6606 Maplecrest Road, Fort Wayne, IN  46835          (260)- 485- 5122

Epiphany Lutheran Church

Thanksgiving!  What a special time to share with one another, remembering all the gifts and blessings God has given us.  The daily hardships and trials that we face can easily take over and dominate our thoughts for the day, so I am grateful we have a day set aside for us to make the intentional effort to remember the positive things and special people God has placed in our lives.

This will be a special Thanksgiving for me.  Jim & I are going to travel to Gregory, SD, to spend Thanksgiving with my family.  It has been several years since I spent Thanksgiving with my parents.  It will also be a time that we will celebrate my mother’s 83^rd birthday.  My parents are very vibrant and healthy and they continue to spend the winter months in Texas.  They leave for TX as soon as the Thanksgiving/birthday party is over!

Blessings are a focus of Thanksgiving, and Jim & I are so very blessed.  We have loving families.  We have our health.  We are blessed with employment.  We have a great church family that is supportive of one another.  And a huge obvious blessing for us this year has been the addition of the twins, Will & Sam, into our family.  There is no doubt that God’s hand has been in the adoption process all the way.   The boys have brought such joy into our lives!  We still await word from China, in the anticipation of the arrival of a granddaughter.  May God grant us patience as we wait and pray.

God has also given me the blessing of learning more about His presence in both living and dying.  He has done this through hospice clients.  It is truly an honor to be with clients at such an intimate time in their lives.  Each client teaches me something about living in adversity.  Many clients teach me how to live life to the fullest right up to the time God calls them to their eternal home.  Many teach me how to die with dignity and for that I am blessed.  I am truly privileged to serve Him through hospice clients.  What an awesome God we have!

We can all look forward in preparation for family gatherings during the holidays.  Preparing for company and visitors can become a chaotic process and a quiet time of prayer is a powerful way of quieting the chaos.  I pray the Lord will be with each of you and your family.  I pray He will bless you, and that safe travel is granted to all.

Deac’s Dialogue

November 2008