Continually Give Thanks

to him who alone does great wonders,

who by his understanding made the heavens,

who spread out the earth upon the waters,

 who made the great lights,

 the sun to govern the day,

the moon and stars to govern the night
Psalm 136 4:9

Bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth;

Who fosters men's growth from their mother's womb, and fashions them according to his will!

May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you;

May his goodness toward us endure … as long as the heavens are above.

Sirach 50 22:24

“Dear children! Today I invite you all to rejoice in the life which God gives you. Little children, rejoice in God, the Creator, because He has created you so wonderfully. Pray that your life be joyful thanksgiving which flows out of your heart like a river of joy. Little children, give thanks unceasingly for all that you possess, for each little gift which God has given you, so that a joyful blessing always comes down from God upon your life. Thank you for having responded to my call. ” BVM August 25, 1988

May a joyful Thanksgiving be yours....

 

Thank Him

Being in a small construction business with my husband and partner for almost thirty years, we have ridden the waves of economic change many times. For the most part, we have always fared well. Nevertheless, there have been times of great struggle, not only to bring in new work, but also to collect from certain clients on work already done.

It was one of those times when collecting had been difficult, that the call came in from a general contractor who stated to me that our draw checks had arrived and I need to drive out, pick them up, and sign necessary releases, which is a common industry request.


Never having been to this contractor’s office before, I typed the address into MapQuest, printed my direction sheet, and out the door I went. It was about a 35 miles trip out into a rural area of Riverside County, which wouldn’t have been a problem if it weren’t for the road construction and detour signs, which of course, weren’t included in the directions I had printed! In no time at all I was lost. There were no service stations or roadside businesses to stop into and ask directions, so I keep driving, determined to find my way. After about 20 more minutes of hopeless searching, frustration had set in and I looked up and said “Dear Jesus, please send me someone who can show me the way”. It was just that simple of a prayer.

As I made my next turn around the bend, to my pleasant surprise, there was a small group of Caltrans workers. They were working on the road ahead. I pulled over and rolled down my driver side window. “Excuse me", I said." I seem to be lost; could you show me how to find this address?” One of the men walked over to my car and smiled, “sure lady, let me see where you want to go.” As I handed him my direction sheet, I looked at the stitched name tag on his shirt. His name was Jesus! He told me where to take my next turn and that it was only about 5 minutes away. I thanked him, looked up to heaven, and thanked Him.

 God is an awesome God! He is always there for us, and I am forever grateful!

Reflection:  As we gather around our Thanksgiving tables tomorrow, let’s not forget to thank Him for all our many blessing. And please, remember to add an extra prayer for all the people that are unemployed, struggling to put food on their tables, and wondering how they going to pay their bills.


God Bless