Go outside today and you’ll feel Old Man Winter nipping at your nose and cheeks. It was a winter blue sky, crisp cold 29 degree’s morning when I took Penelope on our first walk of the day. The sunshine yellow blossomed dandelions are still holding forth, haven’t opened their feathery white umbrellas yet. The dandelions are surrounded by tiny deep pink wild flowers, would make a beautiful wedding bouquet for Fatty the squirrel’s bride. I love tiny wildflowers and enjoy searching for them on our dog walks. The bamboo have been dancing under Father Sky’s blue canvas all day, getting their aerobic exercise, playfully slapping each other as they bend and sway to the rhythm of the wind. The cardinals are the only songbirds enjoying riding the bamboo’s swaying branches.

The day’s cold has me snuggled down again watching Gunsmoke. Got on my stationary bike and decided I wouldn’t quit riding till I saw Miss Kitty. Took seven miles of pedaling before she appeared. Was about to give up. Trying to get up to ten miles a day on my bike. Going to the beach with the grandchildren this summer so I want to be able to keep up with them and out run the sharks.

Read this on the internet last night — “I have food on the table, fresh air to breathe, a warm bed to sleep in, a place to call home, and some special people who love me. This is happiness. I am grateful.” Basic necessities we all take for granted and don’t even think about. I have to honestly say I have to remind myself of this when the storm clouds start to gather around me.

The day’s been cold so I’ve turned on my gas guzzler furnace and instead of being thankful for even having a furnace, I grumble about having to pay the gas bill. I put another quilt on my bed from a stack of blankets. Another luxury I take for granted. I open the refrigerator choosing something to cook for supper, knowing I have choices. I’m grateful for the life I live and try to give thanks for my many blessings. But it’s the normal every day blessings I don’t always remember to thank God for. Ephesians 5:20 states, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Bible scripture tells us to be thankful in all circumstances, both good and bad. Why should we be thankful for bad circumstances? Because these circumstances bring us closer to God and deepen our faith. We all suffer as Christians and these difficult times remind us to go to God in prayer, to study his words of faith, to be thankful for God’s grace that gives us hope. God gave us the freedom to choose our own paths. Sometimes we choose the wrong path and stumble along. But God is always right there beside us, forgiving our sins, helping us get back on the right path. He doesn’t judge our shortcomings, he patiently waits for us to go to him in prayer, reaching up to grasp his hands for guidance. Jesus told His disciples, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world,” John 16.33. 

Even in difficult circumstances God is with us. We might feel we’re being punished or God has abandoned us but God’s love is unconditional. He doesn’t want to punish us, he wants to help us through life’s trials. James 1:13 states, “When under trial, let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’” When my daughter was killed in a car accident I felt I was being punished by God. For months I went over the details of my life trying to figure out what sin I had committed to make God punish me so harshly. I doubted my faith, quit thanking God for my blessings. One day Chief told me, “Mama, God didn’t push Rosalyn’s car off the road. Quit blaming him for her accident.” From his words I gradually came to feel God’s healing grace again. My faith in a loving God came rushing back and I realized God was right beside me, guiding me to an eternal life in heaven where I’ll be reunited with her.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” — Marcus Aurelius