Dear Ones,
A blessed Thanksgiving Day to you! May all our hearts, hands and voices be filled with gratitude, thanks, and praise to  the One who has done wondrous things and in whom this world rejoices; Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love and still is ours today. May your day be filled with praise and thanksgiving! 
Thank you for prayers for our trip as we arrived safely after a wonderful visit with a dear friend in D.M. We enjoyed a yummy supper at Kurt’s and an evening of catching up and games. This morning will be preparation for a thanksgiving feast and our hearts are filled with so much gratitude, joy and thanks. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart 
   Thanksgiving is a time to remember. Too often we forget the goodness of the Lord and go on with our lives without thought for the amazing things He has done. We are told often in scripture to remember as when the Lord told His people in Duet. 6:!2 (God’s Word), who were about to go into the Promise Land, “Be careful that you don’t forget the Lord, who brought you out of slavery.” It is important that we also remember where we came from and how the Lord has freed us from the power of sin. Or like David, we can praise Him from our hearts as he said in Psalm 103:2, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and never forget all the good He has done”; David goes on to name how the Lord heals, forgives and rescues, and crowns us with mercy and compassion, filling our lives with blessings. Wow!
  Too soon we can forget what God has done in the past .and focus on the negative. We must be more intentional about remembering and thank Him when memories come up of what He has done in our lives in the past. We can thank Him with songs of praise, prayers of thanksgiving and maybe even keeping a praise journal where we can write in those times of remembrance.
    One of the experiences that came to my mind was years ago when we were living in Des Moines and taking the family to grandma’s for Thanksgiving. The car (not an SUV), was packed with all 5 of us and a dog and we no more started and noticed that Interstate 35 was getting slippery. It wasn’t long before we started seeing cars in the ditch and soon semitrucks. We always prayed before a trip but I think we prayed all the way to Minneapolis. We counted over 200 cars and trucks and when we were about half way there, we wondered if we should turn around and go home. But that would mean going back on the same slippery roads and we kept going. When we finally arrived, our hearts were so grateful and I’m sure as we shared at the table what we were thankful for, we all felt so grateful the Lord took us safely there. I will always remember that trip, and when things seem to get stormy, we know Who we can depend on!
  Perhaps you remember times when the Lord took you out of a tight situation or healed you or lifted you out of a depression etc. It is reason to give thanks with a thankful heart.
  Challenge for today: Share a time you remember that you experienced the Lord’s hand, touching you in a special way.
Blessings to you on this Thanksgiving Day and prayers and love, Judy
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