Kelli at “There is No Place Like Home” is hosting a special Thanksgiving meme this week to prepare our homes and hearts for Thanksgiving next week. I was so excited when I went to her blog either last week or the week before and found the announcement for this meme…..God has really put it on my heart to put HIM back into our Thanksgiving celebration.

 

This year we are spending the day with friends at their house, so I don’t have complete control over what kind of “mood” there will be for the day, but I am planning on bringing some things over to share with everyone there to help us be mindful of giving our God thanks. (I will post more about that tomorrow).

 

Today I have two things that I want to share….

Actually, three things

 

First a scripture….this is my favorite “Thanksgiving” passage in scripture.

 

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his ^[a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

 

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

What I am thankful (this is not a complete list, of course, just what is coming to mind to my sleep deprived brain right now

• I am thankful for a God that loves me NO MATTER WHAT
• I am thankful for a God that sacrificed His son for my sin, and that I accepted that gift 20 years ago
• I am thankful for the husband that God brought into my life as a friend at the age of 11, and as the love of my life and my best friend at the age of 21.
• I am thankful for the children that the Lord has blessed us with They make me smile
• I am thankful for God supplying all of our needs, and many of our wants……He has blessed our family with so much!
• I am thankful for a church family that is a pleasure to worship with and serve alongside of.
• I am thankful for the right to be able to home educate our children
• I am thankful for an extended family that has stepped in where my own mother has abandoned me and her grandchildren
• I am thankful for a mom and brother that I love and miss so much
• I am thankful for friends that stick with us through thick and thin!
  

Lastly I wanted to share a couple of appetizer recipes that are from D’s Mom and Step-Mom.

Artichoke Dip from Marci’s Kitchen

(I posted more about this, and a crockpot adaptation for this here )

13 3/4 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped (these are packed in water, not marinade)

7 oz. can mild diced green chilis

2 c. shredded sharp cheddar (I use Kraft 2% sharp cheddar)

1 c. mayonnaise (the full fat type, you can’t use light or fatfree….it gives it a funky texture)

1 c. light (not fat free) sour cream

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a small casserole dish. 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve with pieces of bread or crackers (we really like this on Wheat Thins).

And then from my D’s mom…..

Spinach Dip in a Bread Bowl

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed (do not use fresh)
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise

1 (4 oz.) pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
Loaf of Kings Hawaiian bread (the large round type of loaf)

 

Squeeze spinach until dry. In medium bowl, stir together spinach, sour cream and soup mix. Add finely chopped water chestnuts and green onions. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Cut slice from top of round loaf of Hawaiian bread, hollow out loaf to leave shell to contain dip. Use bread removed from shell and top slice to cut into bite size pieces. Fill loaf with dip and place on platter and surround with bread pieces and variety of raw vegetables and crackers.

 

 

Now Kelli has challenged us to share:

-What you are thankful for
-Thanksgiving traditions or memories
-Recipes
-Craft Ideas
-Decorating ideas
-Your menu
-Cleaning/Organizing “before” and “after” pictures
-Anything having to do with Thanksgiving!

And is giving daily progress of the cleaning/organizing that she is doing in her own home. Well, feeling challenged by this, and knowing that Christmas (which I get to host for the very first time this year) is just around the corner, yesterday I spend about 30 minutes cleaning the walls and ceiling in my kitchen and dining room. Boy were they dirty….I had no idea! I do clean up the spills and splatters when I see them, but I realized while on the step stool yesterday that there have been a few that I haven’t seen, and just the dust and cooking grease accumulation on the walls was pretty heavy. Who knew? But I really do notice a difference, and am so excited to have that done with! Today’s job will be to clean out one cabinet and one drawer in the kitchen, and get some assignments ready for the kiddos for school next week that can be done independently without too much help from me…..I have A LOT of baking to do next week for my bread customers.

Have a blessed week, and please share what you are doing to prepare your hearts and home for Thanksgiving!

 

 

This question was asked on an email loop that I belong to. The question was asked by a wonderful ladie that is concerned about a close friend of hers that has a 2 year old with a corn allergy, and another baby on the way. The mommy is a stay at home mommy and Dad is in seminary and works as a pastor (small salary). The friend is concerned because the family lives very much paycheck to paycheck, is unable to put any money into savings, and is still buying organic foods and expensive organic laundry detergent, etc. I can wholeheartedly understand the friends’ concern….and here is my response to her…..

