Psalm 105

By Kelly Bridgewater

Psalm 105

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

Seek His face evermore!

Remember His marvelous works which He has done,

His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

O seed  of Abraham, His servant,

Your children of Jacob, His chosen ones!"

*Verses come from the New King James Version of the Bible

Lord,

I pray for everyone reading this. Give them peace and a wonderful day. Allow them to have plenty of food and love around the table as we celebrate a day of being thankful. Not that we shouldn't do that every day, but especially today. Allow them to make memories and maybe even share tons of what you have ton so far this year in each individual lives.

Amen.

Psalm 75:1 and 100

By Kelly Bridgewater

 Psalm 75:1

"We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!

For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near."

Psalm 100

"Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to al generations."

*Verses come from the New King James Version of the Bible

Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and friends. Every year, we invite my family over for Thanksgiving dinner. But the last couple of years, we have had friends come with their families because their parents live a couple of states over. It is hard to drive so far with two little kids for just a couple of days. We play games after eating and laugh a lot. It is a lot of fun. The dogs and children even run around outside, burning off some of that extra energy from the pumpkin, pecan, and peanut streusel pie. I love the cooler temperatures and enjoy having everyone over for the day.

I pray your day is just as wonderful and full of memory making moments.

Thankful

By Kelly Bridgewater

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving. While the whole idea of Thanksgiving seems weird to me since my ancestors are Native Americans, I still spend time with my family, and we mention the items we are thankful for.

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Here is a short list:

1. The ability to worship and tell others about God.
2. The ability to spend time with my family without feeling quilty.
3. My husband
4. My three boys, who are growing up way too fast.
5. My extended family . . . Mom, Matthew, Alicia, Mason, Makayla, Miquel, Von, Steve, Stephanie
6. The ability to still think about family members who are gone that are missed greatly . . . My Daddy, Auntie, and my grandfather (all who left this earth for heaven six months apart :(   ).
7. My house
8. My dogs (Happy, golden retriever, and Snoopy, beagle)
9. A job for my husband that provides just what we need to serve God and raise our family, even if there really isn't a lot of more for elaborate vacations like a lot of people I know.











10. A loving husband who doesn't force me to get a job or look down on me because I don't financially support our family. I homeschool our youngest son, cut our four acres, and take care of our garden and chickens among cleaning the house and keeping appointments in order for the family.
11. The ability to read and write what I want.
12. Being debt free!!!
13. Food to eat.
14. Boys that love me, show respect to others, and are developing a love for the Lord, which makes me smile all the time.
15. I'm glad that I'm American, even though our country is losing its values so quickly.

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THANKFUL

By Kelly Bridgewater

Yesterday was my birthday. Yes, on Thanksgiving. It happens every so often. I ate turkey, mac and cheese, potatoes with gravy, green beans, deviled eggs, a salad, and some pie. Pie. Not cake. It happens when my birthday falls on the holiday. My mother, brother, and sister came with their families, and we celebrated the day together. After the meal, my mother, sister, and I cleaned up while all nine grandchildren ran around in the woods behind our house. It was nice to have them run off that piece of pie that they ate. 

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Having my family together means more this year after losing our Daddy last Halloween. It has been a rough year, but it makes me want to spend more time with my mother before I lose her too.

I'm thankful for:

- A loving God who is always there for me, even though this past year has been a HUGE struggle in really believing that he cares about the decisions I make in my life.

- A supportive and loving husband who works really hard to provide for me and our boys. I love my husband who is definitely more romantic that I ever will be, even though romance isn't big on my priority list.

-Three high energy boys who love me. Even the teenager still talks to me when a certain girl at school catches his interest. I hope that keeps up. He knows that I want to know about things like that because it is important to stay in connection with his mother. 

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 - A God-fearing mother who loves God and teaches everyone about God. My mother has always had us three kids in church our entire life. I don't remember missing church much. It was such a part of my upbringing that is why my husband and I continue taking and teaching our boys about God.

- A little sister and older brother who is always there for me. No matter what. If I need to call and talk to them, they are both there to listen and offer their assistance. I couldn't imagine better siblings. Even though when we were younger, I don't think I would have ever said that.

- My loving books and joy in writing. I have loved books and writing for as long as I can remember. My life has revolved around creating imaginary stories and reading tons of books to fill my day. I don't understand how people, like my boys, don't enjoy getting lost in a good book.

What are you thankful for? Not just because it is Thanksgiving, but because it is good to remember all the great things that the Lord has given us. I'm thankful that you take the time to read my ramblings. Thank you! Have a good holiday!

A Thanksgiving Prayer

By K. L. Bridgewater

Heavenly Father,

As we come to another season of thankfulness and my birthday, I want to thank you for a few things this past year. First, I want to thank you for my husband, Michael, for the past thirteen years. Without him, I don’t know if I would have finished my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. I probably would be worrying about how to pay my bills. I wouldn’t be exploring my ability to write. I wouldn’t be a stay-at-home who has the time to write while watching my children grow. Even being at home, my children seem to grow too fast at times, but then on the other hand, they sometime don’t appear to grow at all. The life of a parent.

I want to thank you for Elijah, my oldest son, who is in seventh grade and twelve years old. I love the creativity you have given him, and the child-like faith he still has even though the world is probably pressuring him to change. I enjoy watching him build and play with his Lego’s. However, please help him control his hyper movements and allow him to be a big brother not a parent. His time will come soon enough.

Next, I want to thank you for Isaiah, my middle child, who is in fourth grade and nine years old. I enjoy his moments of wanting to be cuddled, even at his age. He loves to crawl in my lap and just talk to me. It still feels nice when he wants to do that. Isaiah love language is spending time with others. When you don’t pay attention to him, then he starts to become moody. However, please teach him how to control his temper and learn to keep his room clean.

Obadiah. My baby. He appears to be so big at times, that I can’t believe it. He started kindergarten this year, which still surprises me. Lord, keep his love of learning going as he advances through the years. Allow him to absorb all he can from his teachers and never leave his competive spirit. I pray for his grace and understanding as he grows older. I pray that his joy of sitting in my lap and being read to advances him to a life-long reader.

I thank you, Lord, for my two dogs, Happy, our seven-year-old golden retriever, and Snoopy, our three-year-old Beagle. I couldn’t imagine anyone having a home without a dog. They love you unconditionally and are always happy to see you. Whenever you feel down, they know it and will sit next to you, wanting you to pet them, which will put a smile on both your faces.

Last, I want to thank you for the desire to write. I want to use my words to lead others to you. I want to create a story where the reader forgets their reading a book, but they learn something about your grace and love and ponder if they should be seeking you with their life.

Thank you, Lord. I appreciate the path you have set my life upon. I thank you for your saving Grace in my life, even though a lot of times, I don't feel like I deserve it. Thank you for loving me!

Your daughter,

Amen.