Thanks, just thanks.

Today, is the 4th Thursday in November - the day set aside for "giving thanks" for all we have been blessed with. I cannot even begin to count the myriad of gifts I have received; especially since my eyes have been opened even more to finding them on a daily basis! So in honor of Thanksgiving, I'll share just a few.

I come from a rather large family, so we gather every other year. This year I am in the PA chimney corner, celebrating the day with my youngest son, Michael, who is a student at Edinboro University. Along with his girlfriend, Morgan, who is sharing her apartment this weekend with my husband and me, we are putting together the traditional Thanksgiving meal later today. 

We arrived safely on Tuesday evening following a non-eventful 5 hour drive along mountainside roadways, just as the sun was setting. We shared delicious college town pizza and spent some time just catching up. 

On Wednesday, we spent some time at a nearby mall - where I found the best deal on some shoes I actually needed. After picking up a few last minute grocery items, we headed back to have dinner ready when Morgan got home from work. 

When dinner was finished, we spent time chatting with the southeast PA corner kids in Philly. My son Joe, his wife Ali, and  my 1 month old grandson Sebastian visited with us via FaceTime. The rest of our evening was once again spent just hanging out, chatting and watching a movie together. In between, I made some phone calls to friends and connected with some others online.

This morning in the quiet, I am alone at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of coffee and a slice of pound cake Morgan made last night. Her cat is sitting with me just delightfully purring away as I type this post out on my phone. Soon the kitchen will be busy as we put the turkey in the oven, and assemble the green bean casserole before heading out to a matinee at a nearby movie theater. We'll have this last full day to visit before we make the return drive home in the morning. (The visits continue with the Philly kids and some of the extended family meeting up on Saturday.)

So, nothing extraordinary, nothing earth shattering about these last few days. Just simple gifts. Everyday blessings that we so often take for granted: safe travel, gorgeous sunset, really good pizza, shoes at an incredible price, phone calls to family and friends, a coffee pot pulled out of storage just for me, and of course the time we'll spend preparing and sharing the meal later today. 

I've been charged with keeping my eyes open as we move into Advent and on to Christmas. Seeing the gifts that surround me on a daily basis, accepting them and unwrapping them carefully, sharing them with others, and "giving thanks" to the one who has provided them - that is what I am truly thankful for. I have everything I need, and I am truly thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!

A long time later....

More than a year has passed since I last posted anything. I have not been without my Glimpses of Grace - as a matter of fact there have been so many  that I could never put them all together in one place. I have been along some of the most extraordinary paths of my spiritual journey in the past year. My growth has been unbelievable -  to the point of almost daily being overwhelmed by the glory of God's love.

The simple fact that I spent time reading over these blog posts tonight was in and of itself a true gift - an outpouring of God's grace that rescued me from my day. This past June, I retired from teaching - the subject of a post to come. It was truly a "God thing" - something I discerned for months, answered the call, and have not looked back. However, I still do not have a clear idea of just what it is that God wants me to do. That is now my current discernment. Today was the first time since this new school year began, that I was not specifically needed by anyone. I have been helping some friends on a regular basis, volunteering at my church and with another local organization - cultivating the community I have grown to love, feeling needed and being blessed by that feeling, taking time to be led, taking time to just listen - being available for whatever it is God wants me to do with my day. Something or someone has always presented itself each day. Until today.

My consolation has been that God has simply wanted me to be made available, that something may (or may not) eventually present itself as the reason for my retirement. This morning, though, I lost that perspective. I failed to see just why God wanted me to be available today. I wasn't miserable, just confused. I found myself totally distracted, unable to settle long enough for prayer and reflection, really not accomplishing much of anything at all. No one needed me - or so I thought.

This evening, something (Someone!) pulled me back to this blog - back to the beginning of a journey that has proven to be one of the most exciting things I have done with my life so far. The connections to what is happening in my life right now were absolutely stunning. The replies from a now dear friend as we were getting to know one another back then, the thoughts and prayers that I had over a year ago mirroring what I am currently searching within my heart, the physical connections to people I mentioned, even a song that played on the radio as I read them, and my newest background photo on my FaceBook page - they are all connected!

Through the tears streaming down my face I felt release. Someone did need me today - my friend, my love, my Savior. Jesus needed me today. Jesus needed me to remember that I did make the right decision, that I am on the right path, that I do want to follow wherever it is he will lead me. Jesus needed me to just take the time to love him. I didn't need to do anything - I just needed to allow Jesus to need me.

This morning I had one of my "wake-up calls" at 3:00am. I went out onto the deck and just stared in awe at the stars. The song "Overwhelmed" ran through my head, and I quietly sang along more than once in praise of the beauty I was witnessing. This evening I requested that song on the station I listen to regularly, and as it played I knew that I truly was overwhelmed - by the glory of creation, the many glimpses of grace throughout the day that I almost missed, and by the fact that Jesus needed me - just needed me to love him.