_____,

I have to agree with ______ about personal convictions. There are so many ways that you can help them, but I would be cautious about offering advice about their diet. For our family, we live on a tight budget, have one car, live very frugally, etc……, the 2nd largest portion of our budget is for food and household items and pet items. We do feed our pets a premium food, because they are healthier on it and we don’t have to deal with vet bills. We do feed our family premium organic foods (that I “shop” (compare prices, buy on sale, buy in bulk, etc) very carefully), and I do use natural cleaning solutions (Many of them are homemade though). We have been able to get our health care bills down CONSIDERABLY by doing this. We are much more healthy, and we wouldn’t change this without the Lord telling us specifically to do it. We do live on a budget, we do budget for our choices. We don’t go into debt to live the way we live. Our children do not go without clothes or shoes or a warm/cool home (although we do set our thermostat differently than many people) for us to eat/live the way we do. This is something that Dh and I spent many years praying about and gradually working into our way of living.

Thank you for your concern for this precious family….it is very nice. But you really can eat organically on a budget….we do! I feed a family of 6 (with 4 of those 6 eating like adults) on $600 a month, and that includes pet care as well as home care and toiletries.

So, my question to you would be……Would YOU still buy organics if you were on a REALLY tight budget?

Let me preface this by saying, I really enjoy getting up between 4:30 and 5 am each morning…..I like to use the wee hours of the morning for exercise (which I DESPERATELY need to get back to!), spending time alone with God, housework, crafting, watching the news…..pretty much anything that I can do quietly :)   Shhhh, don’t tell my family, but these wee hours of the morning before anyone else is up, really is my favorite time of the day.   Don’t get my wrong, I treasure each moment of time that I spend with my family, and am EXTREMELY protective of my alone time with D each evening after the kids are in bed, but my morning hours are so precious….that is like my recharge time :)    Well, for the past several weeks/months, I haven’t been very diligent about getting up early for MY time.   I have desperately missed it too!

One of the big reasons that I haven’t been very diligent is that D and I have been staying up later.   In the evenings, after the children go to bed we enjoy sitting together and watching television.   We have a DVR so we record our shows and watch them at our convenience……and of course, it is hockey season, so we’ve been watching a lot of hockey recently.   Anyhow, last night, one of our shows ended at 9:20 or so, and I looked up and saw that it was “MY” bedtime (which I’ve been ignoring for the past couple of months) so I asked D, “Can we go to bed?”   He looked at the clock and said “Well, ya, that’s fine”…..so he gathered his things and we went to bed……I read for a few minutes and fell asleep I would guess by 9:45 or so.   Other than getting up once around 10:30 to help r get settled back into bed, I slept very soundly all night.   Oh, my goodness!  I feel so refreshed this morning!   And you know what?  I didn’t ignore my alarm this morning!   It went off, and I woke up and hit the snooze button and started praying.  I prayed until the alarm went off again, then I got out of bed.   I got so much done in that time before I needed to start D’s lunch and breakfast…..it was great!

Sleep…..blessed sleep!   And A~ if you are reading this,  I’m sorry for bragging about my good night’s sleep.   (A~ has a 4 month old baby girl that loves to nurse at night :)…..I miss those days, but I definitely don’t miss the waking up several times a night to “plug the baby in”   hehehehe

I just found out about the Carnival of Beauty weekly thread. It sounds great, and this is my first Carnival of Beauty entry. This week’s entry, The Beauty of Fire, is hosted by Lindsey.

Right now I am studying the book of Daniel in a Beth Moore bible study guide/DVD series. In session 3 (chapter 3 of Daniel) we studied Shadrach, Meshach and Aded-nego and the fiery furnace. One of the things that Beth Moore pointed out in the video session was that God has 3 ways of getting us through a crisis.

Scenario A–God delivers us FROM the fire. He allows us to look into the face of the trial, but we don’t ever even smell like smoke or have any trace of being even near the fire once we are past the trial. The example that she gives is (this is a HUGE paraphrase), we find a lump and go to the Dr. They do scans and see it there… the Dr. tells you that he has never seen this type of growth be anything but cancerous. He is SURE that it is cancerous, and schedules you for an ultrasound guided biopsy. You pray, and when you go back for the biopsy, they scan again and the lump is no longer there. God delivered you FROM the possibility of cancer.

