Blessings Along the Way

The long and wonderful weekend ended too quickly. On Sunday, the service at church was a wonderful blessing. Pastor spoke on the Ten Commandments and honoring the Sabbath. I loved how he related to us it was not important what day mattered, but that we rest and make a whole day the Sabbath.

Rest, the word seems almost foreign in our busy, hurry-up, fast paced world. However, God wants for us to find rest. It is a time of standing still and enjoying what God has given us, a time to draw closer to Him without the many distractions that surround us.

December 6th became a day for me to worship the Lord at my church. I enjoy the people who attend there and the powerful sermon. I leave feeling lighter each time I am with them in the Lord. Once home, it was time to prepare some lunch. I felt truly blessed that I could open up my refrigerator and find food. It makes me think of so many others who do not have anything. Our church is preparing Food Baskets and our family will contribute.

This Sunday was a day for me to reflect on the Word of God and count my blessings.

December 7th a Monday. Mondays take me back to work and can be very stressful. As we drive in each morning, I pray. It’s a good time to chat with my husband and pray. I was just very recently put back on to 40 Hours and I thanked God for this. With the economy so bad, husband and I had suffered with reduced pay and hours, but felt blessed to have jobs. I pray for the many who are struggling for work, may God’s hand and blessings be upon you.

The evening brought a couple of ladies from my Monday night bible study together for a new session, weight loss. Four of us meet to start our journey on the Weigh Down Diet. We watched the tape, discussed the book and prayed together. These ladies have been a true God-send to me in so many ways. I have enjoyed getting to know them and develop wonderful friendships. We are praying for better eating habits and encouragement for each other. When I left them that evening, I felt wonderful, determined and so blessed.

December 8th Tuesday was another busy work at work that rushed by. I felt the blessings of a new health plan to begin eating consciously and made it through the day pretty good. I even was blessed with a extra hour of overtime. Praise God, the blessings just keep coming and when you really stop and look or listen, you will find there are many in the day.

Our evening was spent decorating our “’Fat Girl” tree as a family. We had fun loading her down with our lights and ornaments. I snapped pictures and loved the feeling of family. As my son and husband put the final touch of the angel on the top, I felt a rush of love for them both and took their pictures.

Our daughter called later laughing hysterically over the posted pictures on Face Book and we chatted while laughing over the “Fat Girl” tree. I love talking to our children during the week. In our busy lives, we seldom get together as much as I would like, so the phone calls mean a lot to me.

December 9th Wednesday more blessings to count, another extra hour of overtime, safety in our windy drive to work and a pretty good attitude at work despite the stress. My evening brought me to my Wednesday night Church Group and wonderful fellowship. I love this group of people and am encouraged by their love of God and friendships.

So many wonderful blessings this week even more than I have counted here on this page. My journey in the month of December of counting my blessings is making me so aware of what God is doing in my life. Even with some bad news this week and that old stressful feeling nagging at me, I was able to leave it to God and feel lighter. I pray for all that read my blog and count my blessings along with me, that you will also pause during your day and see the rich and wonderful things in your life. December is the month we celebrate the birth of Christ and cherish those we love. Take a moment, pause, breath in the air around you and give thanks.
May you all make it a truly blessed day.

Teresa Gale

Life's Blessings

Life’s Blessings

It’s been a wonderful and long weekend that is coming to its end. Monday will bring back work days and appointment. Today is full of promise and more rich blessings. I am finding that when I close my eyes and see I can find more blessings in my life. It is digging deep into our lives that we find the treasures.

I don’t want to merely flit through life haphazardly missing what is right in front of me, and so often in the past I have done just that. Life is living in the present moment. Each day is a gift from God, a present ready to open and waiting for us to take pleasure in.

December 5 Blessings: I spent the morning with a bad headache; this made me so realize how often I don’t give thanks for good health. I am so thankful I pushed myself along with prayer and spent a most delightful day with my daughter and grandson. We had a fun filled day shopping at Root Candle, Dunkin Donuts coffee and then a yummy lunch at Pizza hut. We laughed and enjoyed the sights and smells with the little guy.

Arriving home, I felt truly thankful for my husband who listened to me about smelling gas in the house. He had been busy working on our furnace all day cleaning it out. It was full of black carbon. God bless that man, he saved our lives. Lord, what a blessing to have my husband in my life who can fix things and works so hard.

After cleaning up, we loaded all five us in daughter’s truck and set out to buy my “Fat Girl” Christmas tree. I love it when it snows on tree cutting day. It was bitter cold, but we bundled up and felt the snow falling around us. Trudging out into the field, Daniel our son carrying the saw as he loves to be our Christmas lumberjack each year sought out our tree. We wound ourselves through the trees, wet ground and snow to find the tree every year I say is mine. My men relented even though she is a “Fat Girl”

The covered bridge made me take pause in the beauty of God’s creation as the tiny waterfall tumbled over rocks. The half frozen pond greeted us with the setting sun dipping into her frigid waters. We trudged back to the barn where hot apple cider and donuts were waiting for us and enjoyed Aunt Bobby’s visit.

