Do You Get Your News From Twitter?

Twitpic

Thankful this US Airways plane landed safely in the Hudson River. Thanks to Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III - A Pilot's Pilot Can you imagine! And they all survived! I have to tell ya, I got this news first from Twitter! I was on a Mommyblogging phone call, which was exciting enough, when this news came across Twitter of all things.

So my first instinct was to check out the news on other news networks, well, no news. It was a fair amount of time before MSNBC confirmed what I first heard on Twitter. :) As it turned out, the guy who made the "Tweet" saw the plane land in the river. Real life.

Just wanted y'all to know another reason I'd love to see you on Twitter with us. :) Since I am in spreading the info mode, I wanted to share a blog I just discovered when she popped by Carolina Mama, Ginger @ Embrace Life! I love her story thus far and her positive outlook on life and the great resources she shares. Check her out. And she's a Carolina Girl.

Finally, I want to shout to/with Grace Alone's Thankful Thursday (somehow my post dates are delayed, so it's Friday and we are Thankful Thursday).

1) My Family;
2) A Happy New Year 2009;
3) My bloggy friends of 2008 (and 2009) ;)
4) Starbucks coffee and lattes;
5) God's Creation - hiking, jogging and enjoying it;
6) Thankful the US Airway passengers are safe; and
7) Sunshine on a very cold day.

What are you Thankful for today? Y'all have a great day!


Warmly,

Thankful Hearts Among Tough Situations

My thankful heart is heavy for the many tough situations around us.

In our blogging lives, I find it encouraging, fascinating and fun to have all of the camaraderie and fellowship. I love the escape in a sense of the world around us. After all, we've all created our blogging worlds quite nicely. I count on it. You friends are the 'stuff life is made of' and I wonder how blogging didn't exist long before now.

I'm thankful for blogging and voices it represents. My own voice, your voices my friends and a glimpse into your lives, and idea. I love the friends of blogging. An encouraging word. The praises and prayers we share.

My mind is wrapping around thankfulness. Thankfulness while it is full of situations that one would wonder how to find thankfulness. I struggle to understand the friends and friends-of-friends close by who have had diagnosis of cancer. The young mother who wasn't feeling right and two days later she was gone leaving behind her 3 and 5 year old daughters.

Or our former church elder's Thanksgiving evening - their fourteen year old daughter fell when the branch on the tree she climbed snapped - she died. Another dear sister in Christ who is facing her first Christmas and Holiday Season without her sweet daughter who died Christmas Eve last year.

As a Believer in the God of love, I know His promises are true. I also know He is in control and will work all of this to His good and glory. My eyes can't see but my heart can have faith. Right now, as I hear each thing and pray earnestly as I shelter "The Tigers" from the news, I chose to trust Him with the details, the uncertainty and the wanting to have things go my way.

My way - in the sense of not wanting any pain or grief or sorrow. My way - wanting all joy and happiness and success. All prosperity. And yet I am struck by the fact that prosperity defined not only as material gain but by physical flourishing and to grow strong and healthy.

As I recall one of our favorite family verses - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 - it occurs to me that God grows us to His prosperity in many ways. May we be joyful in "flourishing and growing strong and healthy (in Him!)"

Then I chose to be content in His plan and hope in Him.

Warmly,

Being Thankful and Sunday Scripture - Have a Blessed Day!

Being Thankful - Babble Playground
Just love this post, "Being Thankful - Babble Playground" posted on the Canadian Thanksgiving this past Monday. Julie Cole, my friend at Mabel's Labels reminds us all to be thankful.

Here's one of my favorite quotes of hers: "motherhood can sometimes regress into a culture of complaining. Easily done - an entire group of humans who are sleep deprived and whose lives are no longer their own. Admittedly, I'm not a big complainer. I was raised by a non-complainer and it worked well for our family. I figure if I complained more, people would listen less and I quite enjoy feeling like my voice is heard."

Isn't that great. I most likely appreciate it because I too was "raised by a non-complainer and it worked well for our family" too. The whole article is worth a read and will leave you - well, thankful.

"I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High." Psalm 7:17

Warmly,

Family Hike and Prayer for Family Friends

On this ordinary weekend, my family has spent great time together and you see in the pictures above, we've truly enjoyed Creation.  Something has been on my mind since an email popped open this morning.   A dear friend wrote, "I found out on Wednesday that I have breast cancer.  Even as I write those words, it still seems so surreal...like I'm acting in a play, or talking about someone else.  I have absolutely no risk factors (age, family history, lifestyle) that would put me in this position.  But, I have a God who has seen fit to allow this cancer into my life and therefore, into the lives of you all, my dear family and friends."  She is an awesome Christian wife, mother, daughter, friend.  They have three sons.  Young sons.  They are precious boys age 5, 7 and 9.  Please join us in praying for God's will, protection and peace upon this great family. 

 

Our days truly are numbered.  Are we living them as if today were the last?! I'm reminded again why I love to count my blessings. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers for this dear family.