Gratitude Journal #39

Today, I am grateful for another weekend with Hoover, who gave us all a huge laugh when he scared himself with his own fart. Dogs are sooooo funny.

Today, I am grateful for George's cooking big, which means I will not have to cook all week...just reheat our choice of two amazing dishes. I'm also grateful for Nick, who, after tasting George's first foray into fresh artichoke appetizers, asked, "Am I allowed to not like this?" Yes, son. You are.

Today, I am grateful that the severe weather forecast for our area did not materialize. Our prayers are with those in the deep south who lost loved ones and homes and businesses in the tornado Saturday. I am constantly amazed at the resilience of human beings who experience such devastation and immediately set to work helping clean and rebuild lives. In one church that was destroyed, church members found a hymnal in the rubble. It was open to "Till the Storm Passes By."

Speaking of hymns, today, I am grateful for yesterday's hymn, which I can't remember singing before. It was written by Natalie Sleeth and published in 1986.

Hymn of Promise

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

What are you grateful for today?