Happy Thanksgiving................................. Suk San Wan Khorp Khun Prajao!

Happy Thanksgiving to Brooke in Thailand from your awesome brother Barrett & Lauren who came from Nebraska...what a sweet girlfriend she is!

Suk San Wan Khorp Khun Prajao, Brookie.... from your Mom and Dad...my husband who is faithful and true and such a servant!

Happy Thanksgiving Brookie from your loyal loving sister Blair who flew in from Washington DC and her good friend Ryan who dropped by our house.

And where is our Brookie? It was a memorable moment for me this Thanksgiving Day. Pint-sized Carson suddenly realized our Brookie was missing. He came running down the stairs, threw his hands up in the air like this…

and with childlike humility, with childlike wonder, and a precious puzzled face, he shouted out and asked the question of the day…”Where is my Brookie?”

Brookie, this post is for you. We ALL missed you magnanimously this Thanksgiving.

As your mom, I couldn’t be any more proud and grateful to our good God for you and the choices you have made with your little life in Chiang-Mai to do Joshua 24:14 – “to serve the Lord your God with all your faithfulness.” And as verse 15 goes on to say---you have thrown away anything else beyond that River that keeps you from knowing your beautiful God. Your Mommy missed you more than any words I can find and I thought about you all day long.

I woke up early on Thanksgiving morning, and went for a run---yes, Coach Brooke, you heard me right. One change in my life this year is that I am taking so much better care of myself. Next, I read in my Bible, Joshua 24:23 – throw away anything that takes you away from your good God and yield your heart to the God of Israel….set up a large stone as a witness for that stone has heard all the words your Lord God has said to you. So, I set up a “stone” in my front courtyard as a remembrance of all my good God has done for me this year. It has been so much! I am not the person I was last year, last month , or even last week. He is changing me and I am so grateful to my forgiving merciful God.

We began our trek to McKinney. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Shelby's PGA Tour Club buffet and it was simply scrumptious from Texas tenderloin to the chef's creme brulee for our table of twenty. Here's Toni's three precious adorable ones---Carly, Carson, & Cameron--- who greeted us at the door...The view of the valley seemed unending. The wraparound balcony was occupied by only two brave visitors for it was very unaccustomed cold cold weather for us---Britt chased Carson around and around the freezing balcony as we enjoyed watching warmly the fleeting moments from inside of the restaurant, gazing through the wall of glass doors overlooking the terraced balcony. It's a knock-dead gorgeous place to be. Shelby treated us all so kindly. Here's Britt & his little buddy Carson after your awesome big little brother Britt wore him out on the balcony.

Bev and Lauren @ Anthony's new home where we spent our Thanksgiving...

BIG NEWS! Anthony & Susanna are engaged to be married over Spring Break in Napa Valley, California. ..Barrett, Blair and I will get to go! Oh oh!!

Me and My faithful Sister, Syl. Happy Thanksgiving from Aunt Sylvia. She left today for six weeks in Germany with Teri & Allan---her daughter and son-in-law who are serving the U.S. at an Air Force base---it will be my first Christmas ever without her. We sure don't look alike. Look at how "big" my face looks compared to hers...LOL

Carson gave me first lessons in Wii Sports, something NEW for me...and then karaoke.

Watched the Dallas Cowboys WIN and go 11-1...whoa! At one point, they showed Texas Stadium filled with falling snow flurries...we all scrambled SO F-A-S-T to the door to witness SNOW...so were we in the same town or not? It was on the warm side where we were. I think we were CLOSE to seeing snow.
Happy Thanksgiving Brookie from Toni, my precious niece...you were dearly MISSED.......................................................................................................

Happy Thanksgiving Blog Land...you have NO IDEA how much you have encouraged me this year as we are in such transition, waiting to go back into the ministry. You have been like little arching bridges over dangerous frigid waters to my waiting God. He is our bridge. He is our home. And, you have so brought God to me! No "quick fixes" on this blogland just friends fanning the flame of my flickering faith in my dark days.

I have pondered and wept and lingered so much this week on all the things that have come my way, come to my mind in blog land that I am thankful for. i wrote them down and maybe I'll post them another time.

Above all else I am grateful to my beautiful God for

His Merciful Eyes on me

His Tender Hands supporting me

His Swift Feet running to my rescue over and over

His Haunting Breath that appears Unexpected Unannounced

His Attentive Ears to any word I utter before Him

His Forgiving Character

His Protective Nature fighting for me

His Unequaled Beauty enthralled with even me

His Friendship that will never walk out on me

His Matchless Love I will never lose.

Thank you, my Glorious Awesome Merciful Loving Sovereign Beautiful God

for Zephaniah 3:17

"The Lord, my God

is with you

He is mighty to save.

He takes great delight in you.

He will quiet you with His Love.

He will rejoice over you with singing."

Oh! HE is! HE is!