This week I am thankful for having Veteran’s Day off–even from blogging! (Who says we can only have Thankful on a Thursday?)  🙂

I am thankful for our Veterans–including my own Grandpa and cousins.  And our active military as well!  Our family participates in Adopt-A-Platoon to send letters and care packages overseas to service members we “adopt” and I would encourage you to check it out.  It’s been very fulfilling for us and exciting and educational for the kiddos as well.  AnySoldier offers similar, one-time, opportunities if you can’t commit to “adopting” a solider long-term.

I’m also thankful for the special blessing of a day off in the middle of our week.  It’s not often that I get one-on-one time with my little guy and we had a good day.  I’ve been under the weather fighting off an icky cold, and it was nice to snuggle with Speedracer and watch a movie while resting up.  “Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”  (Jeremiah 6:16a)

I've got to soak up all the minutes I have left before my little man is too big for cuddling with his Mama.

I’m thankful for the chance to catch up with some of my housework (one day isn’t enough to catch up on all of it).  Having mopped floors is nice.  But having a clean kitchen to spend the evening in with my family is really nice!  The warmth from a clean kitchen and a peaceful family to share it with reminds me of that deep inside warmth of having a clean heart when I stand before God, and I’m thankful for the reminder to keep a short list when it comes to confessing my sins.  “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”  (Psalms 51:10)

Homemade cornbread fritters--Yum!

And I’m thankful for an amazing sermon on Wednesday night from a visiting pastor.  Wow!  A sheathed sword does a soldier no good.  You’ve got to unsheathe the sword when you go into battle.  The sword of God is the Word of God, and we can’t just carry it around under our arm, or leave it on the nightstand, or even just memorize it.  We have to unsheathe the sword as we go into our daily battles–we have to use it.  Apply it.  Live it.  Mr. Fix-It and I both came home feel so…energized!  (Or course, battle metaphors tend to get my attention anyway.  It’s that hot-blooded, Viking temperament I inherited from my dad–along with all his Conan novels and comics.)  “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil….And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God…” (Ephesians 6:11, 17)

By the way, Ephesians 6:10-20 is just one long, detailed warrior metaphor.  So if you’ve found your walk lacks a little excitement, or you’re trying to entice your own little barbarians back to their bible studies, you might want to check it out.  Or email me if you need some help finding it!

Hope you have a good weekend!