Happy Thanksgiving

I have nothing this morning... I might finish another short story so I'll post that later. I hope everyone has a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. The end of my "Alphabet of Gratitude" R – Rain. I love the rain. There is something about the rain. I love to go running in the rain. I can spend hours out in it – providing I am adequately dressed for it. The key is to stay dry, and warm. I guess I am different then most. Rain does not bring my mood down, if anything it brings it up a notch. S – The Shenandoah Valley. I have lived in, or around, this valley for most of my life. It is some seriously beautiful country. A lot of history, and – so far – it keeps the pace of life at an even keel. T – My Toyota Echo. I purchased this car Memorial Day weekend in 2000. Since then it has performed quite well and gets excellent gas mileage. I am sure this little car has saved me an enormous amount of money seeing how the price of gas has been the past couple of years. U – The uniform. God has really used the military to form me into the person I am today. The time in uniform has also been a good time. I remember the rays of sunlight streaming through the clouds in Honduras just after becoming a Christian in 1989. I remember going to Air Assault school. I had a chance to visit Panama. Performing an ‘Australian Rappel’ has to be a highlight of recent memory. My career in uniform is nearing completion, but I will always have good memories of my time, and I am grateful to God for the Chaplin’s assistant that showed me that it was possible to be ‘gung ho’ and a Christian. I hope to meet him in heaven and say thanks. V – My vision. Although I have worn glasses since before I can remember I am grateful to be able to see. As I think about this so many sights come flashing to my mind. The birth of my children – the site of rays of sunlight coming through the clouds while I was in Honduras – the scenes around my neighborhood – things like that. W – My Wife. I am so very thankful to God for bringing this woman into my life. She has been my constant source of encouragement used by the Lord for almost 14 years now (as of this list). She is my helper, my lover, and my best friend. X – The Xylophone. Son #2 plays this in his music class. I was never able to master it, but he gets a kick out of it, and to see the joy in his eyes when he plays is beyond measure. Y – My Yard. It is a pain to mow and keep maintained, but when I was a kid I never imagined that I would ever own anything like it. I get a kick out of watching the kids run around and play in it. Z – The Zoo. Seriously – ever marvel at the diversity of God’s creation. The zoo is such a wonderful display of God’s incredible imagination. Updates: None Verse for today: Revelation 11 : 15-18, ESV Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, [3] the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”