your wagon tracks overflow in abundance

how precious is your steadfast love, O God! the children of God take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

they feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

for with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

from psalm 36

____________________________________________________________________

i ask my soul today, "soul, are you thankful?"

my soul creaks and groans at the early question and is slow to respond.

i ask again, "soul, are you thankful?"

my soul cries out, "Lord, help me remember your lovingkindness!"

and God says, "taste, and see that the Lord is good!":

____________________________________________________________________

praise is due you, O God, in Zion,

and to you shall vows be performed.

O you who hears prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.

blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts!

we shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

by awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,

O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seas;

the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;

who stills the roaring of the sea,

the roaring of their waves,

the tumult of the peoples,

so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.

you make the going out of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

you visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it.

the river of God is full of water;

you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.

you water its furrows abundantly,

settling its ridges,

softening it with showers,

and blessing its growth.

you crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.

the pastures of the wilderness overflow,

the hills gird themselves with joy,

the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,

the valleys deck themselves with grain,

they shout and sing together for joy.

psalm 65

____________________________________________________________________

i am thankful:

for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. the work and lovingkindness of our God in this world, the story that He has crafted from the beginning, is staggering...and beautiful...and incredibly exciting. one day we will be feasting in His presence, at His table. and it will be festal and merry and good. and the table will be ginormous.

for my husband. he is longsuffering. :) he is exactly who i need in every way. he is a faithful gift, a precious treasure, a joygiver, whom i love and respect.

for our marriage. we consistently recieve the "are you newlyweds?" question. this year, when we state we've celebrated our fifth anniversary and are working on our sixth, many brows ascend, eyes get wide, and they say "really? you look so happy." we don't have to say we love each other. they can see it. we are hugely grateful for this witness, cause it's not us - it's all Christ.

for our home. this past year has been has been full of closed doors for a new home. and every time God closes that door, we return to our little apartment and are reminded at how lovely it is, and how it meets our every need right now. it's truly a "manna from heaven" place, affordable, cozy and warm, and now, fully loaded with new windows and door. since we moved in three years ago, we have painted the kitchen cupboards and the master bedroom, updated the kitchen faucet, light fixtures, and cabinet knobs, installed laminate flooring, replaced the toilet, fixed a leaky tub that was flooding the hall, repaired a hole in the house that was also flooding the hall, and built a second bedroom! and when we moved in, we weren't sure we would even be living with our own furniture! God bless our landlady!

for our jobs. God has found for us such suitable employments. they are often difficult and harrowing, but he has crafted each job description to fit our abilities, gifts, and personalities, and he is providing abundanty for us through them. in a season when folks are losing their jobs, we can praise the Lord that He is watching over us, and that not meagerly or miserly or apathetically. we are thankful to our God for the blessing of employment.

for fruitfulness. while we have been in this offspring-less season, God has given us great fulfillment and joy in the busyness and creativity of our hands. there are a great many things that could be listed here (we currenlty are dabbling in the accordian and cello), but let's just say we apply ourselves to many important and jolly pursuits which God obviously is leaving us room for. ;) and, we hope in the God who has shown us in his Word one of his favorite motifs: making the barren woman a joyous mother of children. He loves bringing life where there is none...null and void to creation, winter to spring, death to resurrection, hell to heaven.

for health. having been through a bit of a foggy mess concerning my health these past few years, i am thankful to the Lord for elucidating the foundational issues. my thanksgiving will stay steadfast today, even though i am not allowed to consume the stuffing (which is arguably the ONLY reason to eat turkey). :)

and for a myriad of other reasons, which God knows. "yes," says my soul, "i am truly thankful."

a merry thanksgiving to you joni and paul, sean and jess, uncle brad and auntie bev, daniel and amanda, mike and wendy, caleb, elizabeth, and nehemiah! we love you and miss celebrating with you today.

and a merry thanksgiving to all our dear friends. we love you.