The dividend of this scenario is that our faith is built.

Scenario B–We can be delivered THROUGH the fire. He allows us to go through the trial, but then delivers us on the other side. The example that Mrs. Moore gives for this one, is that same lump. You go in for the biopsy, and it is cancerous. You go through all of the cancer treatments and it is successful….you are now cancer free.

The dividend of this scenario is that our faith is refined.

Scenario C: We can be delivered BY the fire straight into His arms. We go through the trial and are delivered straight to the Lord through death. The example given for this one was the same cancerous lump….you go through all of the treatments, and end up dying. Your suffering on earth has ended with PERFECT healing….a new glorified body free of illness and injury and eternity with God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The dividend of this scenario is that our faith is perfected!

While I would not choose to go through the fire of trials, I have seen my faith refined through some trials. And built through others. I will not lie, I am grateful that the Lord has not chosen to perfect my faith through death…..but I do recognize the beauty of the fire in that!

Yesterday, one of the ladies on the Making It Home Yahoo Group posted about having problems with praying while going about her daily routines in her home. I responded, and in the past 18 or so hours, I have been “bombarded” with thoughts and messages from the Lord about this very subject. So I decided it must be because He wanted me to blog on it. First of all, I wanted to post some scriptures…..

This first one, Psalm 116:1-2 is in the New Living Translation (NLT)

1 I love the LORD because he hears and answers my prayers. 2 Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath!

Here is the Lord’s command on prayer….spoken through Paul to the Thessalonians. Now I personally believe that this IS a command, not a suggestion.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (New American Standard (NAS))

5:17 Pray without ceasing

^{5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus}

^{Here is what I wrote to the Making It Home group…..}

^{I often pray when I am cleaning, cooking, sewing, crafting, etc. This habit started 2 years ago when I was crocheting Christmas gifts for family members. I wanted them to be a gift of love, and what better way to love on someone than to pray for them? So I would sit in the afternoons and evenings and crochet and pray for each person that I was crocheting for. I don’t remember it feeling awkward, but as a mom of 4, I sometimes find that the only time I have to really pray for people, issues, is when I’m busy doing other things.}

^{In the Bible, we are instructed to pray without ceasing. Paul was an example of this. The thing was, Paul didn’t lay prostrate on the ground praying all day, every day, he went about his normal business, and I would imagine that much of his work was done while having conversations with our Creator.}

^{Also, praying while I’m going about my daily routines, doing dishes, baking bread, cooking, etc, helps me to keep my thoughts focused on the Lord, and keeping my mind from wandering to what could end up being impure thoughts and whatnot. In my own personal life, I have found that having an “attitude of prayer” helps to also keep my thoughts captive.}

^{This morning I opened my email to find a e-newsletter from Women of Faith….guess what the subject matter was? You got it! Prayer! They wrote that there are many different ways to pray (using prayer journals, using memory devices to remind you to pray (such as “remember the bunch at lunch”) and reading prayers from early church leaders as springboards for your own prayers). For me, I just like to have “an attitude of prayer”. I have found that the days that I wake up with a prayer on my lips (my heart, actually), it is much easier to spend the day “praying without ceasing”. Yes, I do have focused quiet time with the Lord most days (I find I can focus better, and have less interruptions early in the morning before the rest of the family is up), but the days that I am able to spend the day in an attitude of prayer, my days tend to be much more peaceful, and purposeful! Any moms, wives, sisters, etc should know what I’m talking about……you know the old saying “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy”…..well, that is SOOOO true in our home! Even before children, my attitude really sets the tone for the rest of the family. If I wake up in a bad mood, and don’t change it quickly (with the Lord’s help), it is often THOSE days that by 10 AM I am calling my husband at work just about in tears because everything is going wrong! I tend to blame the kids, the pets, the phone, the this, the that, but REALLY the blame lies with me! It is those days that if I go to the Lord in prayer (sadly, that is usually a “last resort”…..but I am working on it!….I AM a work in progress, you know :)) and ask for an attitude change, and begin the praying without ceasing, my day, my family, and life in general begins to look brighter and sunnier.}

