Nature: Day 15 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

Today I'm focusing on being thankful for this beautiful world God has created. I love nature enjoy getting outside whenever possible. Even though today is an overcast, gray-skied day, I had a wonderful walk this morning. First of all, I'm very thankful to have recovered from a recent string of illnesses. While I still need to take it easy and rest more than usual for a while, it's a huge blessing to be able to walk for exercise again. 

Even in my busy suburban neighborhood there were many natural autumn joys to see. I saw a squirrel feasting on an acorn, birds flying, beautiful red, feathery Japanese maple leaves and some late blooming black eyed Susan flowers. 

I like to pray as I walk and getting outside helps me connect more fully with God. Although the skies were overcast, for just a few seconds there was a break in the clouds and the sun shone right on my face. It was like a kiss from the Lord. Beautifully touching and a moment well worth savoring and being thankful for.

What are you thankful for today? What natural beauty surrounds you? May God bless you and keep you, dear friend!

1st Blogiversary: Day 14 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

Our old cat, Moose, celebrating my blogiversary
(scroll down for more funny cat and hat photos)

^"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Col 3:17 (NASB)

Today I'm thankful for my one year anniversary of my Love, Joy and Peas blog, and especially, for my dear readers. Thank you for joining me on my blogging adventures! I hope that you have enjoyed my posts and photographs and those of my guests. Special thanks to Brian Dering and Denise Arvaneh for allowing me to post their photos and artwork, to Joshua Otte for the candid interview and to Janet LeRoux for sharing her sacred (and super organized) crafting space with us.

As I reflect on the past year with Love, Joy and Peas, I realize that I've had some very successful experiments (I'm still doing smoothies with sneaky greens every morning and the only mornings I've missed in the past year are those for which I had no electricity), some that were not so successful (my attempt at minimalist spending) and some that are still in progress (my 2012 reading goal list). I've stumbled into some interesting events, such as the Eagle Festival, an Orchid Jubilee and a birthday party for some Andean bear cubs.

I'd sure love it if you would celebrate with me by following the blog publicly (even if as an anonymous user). Google shows only 21 "members" and I guess they only count public followers as more kind folks than that have told me they are following me. Also, if you haven't already, please check out my Facebook page.

Overall, it's been a great year. My deepest desire is to encourage, inspire and bring joy to people while honoring God in all I do. I fall far from the mark sometimes but God's still working on me. To God be all the glory! May God bless you and may you feel His loving presence in your life today.

Moose was far more interested in playing with the rock (I couldn't find a pom pom)
thank in wearing the birthday hat.

So once I got a decent shot (the first one in this blog post) I let her have the hat.

And she decided to snuggle up and go to sleep with it. So cute!

Avoiding Misfortune and Snake Bites: Day 13 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

"But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary normisfortune." 1 Kings 5:4 (NASB)

Today I'm thankful that I didn't end up stepping on this 6-10' snake (I could see about 5 feet of the snake and his belly hadn't started to taper down at all so I think that less than half the snake was visible). I have no idea what kind of snake it was but we definitely surprised each other (If you know what kind of snake this is, please let me know). Thankfully, even though I almost stepped on it, it just stayed still and let me back away. I went to find my husband but by the time we returned the snake was gone. 

This made me wonder, if I could almost step on a giant snake because I'm so busy looking at leaves and flowers, how many other misfortunes have I unknowingly avoided? I have no idea, but I've decided to be thankful and dedicate today to praying for those who are suffering serious misfortunes. Please join me in praying for the homeless, jobless, seriously ill, enslaved and other suffering people. May the God of all peace strengthen them, provide for their needs and bless them, and may God bless you, too, dear reader!

Note: It was determined to be an Eastern Ratsnake, the largest of snakes common to Maryland.

America: Day 12 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

Photo by kconnors

Today I'm focusing on being thankful for my country, the United States of America, and for being born an American. I'm thankful for freedom, the right to vote, the ability to worship God freely, access to excellent health care and abundant food. I'm thankful for our Constitution, Bill of Rights and democracy. I'm thankful for my fellow Americans who look out for their fellow citizens and does their best to make our country a better place. I'm thankful for our emergency workers, police officers, fire fighters, military members, volunteers and everyone who dutifully makes our world a better place by using their talents and skills for the greater good. May God bless America and may He bless you too!

What are you thankful for today? What do you love about your country?

Veterans: Day 11 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 (NASB)

Today, I'm focusing on being thankful for our veterans. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for serving our great country. Thank you for the countless sacrifices you've made in your personal and professional lives. Freedom truly isn't free, and we wouldn't have it without our veterans. May God bless you, dear veterans, and may He bless America.

Seasons: Day 10 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." ~ Ecc. 3:1

Today, I'm focusing on being thankful for the seasons. Here in Maryland (surprisingly, considering the winds we had from hurricane Sandy), we still have some trees with lovely autumn color and it's a beautiful fall day. Spring is still my favorite season, but I'm learning to appreciate all of our seasons. Each has its own special beauty and opportunities.

I must admit that I loved living on the central California coast, where the seasons are much more subtle. It was nice to grow flowers all year round and never really get hot or cold. But it's also nice to experience the four seasons more fully. Wherever you are today, I hope you'll take time to appreciate the beauty around you. May God be glorified in this and every season of our lives and may He bless you, dear reader!

Books (Including a Free one!): Day 9 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

Image source

Today, I'm focusing on being thankful for books. As a Christian, the Bible (available free on the internet through Bible Gateway and other websites) is my number one most favorite book but I like all kinds of books and am an avid reader. Books bring such inspiration, joy, knowledge, adventure and fun to life that I can't imagine a world without them.

What are you reading these days? Please comment below if you feel comfortable sharing. Do you read one at a time or more? I tend to read several books (ok, many, really) at a time. Usually one fiction book and a bunch of nonfiction books. At the moment I'm reading a bunch of books from my 2012 reading goal list, plus some others, including the Bible, Outlive Your Life, The China Study, Super Immunity, Everyday Prayers, The Chicks with Sticks' Guide to Crochet, Soul Space and The 8 Minute Organizer. To save money, I make good use of my local library system (for which I am also thankful).

An author acquaintance of mine is also celebrating gratitude and thanksgiving this month and I'm thrilled to be able to share a free Kindle edition book, titled Minimize to Maximize by Annie Jean Brewer with you today. You can download it for free for four days (now through November 12, 2012). You don't even need to have a Kindle. Amazon provides a free online Kindle reader to its account holders (that's what I use to read the ebooks I get from Amazon). For folks who cannot use embedded links here is the full link for her free book: http://annienygma.com/2012/11/thank-you-2/.

Happy reading and may God bless you!