The Simple Life at Home

Happy New Year!!! I hope you have a happy, safe, blessed and wonderful 2009!!

Before we move any further into the New Year, I want to stop and be thankful for all that God did for me in 2008. Here's just a smidgen of it - I couldn't possibly list it all!

• God, in His infinite wisdom, moved us to Qatar. Now, moving to the Middle East was something my husband's family had encouraged us to consider since, oh, the day we married! And I was adamantly against it. But somehow, when the subject came up this time, I was ok with it. And what a blessing that has turned out to be. We are in a stable job market, with enough income to pay our bills. Just after my husband left for Qatar, his company in Miami laid off many people and those they did keep took a major salary cut. It has turned out to be a blessing for us.
• Through this move, God has taught me some major lessons. Being lonely for many months after moving here, I learned to rely on Him. I got more deeply involved in reading my Bible and in spending time with Him. I learned to be flexible and to laugh at what would have driven me to the point of rage before.
• God led us to a great church where the Bible is taught and where we are slowly but surely beginning to build bonds.
• I am thankful for the growth I have seen in my children throughout the year. Both have stepped up to the plate when asked to help and I have seen a new maturity in them.
• I'm thankful for my husband. He is wise and faithful. I'm thankful to the Lord for leading us together in a miraculous way. I'm thankful that he is the calm counterpart to my emotions.
• I am thankful that my children have finally seem to accepted living here in Qatar. For one, in particular, it was a difficult adjustment, but having made our trip back to the US seemed to be kind of a watershed moment. Since our return (not counting the initial first 48 hour tears) there have been much fewer tears and complaints and life is moving forward as normal.
• I am thankful for this opportunity to learn about God's wisdom, God's faithfulness, God presence and God's peace. All of it has impacted me in a way I have never before experienced this year.

I expect 2009 will be even better.

For more Thankful Thursday posts, be sure to visit Grace Alone.