Our slippery ride home was filled with laughter and joy over how big the tree was and how we were going to fit it through our door. That will wait for Sunday decorating. Hubby fixed us a wonderful meal of French Fries and ribs for dinner.

A call came from our other daughter who I missed seeing buy her tree as they went earlier than we did. How I adore it when I speak to my babies. I often feel as if our house is empty with our grown children gone and love it when they stop and visit or call. Plans are in the making to get our four-year old grandson soon for a movie date.

My blessings this day were many. Everything from family to new fallen snow made me smile today. I am so blessed to have the family I do who cherishes time together and doing family things. Thank you God for blessing me once again.

Teresa Gale

Blessings

So often I am busy grumbling about this or that. I complain a lot, something I need to pray about. Today, I thought why not count a blessing a day through December. I am sure I could fill many months with a blessing a day.

I truly am blessed and so thankful for all God's blessings. In an attempt to see the rainbow and not the clouds in life, I plan to post my Blessings here often.

December 1 Blessing: I am thankful I am a child of God.
If I were not a child of God, covered by His Son's blood, my life would have no purpose. But God has adopted me into his family and I belong to him. What a blessing!

December 2 Blessing: I am Forgiven.
God sent His only Son to die for my sins. I believe in Jesus and what His blood did for me. I know I am not perfect, but I am forgiven. Praise God.

December 3 Blessing: I am thankful for my parents.
I am truly blessed with an earthly Father I adore and I have had the blessing of two mother's in my life. One has passed away, but God blessed me dearly with my other mom who is truly a friend and an inspiration to me. Thank you Lord for my parents.

December 4 Blessing: I am truly blessed with my Husband.
God sent me a wonderful man who is true, lovinging and a good provider. He is my best friend. I feel comfortable with him and know he is there for me. What a true blessing to have him in my life.

I have counted only four blessings for each day of December so far. I am so blessed to have so many more to count. What are you blessed with? I find blessings in even the smallest things, like walking my two dogs this morning in crisp, cold air today and watching how they took such joy in the walk made me take joy also.

Try it out. Think of all your blessings and write them down where you can see them. When you have a bad or grumpy day, take them out and look at all God has blessed you with. I am sure it will lift you up.

God Bless.

Teresa Gale

I Am A Winner!

I won! I am a winner! It's not often I get to say those words, but I acheived what I set out to do and finished NaNo with one day to spare. My how wonderful it feels!

It's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it. I know I have to find an ending to my story yet, then edit the piece, but it is all possible if I set my goals and keep going.


I want to make new goals and accomplish what I set out to do. That's what winning did for me. It created in me new possiblties, new dreams and new goals. I am thankful that God saw me through my writing. Many days I struggled with words to write, many prayers were said and I always found the words.

In all things I feel thankful. I am a winner and I feel great tonight. Tomorrow is only a dream away and all dreams are possible when I stretch myself to acheive.

Are you dreaming about something? Do you seek to do something you once thought impossible? All you have to do is step out and try. Go for it.

Teresa Gale

Tip Toe Thru Writing

I have found my character in my NaNo challenge this month, but seem weak in where I am going with her. She emerges slowly and the writing is starting to flow. I have been tip toeing through the process, fighting no one but my self.

Being someone who loves to write, I ask myself why I don't write more. I think we all tip toe through life, fearing our gifts, or things we want to do. God has given me a gift, yet I hide it away. I may not be a perfect writer, I may have to do a lot of editing, but I have a heart for writing.

Today my prayer is that God will allow me to use whatever gifts He has given me. I pray that I will come out of hiding and step into the light of what waits for me.

Today I will write my character into the arms of what she fears and see where it takes her.

I hope all you other writers out there are discovering new things about yourself. May God bless you.

Teresa Gale
November 2009

Struggling to Write

It's a horrible thing to happen to someone who loves to write, you find you can't. It's like a clogged drain that has grown rusty. I seldom write anymore and I think that may be the problem. When you don't practice the very thing you enjoy, you get out of practice.

Today, I am going to pray about it. I know all things are possible through God and if we seek him, he answers.

Do you have something you wish to do but struggle with? Why not call upon God and listen for His answers.

Teresa Gale

Words Waiting to be Written

I am stumped, truly stumped. I am not sure of what to write and today is the first day of the challenge. I have wracked my brain for the last few weeks, knowing what I don't want to write yet not finding the truth of what I need to write.

Words are locked inside me, stuck, trying hard to escape into the air.
I sit frozen, staring at a blank page. "Just write" I tell myself, "It will come."

So, off I go to pound the keys praying God sends me words.Words that are the window to my soul.