A change of plans...

        So it wasn't quite the weekend any of us had planned.
        Our plans included all kinds of events for our daughter's senior year parent's weekend--from brunches to tailgates to fun football games. There was our youngest son's first dance on Saturday night...complete with tux.  There was another son's golf team tournament which we all planned to attend in between all the other events. There were children coming from out of town for a good, long, happy visit to enjoy all the festivities together.
         Those were just our family's plans...think of how many others had all sorts of plans.
         Then there was Hurricane Matthew.
         And old Matthew, he had mighty different ideas.  The tailgate got moved indoors.  The golf tournament played in the rain and then the last round cancelled.  Lots of dashing to and fro to various events in the pouring rain and gusty winds.  And the football game...well, let's just call it "character building."  The tux--

        It never even got taken out of the bag--dance cancelled.
        Brunch for our boys--with no electricity, we toasted bagels on the gas stove--

 (which, for the record, they said was delicious.  Hunger is a wonderful flavor enhancer!)
         The water rose high, almost to the road--

And trees were down, blocking the roads--

 But when the rain finally stopped, the sun rose glorious and bright with a clear blue sky on an achingly gorgeous October Sunday morning.  And the sticks, oh, the sticks...it was Bingley paradise--

        When our power came back on a day or so later, my, it was wonderful.  We drove up and saw the lights shining outside, and our little banner said it all--

      Isn't it something how much we take for granted?  How terribly prone we are to ignore or assume the joys of hot water, clean laundry, reading lights at night, and warm food?  Or the blessings of people to love and chores to do for them, eyes to see October's beauty, hands to hold, mouths and noses and ears to speak and smell and hear.
      God daily showers gift upon gift upon gift, yet how often we ignore His relentless generosity.  How frequently I fail to simply acknowledge His goodness and say "Thank You, Father."
       He is so good, so faithful even when we are faithless and fickle.  I read these words the other day from Tim Keller: "Our unfaithfulness in light of His faithfulness makes ours more heinous. But His faithfulness in light of our unfaithfulness makes His more wonderful.”  No wonder they call it "amazing grace."
        Thank You, Abba, thank You.  You know if we could only say two prayers, maybe a good place to start would be "Forgive me" and "Thank You."  Forgive us for our faithlessness.  Forgive us for forgetting Your goodness.  Forgive us for failing to see You as the Creator and Giver of every single good gift in our lives.
        And thank You for it all.  Thank You for the commonest graces of food, water, clothing.  Thank You for extraordinary gifts of love, forgiveness, joy, hope, fellowship, peace, grace.  Thank You for plans made...and interrupted.  Thank You for the gifts we want...and for those we don't.  For we know and trust You will use it all for our ultimate good and Your greater glory.
         “Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
          Thank You, Father for everything. Thank You.  To God be the glory.