Well, this is my third Thanksgiving in Michigan. My first one here was rushed, hectic, noisy, chaotic, and nice (except for when Guay puked on our bed and we had to go to a laundromat at 11 pm on Thanksgiving to clean the sheets). My second Thanksgiving was a bit more laid back and cold!

This Thanksgiving seems like tradition has set in. The menu was easy to decide upon. I sat with Andrea and we talked about what we “usually” do and decided what would be enough and who is fixing what. I’ve started the preparations, the shopping is done, most of the family will be here… and I’m looking forward to a special day of giving thanks and being thankful for God’s goodness to us.

I keep saying I’m going to write more, and then I never do. Seems like it’s jumps and spurts. I want to keep this site going and get more information on it as well. I just seem to get sidetracked. Don’t know that anyone is really interested in my writing, but I’ll be adding a new collection of short stories (if you are interested). If you enjoy the stories (or any of my other writings on the site), please leave a donation as an encouragement for me to keep writing.

As far as the rest of life, I’m still looking for full-time work, but very thankful for the two small jobs I have right now via ODesk.com. I was on their top 25 technical writers for the month of October and hopeful this will bring me more clients needing quality documentation.

I applied for a job here in Michigan. They would be interested in me, if I was willing to work for slightly more than minimum wage. But I make more on Odesk than that salary would have paid–and would have been twice as busy and working twice as hard!

But this is Michigan:

• There are 10 states in the US facing bankruptcy. Michigan is one of them.
• While national unemployment is at 10.1% (Oct. 2009), Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the US at 15.1%. This rate does not include people who no longer qualify for unemployment benefits or never qualified for them.
• In October 2009, Michigan reported the highest increase in unemployment (hey, I get to contribute to the November statistic, what will it be?)

Data taken from United States Bureau of Labor Statistics

So why am I thankful and for what?

I am thankful for:

• The God of creation who is my God, and my Lord and my Savior Yeshua HaMashiach
• The amazing salvation I have in Yeshua
• Promises from God that no one can take away
• A wonderful husband who loves God and loves me
• This very special family where God has planted me
• That each month, despite the ups and downs, we’ve been able to pay our bills

I was reading in my Bible this morning and realized that I had not thought a lot about one very special promise from Yeshua.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matt: 11:28-29

I realized as I reread this that it is not rest for my body, but rest for my soul that I need. Elsewhere, we are encouraged not to be anxious for anything, but to bring all our requests to our Father in heaven. (Phil. 4:6). God promises to meet ALL our needs, but He still wants to hear ALL our requests. And as I lay these in His hands, I do indeed find peace for my soul.

This world challenges our hope. It seeks to choke it out. But for those of us who have placed our hope in the Creator of the Universe, we have an anchor to hang on to in every storm. Our hope cannot be moved because HE cannot be moved.

Blessed Thanksgiving to you all!

Well, this week has been one that goes in the record of being difficult….

Quatro, Andrea’s cat became ill very suddenly. Rich and I did what we could, but in the end the vet said that he had irreversable kidney damage… and so we had to say goodbye to Quay cat’s only other cat friend.

Quatro was a very sweet kitty, you could hold him any which way. He was everywhere in the house, wherever people were, there was Quatro, meowing, asking for attention, running between our legs, and sleeping in EVERY chair… seemingly at the same time. We are thankful to God for him, and give him back to his creator with not a few tears.
We had to change our hosting service and the transfer of the files has been nothing short of a nightmare. But thanks to some people more knowledgeable than I, things are finally starting to be up and running and I can finally catch up with everyone.
My contract ended in October and I am trying to get other work lined up. Have put out applications, and need to get brochures and business cards printed to distribute to local research libraries. I have one small contract that just got smaller; seems the client erroneously offered me my going rate rather than asking me for the same rate he had for a previous project. End result, I will keep the curent rate but have less hours to work for them.
All in all, hope seems to be quite challenged this week. Rich and I have wept a few tears together, and we cry out to our Lord for HIS mercy on us and HIS goodness, that HE might be glorified in our lives.

Someone once said that what is easy for nonbelievers is difficult for believers that our dependency may always be on our Lord and not on ourselves. We know and trust in His goodness. I know that He will provide, because He always has before. I think the struggle is that when things start to get difficult it is so easy to want to curl up like a wounded animal and hide… but it is then when God asks us to stand tall and march on keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly.  Amen.