^{How do I have an “attitude of prayer” or “pray without ceasing”? I have an open line of communication with God. While I am making breakfast, as I am cracking the eggs, I may pray “THank you Lord for my r and her love of life and eggies”……while reminding the girls to feed the cats and dog, my prayer may be “Thank you Lord for the gentle spirits that you have given my girls”……while folding laundry, I may pray “Lord be with __________ when he/she wears this”, etc. If the Lord brings someone to mind while I’m doing something, I will just talk to God about that situation or person while I am working, crafting, etc. Another way that I have found to have an “attitude of prayer” is that if I am talking to someone and they either specifically ask for prayer, or I see a need for prayer, I will pray for them right then and there (sometimes out loud with that person, other times just in my heart……need to work on the praying WITH them though…..that means SOOOO much to people!).}

^{My prayer for this post is that it isn’t just rambling and non-sensical, but that it will touch someone’s heart, and help them in their relationship with Christ.}

A couple of days ago I posted a prayer request for a precious family that some of you may know through the blogging community.    I just found out through the Making It Home yahoo group that Biblical Womanhood is sending a “CARE” package to the Godfrey’s …..   Please visit Crystal’s website to encourage the Godfreys.    And if you are still interested in being a part of the prayer chain, please go to Amy’s Dandelion Seeds site.

And Susan, if you ever visit my little blog here, please know that I am praying for your family!

This week I have been reminded how much I take my husband for granted (these were internal reminders…..from the Holy Spirit….not anything external or from my husband).   I won’t go into any details, but I realized that I need to be retraining myself to not give him the leftovers from my busy days.    He needs the best of me, and that includes my looking attractive for him.

I realized this week that I not only need to do this for him and for me, but also for my 3 daughters.   They need to see this example!   My sweet little r reminded me of that this week when one afternoon shortly before D got home from work, I was brushing my hair and teeth and spraying on some of my favorite body spray.   r came into the room and said “Mommy, I know why you are spraying that on”   I asked her “WHY?”   Her answer was “to smell pretty for Daddy when he comes home, because he wouldn’t want you to be stinky”.   Now mind you, I was not stinky!  BUT she “got it” in her little 6 year old brain, she realized that I am trying to be attractive for Daddy when he gets home.    She then asked me to please brush her hair and put it into a pony tail for daddy because “he likes my ponytails”    I realized that I need to include my girls in my afternoon “sprucing up for Daddy” sessions so that they will continue that habit for THEIR husbands someday.   Yes, my girls are only 6, 8 and 13, but aren’t we training them to be adults?   Aren’t the examples that we are setting for them now the things that will be carried on into adulthood?

Today, in preparation of my D coming home, in addition to my normal personal grooming things, I will make sure that the table is set and that dinner is ready when he comes in.   It takes 21 days to set a habit, so for the next 21 days I will be doing three things each afternoon to let my Love know that he IS loved and appreciated!

Those three things will be:

personal grooming/sprucing up before he arrives home

table set and dinner ready

making sure that he ALWAYS has clean clothes (sadly, the past two weeks he’s had to run loads of his own work clothes….now just to set the record straight, I HAVE been doing laundry….but he only has limited dress clothes for work, and has to launder  them more often than the “around home” clothes, and I hadn’t realized just how often those things needed cleaning until this past week).

Our family has spent many hours over the past several years watching and enjoying Steve and Terri Irwin from Australia Zoo and Animal Planet/Discovery Channel’s Crocodile Hunter television show.   This morning I was so sad to turn on my computer, log into the internet, and see that Steve Irwin has tragically lost his life while filming a segment on stingray’s for his 8 year old daughter, Bindy’s tv show (will premiere in America and worldwide in January, 2007).   Our family has really been affected by this event.   We have spent a lot of time today talking about Steve and Terri and their family, and the joy and knowledge that his shows have brought our family in the past several years.   My little r (my 6 year old) told me today that she is really sad for Bindy and Bob (Steve and Terri Irwin’s children) because they won’t have their Daddy anymore.   We talked about God’s timing for our lives, and how this was in His plan…..and that He does have a plan for the childrens’ lives.

I just wanted to say, God Bless You Terri and Bindy and little Bob Irwin, as well as the staff at Australia Zoo, etc.   You are all in our family’s prayers!

