It's Good to Be Home!

After a two-week road trip, it's good to be home.  It was wonderful to sleep in my own bed last night with my own pillow.  To wake up and have coffee in my own mug, and to sit in my own comfy chair as I read my Bible.  It's good to get back into my own space with my regular routines.

But even as I'm enjoying being home, I'm also missing much of what we experienced over these last two weeks.  Time with family.  Warm weather (at least while we were in Florida!).  Sunshine.

There's not much sunshine up here today.  Or warm weather either!

We had to deal with this as we arrived back yesterday afternoon:

And this morning, this is the view from the front porch:

But even as I'm missing sunshine and warm temperatures, and even as I am sorting through two weeks' worth of dirty clothes and settling back into regular routines, I'm also reflecting on the blessings of these past two weeks.  On all the reasons I have for giving thanks this morning.

Time with family tops that list.  In the past two weeks, I've had time with both my sons and their families, and also some time with my husband's parents, and with my brother and sister-in-love as well.  To see all these dear people in a two-week span of time is something that never happens, and I count it as a precious treasure.

Over the last two weeks we experienced much of the beauty of God's creation.  We traveled through the mountains to the piedmont of North Carolina.  On through the midlands of South Carolina, down the coast of Georgia, and into Florida.  We experienced some winter, and some spring, and even a hint of summer!  We saw oak trees and pine trees and palm trees.  Bare branches in the Carolinas and blooming hibiscus in Florida.  We experienced snow and sleet and rain and sunshine. 

I'm thankful for safety as we traveled over these two weeks.  I'm thankful to have enjoyed wonderful accommodations and to have eaten some delicious food.  I'm thankful to have had periods of rest and relaxation.

Yesterday afternoon I was very thankful for our neighbor Dwayne, who came and scraped our road as soon as we called him.

This morning, as I'm reflecting back on the experiences of these two weeks, I'm especially thankful for my Heavenly Father who blessed me with all these gifts of His grace over this time away from home.  And as I think about all these grace gifts, I can't help but think about just how much He loves me.  And you.  How deep is His love.

We are loved beyond what we can even begin to comprehend.  And for that I am eternally grateful.

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"  (1 John 3:1 NIV)