Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

Thanksgiving gives us pause to stop and count our blessings, to express gratitude for the things in our lives, for the people in our lives, and for life itself.

These past three months have been a whirlwind of activity, emotions, joys, frustrations, tears, fears, isolation, determination, resolve…. On tonight, this eve of Thanksgiving I am reminded that I have so much to be grateful for!

As I reflect, my heart is full of the memories and thoughts of people, places, and events of just these past few months – not even taking into account the past year or my lifetime!

I have been a little isolated lately…AWOL if you please…admittedly at times overwhelmed due to the business of taking care of business – trying to deal with the aftermath of being a part of a natural disaster while trying to catch up and keep commitments made to my customers …sometimes isolation is a good thing to help you focus, fine tune, even repent and make things right with others, with God.

I have neglected to be grateful publicly for the blessings that have come from Hurricane Harvey, thus far, because we are far from this being a thing of the past as we are still living through the changes Harvey has forced upon us, still living without insulation or walls, still waiting on insurance claims to be able to hire a contractor….but that’s not the focus tonight…the thoughts in my busy brain are wanting to acknowledge the blessings, which reminded me of this old hymn I sang as a child in church….

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done! 
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—money cannot buy 
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Blessings Come In Many Forms

In reviewing my phone photos for the past three months I had to smile at the fun times – beginning with becoming a part of the Studio 180 Design Certified Instructor family….If you’ve been following my journey you know that I was in Iowa with this crazy group of quilters who shared the experience of a solar eclipse while learning to teach and share Deb Tucker’s tools and techniques. I belong to a great class of 17 from THE Class of 2017, thus joining a total of 80 “CI’s”.  Instead of being stranded in Iowa I became a Harvey refugee and got stranded in Indy on my way to Tuckerland (grin.)

So I guess in chronological order this is my first area of gratitude – that I did not have to go through the emotions of watching water rise in my house, that I was surrounded by my new S180 family who were praying for me and taking care of me….and who generously donated monies to our recovery which leads to more gratitude as part of these funds were invested in the new shelving and organization in my studio. These amazing men and women have shown me much more love than I could ever deserve or repay! I was so pleased to be able to meet several of the CI’s at Quilt Market and Quilt Festival this year.

Other blessings came in the form of local friends and family who helped us with the cleanup. Many thanks especially to my quilt angels who made sure all my quilts and fabrics got a fresh cleaning after sitting in a studio with 5 inches of water for 5 days. So many more thanks go to my church family for physical and financial help and especially for prayers and a listening ear.

Blessings Come In Large Sizes Too

Sometimes I neglect to brag on God for making things possible. He uses people to bless other people as well as He allows blessings to enter in other ways too…Its been amazing to see the hand of God as He is providing for our needs…first the blessing of an RV that will be our temporary home once construction begins, next came a “container” we will be filling with items salvaged from the storm that will need to be stored during reconstrucion…and amazingly enough we found ourselves replacing those hard to sit in lawn chairs with a new couch for the tv room – never mind that the walls had to come down to get it in (grin) it felt sooo good to sit on something soft! And as if that weren’t enough we were also blessed with a new-to-us truck so we can later pull that RV when I begin traveling next year teaching and speaking at guilds and quilt shows!

Indeed my heart is overwhelmed tonight as I reflect upon these past few months…and this doesn’t even touch the tip of the iceberg as there are so many other blessings this year too (such as being an Island Batik Ambassador, having my quilts in their fall catalog, and working on a quilt for the upcoming spring catalog).

Thanks for hanging on until the end…here’s a fun little photo collage of these recent events that sparked tonight’s ramble.

May you be blessed with a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. My hope for you is to not focus on the turkey, the decorations, or even the joy of being with people you care about – but that you too would stop to “count your many blessings” and may we always realize that even when things get tough there is always something to be grateful for!

This is Karen Overton, The Quilt Rambler – may your bobbin never run out and your cup always be overflowing with gratitude

SaveSave

SaveSave