Count Your Blessings

It's hard to believe how quickly this break has flown by. It seems as though I was just packing up my bags to come home and now I'm all packed up to head back to school tomorrow after church. It's been a lovely nine days filled with spending time with my wonderful family, seeing old friends, enjoying yummy homemade food, and more! The nice thing is that I can look forward to coming home for Christmas break in just three weeks- although I'll have to get through final exams before then.

We did receive some bad news the day I arrived home. Because of all the conflict in Israel, it looks like Dad will be stuck out to sea longer than we anticipated. We're praying and hoping to have him home for Christmas, but things are still very up in the air right now. What a comfort to know that he rests in God's care and we are all striving to remember His sovereignty.

We spent a great Thanksgiving with Grandma Pat, Mom's mom. It is always a blessing in and of itself to reflect on all of the generous gifts God has provided for us. It happened that my Bible reading on Wednesday night happened to bring me across Psalm 95:

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
 The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.

The perfect reminder in light of what has been going on with Dad! And a good verse to keep before us at all times. 

One thing I have enjoyed while being home has been cooking and baking again! Today I'm getting in some last minute baking with oatmeal-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookies to pass out to friends at school.

Well, I should probably go finish up the cookies and make sure everything is all packed up!

~Hannah Grace