do not know how military spouses endure this.  I got a text from him later that night as he was at his gate and then this morning from Houston just before he boarded for that flight. 

On my way home the check engine light came on on my car and I have no idea why but it's probably a loose gas cap, and then the cat brought in some ginormous moth and turned it loose in the living room and I had to catch it and put it out. I had already indulged a very large chocolate bar on my drive home...

 

funny how crying can exhaust you.. I didn't think I'd sleep but I did. waking up was very difficult this morning. I think I'm on auto-pilot right now. Taking Mom to the Skin clinic this afternoon to have her stitches removed and hear about follow up on the lab results. With the invitation to hot tub after with my brother and sister-in-law, I might just get through this first day OKAY. 

the Fuglies**

do you ever get them? the fuglies I mean? funky ugly moments that make you crawl back into bed and ignore the ringing phone... dishes in the sink.... chores and responsibilities....

I used to think the fuglies were related to my depression but if you have been on anti-depressants for this long and your depression isn't running your life anymore because those anti-depressants are working, then you can't really blame the fuglies on being depressed.

fuglies just ARE.

little black moods that descend from time to time, usually following a busy week or a lack of sleep or a cold rainy day or a prolonged absence of chocolate....

funky-ugly is often associated with house decor that needs to be re-gifted and quickly, but I find fuglies in my brain and my heart every so often and like hair in a drain it clogs things up rather quickly. It annoys and frustrates me. Like a spider web across the doorway it even creeps me out. Other times the fuglies just linger like a shadow, not quite touching but still casting a cloud over the rest of life.

I can't box these up and tote them to the goodwill but I can try and recast them in a better light. My bible and worship music are 2 of the best fugly sweepers I have (with chocolate a close 3rd) but sometimes it is so much easier to just give in to the fuglies and let it sweep me. 

I don't stay in them for long. Usually a day in my jammies alternating between bed and couch, naps and books, is sufficient enough time. It just seems easier to let the fuglies run their course.


**DISCLAIMER: in urban lingo I discovered fugly means something else-- something rather uglier than just funk and I wish to go on record that MY version of fugly means funky ugly.