We’ve been at home for 2 nights, and that means I have brain-space to write. To the women who can roadtrip it (even living in campers) with your spawn for weeks or even months on end, hats off to you. I am definitely not you, so I might as well not compare myself to you. Every time I get home from traveling with the kids for more than 3 days I feel like we’ve lived through a season of Survivor! 
It’s suddenly winter in the countryside, the first frost has come and gone and the trees are almost bare and the ground covered in reds, browns and yellows. Today it’s rainy and finger-numbing cold, which reminds me of our Himalayan mountain life, and that made me pretty nostalgic. I especially miss my neighbor “Kalpana”, her resilient, joyful nature, and the chai she made daily in our home (sometimes four pots of chai a day if there was chilly weather or company!). So in honor of Kalpana I made some masala chai with my chai patti brought home from India. And I’m making dal makhani in the pressure cooker! I have a mug with Kalpana and Little Miss grinning big on it, so in the vein of the day’s nostalgia I’m sipping from that mug as well.
It still strikes me how warm it is in the house here, despite the cold outside. I can’t see my breath and I don’t need a winter coat on inside! Insulation and central heat are incredible things for which to be grateful!
And just in case I forget that I’m in America, I’ve got my pumpkin spice candle burning. 😉
I love this Thanksgiving month with all of the #grateful posts on social media, reminding us over and over to count our blessings. In fact the past couple weeks of travel have just been filled with blessings, so many that I find myself fighting tears just thinking about it. We had hit a dead end with our plans and business start up, and suddenly it’s like the damn burst open and new contracts made and opportunities opened up and finally we can start to see a path being cleared ahead.
I’m so very grateful!
And it reminds me that no matter what profession we serve in, what stage of life we’re in—whether it seems uncertain or set-in-stone, God cares about our plans, and He is always Jehovah Jireh, our provider. So often I get all wrapped up in the unknowns that leave me clinging, striving, attempting for control, and I forget to meditate on Scripture.
Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. (Ps 37:5)
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Pr 16:3)
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Ps 3:6)
So we do our part, and then we trust Him to bring our desires and plans to life.
Today it’s been two weeks since Tyler’s stepmom went into surgery and is still in the ICU and in need of a miracle. She is making major strides and there is marked improvement for which we are grateful, but we are heavy-hearted and praying for our Nona and Pops. She’s very private so I hadn’t shared till now, but would rather have all of you praying for them with us. Please pray for her recovery and full healing.
And remember how much God is doing on your behalf– in all the little and big things– and choose gratitude today. You won’t regret it!
3 Comments
Thank you for the reminder to meditate on scripture. There is so much else that vies for our thought life that it is easy to get caught up in questions, unknowns, and what-ifs.
Love you guys.
I, too, love this time of year, and I always make a commitment to be more intentionally grateful in every season of my life. It has a tendency to wear thin and I become forgetful sometimes after the holidays, but I am fully aware of just how much I have been given. I long to live a life of gratefulness, this month, and always.
Thanks for your beautiful words and reminders. Love you!
A friend in our community who lives in a one room home, with nothing but a bed made of wooden slats and a couple plastic chairs and who is in constant pain while she is fighting cancer told me today that she had been given so much and has so much to be thankful for compared to others that don’t have homes and have to work on the streets. I am thankful for your reminder and for hers today, I k ow I needed it!!!