All is safely gathered in...

        This fall seems to have flown by rather quickly! But I am still savoring the beautiful colors and the smells of autumn - and that haunting sound of geese honking as they fly in formation.

        Tim and I have enjoyed driving in the country the past few weeks and often we have pulled over to watch as farmers harvest their crops. It is fascinating to watch those huge machines as they go row by row getting the grain.

        I have a friend whose husband is a farmer and weekly we have been praying for safety and good weather as he and his son harvested their fields. They have worked hard all year – tilling, planting, fertilizing, and watering - and now they have the fruit of their labor in and stored.

        It reminds me of a phrase from the song “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”:

                “…all is safely gathered in, ‘ere the winter storms begin…”

        While I didn’t grow up on a farm nor understand all that goes into the crop growing process, I do understand about preparing and being well stocked before winter. It is very comforting to know you are ready for the winter season and whatever storms may hit. It produces an overflowing of thanks to our Jehovah-Jireh - the God who provides!

The biggest blessing...

            Yesterday’s events were not what I had on my calendar but I sure enjoyed the unexpected day. Tim was given a route that took 2 children to Indianapolis to the deaf school and required him to stay in town until the end of the school day. So he got permission for me to ride along. We enjoyed the time poking around in a couple of used bookstores and having lunch together.

            But what gave me a moment of pause were the two precious children that rode the bus. These siblings had a hearing problem and had cochlear implants. They captured my heart from the moment they walked on the bus.

            At one point on the ride down, one of the children took off their hearing aid and the other one told me the battery wasn’t working. A new battery would be put in at school but until then we wouldn't be heard clearly. 

            I thought about my own kids and how we hardly had any medical issues to deal with as they were growing up. Certainly nothing like what this family had to deal with every day. I paused to thank God for that specific blessing in our family.

            But as I thought about that, I remembered some friends who thank God for the blessings He has allowed into their families through their children’s medical problems.They live with some pretty hard issues that require an unwavering grip on God’s hand to take them through each day. They are also very determined to be thankful for what He has allowed into their lives.

            Then this morning I was reminded through God’s Word, that He is faithful and generous with His mercies - no matter what the “issue” might be!! That is the biggest blessing…God’s faithful mercies right there every morning for me!