Thanksgiving

This past week we wrapped up the Bible study class we began mid-September.  

It was FANTASTIC.  

I LOVE the woman who teaches the first half of the class.  She is amazing and I LOVE how she teaches the Word of God.  I have prayed long and hard to find a Bible study class that we could plug into and God really just blew us away with how He answered this prayer.  We met some amazingly sweet, thoughtful, encouraging, and Godly people - SO incredibly thankful for this blessing.  

It was hard, but it was a hard that was more than worth it.

The medicine adjustment and chronic health issues continue and the days are sometimes really, really long and really hard.  

But sprinkled in the midst of the hard is, as always, the beautiful and lovely. 

1) "Rags to Riches" is a tv show I watched as a kid, do any of you remember this tv show?  Well, I found it not too long ago on DVD and this week we watched the pilot episode (it is basically movie length) and LOVED it. 

2) I am sad that St*rb*cks raised their prices again.  After the holidays I will have to call it quits for this treat, but in this season I am LOVING the peppermint hot chocolate (their caffeine is TOO much for me, even in the "decaf" drinks, so I stick to my favorite hug in a cup = hot chocolate!) and of course the Christmas cups are my favorite!

3) One of my favorite, favorite things is right around the corner.  The Brighter Winter Reading Challenge.  I could NOT be more excited for this.

4) This is my favorite, FAVORITE, favorite time of the year.  In order to fully immerse myself into the joy, hope, and forgiveness swaddled into that manger, and in order to accurately reflect in true thanksgiving on what all God has done this year...I want to do the 'no-complaining' challenge.  I just checked Jon Gordon's book out of the library and am excited to read it this next week.  I cannot believe how much what we say affects how we see, process, and feel about life.  I want to fight the good fight of faith, but I feel like my vision is obscured so often by my complaining. 

This past week :

Favorite moment : going to our last class

Hardest moment : the daily grind of dealing with chronic health issues

Favorite song : 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel'

Beauty : there are some absolutely GORGEOUS trees - they have mostly dropped their leaves - but WOW were they beautiful while they lasted.    Slowly Christmas decorations are starting to go up and I LOVE Christmas lights.