This week’s quote is: “Once in a while you have to take a break
and visit yourself .” - Audrey Giorgi   I have found in the past 13 1/2 years of being a mom, and specifically a stay at home mom, that sometimes I do just need to take a break and revisit who I really am! This oftentimes is a gradual process. The process generally begins with relaxation, whether it is taking a LONG warm bath with all of my favorite bath products and painting my nails and such, or with a cup of my favorite tea and a book, or a good workout at the gym, or a night out with my honey, I have found that if I’m not relaxed, this process just isn’t as effective. The next step in “refinding myself” is to spend time (usually a lot of it) with God in prayer and study. One of the processes that has helped me in this step is journaling….not personal “Dear Diary” type journaling, but bible journaling. I have posted my bible reading plan here and will continue to post it on a monthly basis. Here are the instructions for Life Journaling (this is the church that our pastor learned this process from). Sometimes I take this process one step further and spend time with friends that are likeminded sorting out my thoughts and feelings.

This week, our family, as well as our country celebrated a very important holiday.  Our Independance Day…..as we were leaving the community fireworks display I began to reflect on what this really means in our day to day lives.   The thing that got me started thinking about it was we were preparing to cross a normally busy street with dozens of other people.   There was a group of developmentally handicapped adults in front of us, when we got to the other side of the street, one of the women got to the curb (it is a high curb at that particular intersection)  and kind of panicked.  She was standing there crying out for help and there were people filing past her just staring at her and getting angry that she was “holding up the crowd”.   My husband was just ahead of her, and a friend of ours was just behind her….they both heard her cries and turned to see what was the matter and both reached out a helping hand to help her up the curb.   What’s sad is that probably 12-15 other adults walked right past her staring and grumbling.   For some reason, that picture just really disturbed me….and then I realized “Well, they have the “freedom” to do that”.     I prefer to use my “freedom” in this great country that we live in, to help others in need.   Sometimes this may mean giving a lunch or waterbottle to a homeless person, or donating our very usable clothing that no longer fits my growing family to the homeless shelter, OR  in this instance, lending a helping hand to someone that needs help stepping up the curb.   Now others use this freedom to walk around the person in need, or to ignore the obviously homeless person on the street, or to speak out against our country, our President, and our military.    It’s rather ironic how differently people use this freedom that we have that has been fought for for the past 230 years…

I received this email today, and just had to pass it along via my  weblog here.

WIFE ‘S REQUEST

I was sitting alone in one of those loud, casual steak houses that you find all over the country.

You know the type–a bucket of peanuts on every table, shells littering the floor, and a bunch of perky college kids racing around with long neck beers and sizzling platters.

Taking a sip of my iced tea, I studied the crowd over the rim of my
glass. My gaze lingered on a group enjoying their meal.

They wore no uniform to identify their branch of service, but they were definitely “military:” clean shaven, cropped haircut, and that “squared away” look that comes with pride.

Smiling sadly, I glanced across my table to the empty seat where my husband usually sat.

It had only been a few months since we sat in this very booth, talking about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East.

That was when he made me promise to get a sitter for the kids, come back to this restaurant once a month and treat myself to a nice steak.

In turn he would treasure the thought of my being here, thinking about him until he returned home I fingered the little flag pin I constantly wear and wondered where he was at this very moment.

Was he safe and warm?? Was his cold any better?? Were my letters getting through to him?

As I pondered these thoughts, high pitched female voices from the next booth broke into my thoughts.

“I don’t know what Bush is thinking about. Invading Iraq. You’d think that man would learn from his old man’s mistakes. Good lord.

What an idiot!? I can’t believe he is even in office. You do know, he stole the election.”

I cut into my steak and tried to ignore them, as they began an endless tirade running down our president.

I thought about the last night I spent with my husband, as he prepared to deploy. He had just returned from getting his smallpox and anthrax shots.

The image of him standing in our kitchen packing his gas mask still gives me chills.

Once again the women’s voices invaded my thoughts.

“It is all about oil, you know. Our soldiers will go in and rape and steal all the oil they can in the name of ‘freedom’.

Hmmm! I wonder how many innocent people they’ll kill without giving it a thought?? It’s pure greed, you know.”

My chest tightened as I stared at my wedding ring. I could still see how handsome my husband looked in his “mess dress” the day he slipped it on my finger.

I wondered what he was wearing now. Probably his desert uniform, affectionately dubbed “coffee stains” with a heavy bulletproof vest over it.

