It is early morning. Too early. I wish I was still asleep. So many late nights, I'm feeling tired and more than just a touch grumpy and impatient.
I slip away for a few moments on my own, and kneel to pray, Lord I need You to help me overcome this, overcome myself, my weakness, that Your glory may shine.
Give thanks, the prompting comes. I pull out my gratitude journal, and start writing, at first just from memory all the things I had thought ought to be recorded.
Then, after a few moments, peace comes, the One who is Peace, and takes my heart and my hand, and real thanksgiving flows. Little things, things I would have overlooked, big things, things I would have taken for granted.
This heart of thanksgiving was overflowing and all tiredness vanished, and I had the most blessed day indeed!
So much so, that I didn't get to blog last night, so my "Multitude Monday" is actually posted on a Tuesday morning my time. Since it's still Monday where most other participants are blogging, I thought it wouldn't matter too much :)
~ The blessing of late nights
~ Hot showers... that I would be blessed with clean, fresh, running warm water
~ Meeting Grace for coffee & talking of His grace for hours
~ Blog renovation, in time for Christmas!
~ The header photo... as I was looking for something to build my header from, I couldn't go past this photo. Snapped on the way home from work one evening, through my dirty windscreen, it had an aura that photos taken after I got out of the car didn't. Beauty and mess combined is life.
~ The Old Rugged Cross leaving me undone, again
~ The hunger to know Him
~ He was made flesh for us, that He might live within us
~ Christmas tree with family gifts - small tokens of love
~ Little brothers' excitement and anticipation and impatience at opening gifts
~ Joy on faces at perfect, simple gifts
~ Laughing at jokes, such as oldest brother, "Shaving cream and chocolate... thanks! I can make chocolate mousse!"
~ Piles of wrapping paper
~ Friend from afar joining us for Christmas lunch
~ Family feast for Christmas lunch
~ Health and healing to enjoy and appreciate
~ Cheesecake!
~ Dishes to wash
~ Friends to visit
~ Flowers to buy
~ Gifts to give
~ Hugs and kisses and "Merry Christmas!" 's
~ Still more food
~ Dinner with three precious friends
~ The atmosphere and expectation of a packed church and a full house
~ My pastor's preaching on Sunday, "Emmanuel, God with us, revealed in us."
~ "He has so many beautiful facets, and don't just take one and think that is all of Him. The fullness of God dwells in Him, and we must know Him, whom to know is Life Eternal!" - my pastor, morning after Christmas Day
~ Leftovers shared with friends - a feast made new!
~ Boys excitement and preparation and anticipation on leaving for boys' camp
~ Breakout on face... evidence of too much sugar over last few days!
~ Peace over a situation that had been bothering me. He is Peace!
~ Girls sleeping over and talking and not much sleep
~ Lying in bed listening to the rain
~ Spending day with two precious friends
~ Perfect weather for a perfect day
~ Browsing antiques - snatches of past nostalgia
~ Decaf soy latte - and not being able to taste the difference!
~ Miles of old books
~ Shops cute and quaint and elegant
~ Lighthouse... and the cross...
~ Red dirt
~ Cliffs and rocks and eroded greatness
~ The sound the rocks make as the waves recede
~ Foamy white waves - like toothpaste that doesn't taste like mint
~ This earth, reflecting His beauty
~ Fish & chips on the beach
~ Bare feet in the sand
~ Feeding seagulls
~ Chasing seagulls
~ Fur seal on the breakwater
~ Sunlight in gum trees
~ That all things really do work together for good for those that love Him! The joy of seeing, the peace and rest of knowing, that He really does do just that
~ A blog to share my photos on, rather than burying them on the hard drive.
Photos: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and a Monday spent with two dear precious friends, on a coastal drive not far from my home
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