Look Up, Look Out, Look In and Say Thank You First!

 

Lord please before I say Lord thank you. Maybe I need to switch that up. I don’t want to have a short memory on all the good in life and dwell on the losses of life. My focus needs to be to look up to Him, look out to others and look in at my strengths rather than my faults. 

Today is two years since I lost my sister to Covid and Rosie lost her daughter and son-in-law to a drunk driver. What I hope to focus on this Thanksgiving is all that they meant to us. Believe me I will be praying for Allen and the kids as they struggle with the second turkey day without Teri. But it is time for me to be thankful even in this loss. 

Teri always had a gallon bag of her famous beans to send home with me. She made the best rolls for her family and never failed to have a gallon of ice tea waiting to quench our thirst. She was loved by all the girls in our family that she painted their nails while getting to know them better. Teri spent Sunday afternoons doing her own nail routine. She wasn’t satisfied with using a nail polish but mixed colors for just the right hue. People tended to think her nails were fake because they were so lovely. I never did get the nail polish bug from my sister. She also tried hard to find just the right lotion so I wouldn’t have elephant feet. It didn’t matter how good the healing potion was if I didn’t take off the cap and actually put it on my feet.

One of my biggest treasures came while Mom was on Hospice. I stayed at Teri’s for those last several months. It is an opportunity most of us never has to live with a sibling as an adult. We laughed and enjoyed Mom even to her last day. The day before Mom passed, Teri and I were sitting in her room having coffee and just being together. I am so grateful for our time together. What a gift and connection we had that summer. At the time I didn’t know just how precious this time together would be. God is good and gave me so many memories from our time together. 

So today I am looking up and am thankful. I am looking out and am grateful for our growing family. Last, I am looking in and having a gladness that I have good health to travel and the gift of writing my heart, my faith and my joy. God is good all the time. All the time God is good. 

In Him,

Joyful

11-24-22. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!