One of the coolest things about keeping the gratitude journal has been the fact that we as a family can look back over it- in a way, it is a prayer journal as well. It is amazing to see our own personal spiritual journey as a family played out over the pages. I've noticed that our entries tend to fall in three different categories, which I've loosely labeled as provisions, blessings, and graces. Provisions are specific answers to specific prayers. Blessings are provision for needs we were perhaps not aware of, and graces are those over the top, knock-your-socks-off, blow-your-mind, outta nowhere things that just amaze and delight. By writing these down, I think we are actually seeing the day to day involvement of God in our lives- something that I am not sure we were completely aware of before this. Who would have ever imagined that James would go so long without any real job leads? Yet at the same time, God has clearly kept us and preserved us. Such undeserved grace that brightens each and every day. I thought I'd share a few.

*November. As is typical, we have come to the end of a week wondering where the next one is going to take us. We had enough money to cover the bills, but I have no idea where we will find money for groceries and gas. It seems just when we are hitting the bottom of the barrel, James gets a call for computer work from one of his old clients. This week, we really needed about $150 to make it through, and what do you know, that's the exact amount of the work Mrs. T needed. I am continually amazed at how God provides so specifically, just enough. And it is so obviously from His hand- James hadn't talked to this client in months and months. So cool.

*December. My sneaky little friend R, ok, ok, you know how much we love her! She shared with some of the local homeschoolers that we were having a rough time. Do you know they got together and got seven (!!!) jumbo boxes of diapers for David and Lorelei? I don't think we'll need to get diapers again until February or March. One less thing to worry about, and completely out of the blue. I am so humbled that they cared so much. And such a practical thing too. I probably would never have thought of it myself. I am going to have to file that away for when I get the chance to bless someone else!

A more recent one- I love it when it's not even people we know- it just seems that much more obvious that God was in it, and I often wonder if the people have any clue how they were instruments of God's pleasure.

* February 23, 2008.Today was a pretty tough day. We are all sick with the flu, and horrors of horrors, I seem to have it the worst! That never happens to mama, right? Poor David. He has been so miserable, and come to find out, has a double ear infection. Tough little guy. The cool thing today, though, I just have to write down before I forget. They determined I needed a bag of IV fluids, as I was just a bit too far on this side of dehydrated. I am so thankful that they could do it right there in the office and I didn't have to mess with the crazy hospital at this time of the year. It took about an hour, hour and a half, even on the fast drip. We were at the doctors office from 11 am to just about 3pm. Anyways, the office manager was such a sweet lady and offered us some of their lunch. (The drug reps often bring the offices lunch catered from a local place.) I couldn't really eat, honestly. But the funny thing was that James had said not a day before that he was really craving barbecue. It was a bit of a joke for us, because no one was the least bit interested in eating except for him. Guess what the lunch was? Barbecue! How that made me laugh. He sure enjoyed it. A little bit later, she came back in and asked us if there was any way that we might want to take the rest of the food home- as it was just going to be thrown away and everyone in the office had had their fill. She wasn't joking that there was food left over- full industrial sized pans of barbeque, baked beans, coleslaw, and fruit salad, along with buns and other fixings. Here was dinner for those of us who actually felt like eating, and then some. James says he might make Bean Casserole out of some of it tommorrow…. how cool that even though we haven't had the slightest chance to get by the grocery store or do any sort of meal planning,  it has been provided for us for at least two days! I pray the Lord blesses them there at Dr. B's office- they sure did bless us today!

Picture is our blessings journal, which I made way back in August of 07.