As the snow gently falls in Oswego County it is easy for me to be thankful. We have good health, a home, heat, running water, food available, and three vehicles for the three employed people who live in our home. Rather than worrying about how to stay warm or what we will eat today, we have the blessing to look out our clean windows and choose to be thankful. We don't have the biggest house or the newest cars. We might not have the all the food we "want" but we have more than enough to fill our needs. I am thankful.

Why do I share this today? Simple, as I volunteer at one of the local food pantries or through my job at the local school district. I have seen first hand the effect of worrying about one's basic needs being met. We too have lived this life within the past few years. This is the first year we were able to fill our fuel tank with the 150 gallon minimum. For a couple years my husband and brother-in-law were getting twenty gallons every pay day to get us through and we prayed it didn't get too cold. We kept warm in blankets and learned many lessons.

As you pick up your journal today, write about what and who you are thankful for. How have you seen God provide for you in ways that only He could have. I remember a time a couple years ago when we had to pay a bill by a certain date to avoid disconnect and as we prayed...God was already answering. On the last possible date, an unexpected check arrived in the mail for an over-payment for the exact amount needed to pay our bill. God is good.

Instead of focusing on the worries or stressors, focus on ALL THERE IS TO BE THANKFUL FOR! There is so many things we can choose to recognize and thank God for. He uses our neighbors, family, friends, churches, and strangers to meet our needs EVERY DAY. I hope you fill your journal page(s) with the ways God's provided for you. Never lose hope!

As I talked with a friend who blessed me with a quilting magazine and gift card for JoAnn Fabrics, I told her both are appreciated and I had a pattern (or 2 or 3, lol) I hoped to create over Christmas vacation. Somehow my writing came into the conversation and it was thanks to a magazine, the written word, and a friend that I realized something.

It's a challenge to write because when I completed a chapter or piece of writing, my mom was first one to read it. She offered honest (sometimes editorial honest, lol) feedback and I went back to the drawing board. The only time she wasn't reading and editing was if the writing was a gift for she and my Dad. As I thought about this epiphany last night and woke up with it still on my heart I realized something, Mom would want me to write. She knew my heart better than myself. 

As Mom made notes one night, she left this. Dad found it after she passed and shared it with me so I snapped a picture to remind me. On one page she told me to keep writing, I tear up thinking about it. A few pages later there is another note and it ends like this, "...few minutes later laughing, thinking to ask Lisa to write me book Christmas, lol" I did laugh when I read this because as I cared for her in those last weeks and days she told me I should finish a book I'd been working on. We both laughed and I told her "In my 'free time' Mom", and we laughed even more. I didn't write her a book for Christmas last year and with only a week until this Christmas, there won't be a book this year either.

BUT thanks to God, friends, and a note she left behind...I'm ready to create. I'll use the gifts God's given me to share hope, inspiration, and joy with those I meet and even some of you that I'll only know via the Internet and written word. As I work out at the gym or putter in the sewing room I've realized something, both these things relieve stress AND give me ideas of things to write. I might not be writing as much as I used to or working towards a publication goal BUT my heart and desire to create and share with others has been restored.

Call it a Christmas miracle, a gift from God and my Mom from Heaven, or me finally picking my selfish head out of the sand...it's time to create and share with others. You might not have a new book to read in 2017 written by me but one thing I promise you...you can find me here blogging and sharing snip-its of stories and pictures of projects completed. There are so many ways for us to utilize our gifts to encourage, uplift, and inspire others. Mom can see and read from above, who knows, she might be enjoying me taking a break and not pushing so hard to meet self-set-deadlines. 

Love is a word used too easily in today's society, at least this is my opinion. I'm guilty of over using this word myself, so when I state the "common"ness to use the word love, you aren't alone. This week of Advent offers Bible verses and thoughts to ponder focusing on God's love, on Jesus' love, and our love for others. 

Today's story starter isn't for a story but instead, a letter. This week, let's write a letter to someone and share with them from the depths of our heart.

You might write a letter to someone you love very much and express this, and the reasons for this devotion. If it's possible, deliver this letter to them to read. If they've passed away, seal the envelope and lock it in your safe or tuck it in the junk drawer so you can be blessed in a moment when you need it. It is therapeutic to express our love for another, even if they can't read it.

On the flip side, maybe you want to write a letter to someone who has loved you with a Godly and unconditional love. Write a letter of thanksgiving to them and let them know how much their love for you has impacted your life. Sometimes we take for granted the people closest to us, your note might be the encouragement and boost your loved one needs to keep a smile on their face. 

If you feel ambitious and like living out Advent to its fullest, write two letters. Write one to a person you love and one to the person who loves you. Wrap them up and gift them to these people. The best gifts at Christmas don't cost money...your words are gifts worth giving. Give it a try.

The next few weeks of advent focus on love, joy, and peace. Through a little research I learned that depending on your religion and possibly where you live, the order of these varies so I decided to post in the order of hope, love, joy, and peace. For some, I'll be correct and to others, you can discuss how I have them all mixed up. Either way, people will be talking about Advent, Jesus birth, and the hope, love, joy, and peace we find and you can find in Jesus. So it's a win-win, right?

I remember the first Christmas celebrated after I realized the difference between going to church and having a relationship with Jesus. It's an overwhelming thought when you reflect on it. I thought about my daughter and how much I love her then I thought about what God did. He gifted Jesus to us because He loves us, He loves YOU! I love my daughter so much and can't imagine my life without her, I can't imagine letting her go into a dangerous environment, more or less sending her there. Can anyone reading this relate or even comprehend the magnitude of God's gift to us?

LOVE, this week is about love. God and Jesus modeled PURE LOVE to us. My hope lies in them, my hope is for Heidi to be found and returned home. To know how much God loves Heidi and my family, and to know God is in control, I HOPE He answers everyone's prayers and brings Heidi home and He is glorified through her discovery. May all our missing loved ones return home. May all your hurts be healed. May you know how much God loves you, yes YOU!