“You know, we should just leave Iraq alone. I don’t think they are
hiding any weapons. In fact, I bet it’s all a big act just to increase
the president’s popularity.

That’s all it is, padding the military budget at the expense of our
social security and education.

And, you know what else?

We’re just asking for another 9-11.? I can’t say when it happens again that we didn’t deserve it.”

Their words brought to mind the war protesters I had watched gathering outside our base.

Did no one appreciate the sacrifice of brave men and women, who leave their homes and family to ensure our freedom??

Do they even know what “freedom” is?

I glanced at the table where the young men were sitting, and saw their courageous faces change.

They had stopped eating and looked at each other dejectedly, listening to the women talking.

“Well, I, for one, think it’s just deplorable to invade Iraq, and I am
certainly sick of our tax dollars going to train professional
baby-killers we call a military.”

Professional baby-killers?

? I thought about what a wonderful father my husband is, and of how long it would be before he would see our children again.

That’s it! Indignation rose up inside me. Normally reserved, pride in my husband gave me a brassy boldness I never realized I had.

Tonight one voice will answer on behalf of our military, and let her
pride in our troops be known.

Sliding out of my booth, I walked around to the adjoining booth and placed my hands flat on their table.

Lowering myself to eye level with them, smilingly said, “I couldn’t
help overhearing your conversation.

You see, I’m sitting here trying to enjoy my dinner alone.

And, do you know why?

Because my husband, whom I love with all my heart, is halfway around the world defending your right to say rotten things about him.”

“Yes, you have the right to your opinion, and what you think is none of my business.

However, what you say in public is something else, and I will not sit by and listen to you ridicule MY country, MY president, MY husband, and all the other fine American men and women who put their lives on the line, just so you can have the “freedom” to complain. Freedom is an expensive commodity, ladies.

Don’t let your actions cheapen it.”

I must have been louder than I meant to be, because the manager came over to inquire if everything was all right.

“Yes, thank you,” I replied.

Then, turning back to the women, I said, “Enjoy the rest of your meal.”

As I returned to my booth applause broke out. I was embarrassed for making a scene, and went back to my half eaten steak.

The women picked up their check and scurried away.

After finishing my meal, and while waiting for my check, the manager returned with a huge apple cobbler ala mode.

“Compliments of those soldiers,” he said. He also smiled and said the ladies tried to pay for my dinner, but that another couple had beaten them to it.

When I asked who, the manager said they had already left, but that the gentleman was a veteran, and wanted to take care of the wife of “one of our boys.”

With a lump in my throat, I gratefully turned to the soldiers and
thanked them for the cobbler.

Grinning from ear to ear, they came over and surrounded the booth.

“We just wanted to thank you, ma’am.

You know we can’t get into confrontations with civilians, so we
appreciate what you did.”

As I drove home, for the first time since my husband’s deployment, I didn’t feel quite so alone.

My heart was filled with the warmth of the other diners who stopped by my table, to relate how they, too, were proud of my husband, and would keep him in their prayers.

I knew their flags would fly a little higher the next day.

Perhaps they would look for more tangible ways to show their pride in our country, and the military who protect her.

And maybe, just maybe, the two women who were railing against our country, would pause for a minute to appreciate all the freedom America offers, and the price it pays to maintain it’s freedom.

As for me, I have learned that one voice CAN make a difference.

Maybe the next time protesters gather outside the gates of the base where I live, I will proudly stand on the opposite side with a sign of my own.

It will simply say, “Thank You!”

To those who fought for our Nation: Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Please pray for God’s protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Pass this on to as many as you think will respond.

“Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.”

When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our ground, air and navy personnel in every area of the middle east.

There is nothing attached….

This can be very powerful….

Just send this to all the people in your address book.

Do not stop this prayer chain, please….

Of all the gifts you could give to anyone in the US Military, be it Air
Force, Army, Navy, Marines or National Guard, Prayer is the very best one…..Amen!

Nancy C.
Pittman Valley, AZ

I know that this could have been written by any number of military wives, or just supporters of our country…I know that I certainly have heard these same conversations in restaurants, coffee shops, banks, etc but I don’t respond.   I may just respond now, having thought about my “freedom” to do so.

THANK YOU to all the military men, women, and families in our country!   Our family does TRULY appreciate the sacrifices that you make for us on a daily basis!