Good Things

For the past couple of weeks, the local paper has been taking an inventory of the past decade. Most of the historic notes are lowlights--perhaps the most horrific of all is September 11, 2001.  May we not forget.

I decided that I wanted to look at the past decade in terms of highlights.  There are plenty of hard things that happened--sickness, deaths, and disappointments.  Even so, I thought it would be productive to look at the good things that have occurred in my life in the past ten years--some of less magnitude than others, but blessings all the same.

2000
I got a puppy for my birthday.  Wimsey is the gift that keeps on giving.

2001
I spent a lot of time with my family as I was on a one-year leave from graduate school.

2002
When a housing situation fell through, a colleague offered me a room in her lovely house for less rent than I had budgeted.  The difference was exactly the increase I had been asking God for so I could support friends on the mission field.

2003
My mother graduated from college (39 years after she originally planned). I bought my first new car.

2004
I took a 10-day road trip to visit friends in Missouri and Iowa.  I stopped at a Baptist cemetery in northern Missouri and found the graves of my great-great-great grandparents, who settled there in 1842.

 Mt. Tabor, Atlanta, Missouri

2005
I defended my dissertation and graduated from TCU.  Thank you, God!

with cousin Casie at a graduation party

2006
I started leading evening women's Bible study and made great friends.  My parents celebrated 40 years of marriage.

2007

A reunion of college friends in St. Louis.

2008

My father and I celebrated our birthday together eight days before he went home to the Father.

2009

I learned how to grow flowers in the desert . . .

and I connected with my grandfather's cousin John--a WWII veteran, scientist and a gentleman.

J.W.S.

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" Ps. 118:29