An Attitude of Gratitude

I'm sure there are lots of people having a hard time during then COVID-19 pestilence.  There are some steps I am taking that I want to share with you.  Why?  If you are struggling with fear during this time, maybe this will help you.

1. Recognize/acknowledge that God is STILL in control!
2. Have an attitude of gratitude.
3. Continue/begin to read your Bible daily.
4. Spend some time in prayer.
5. Check on friends/neighbors. Offer to help where needed, being health/safety conscious.
6. Take safety precautions when you have to go out for groceries, etc.
7. Keep your mind busy by listening to audio books.  Read a good book.  Listen to Christian music.  Listen to online sermons.  Do some crafting. 
8. Stay positive and repeat #1 if all else fails!


Last night Mark set up the laptop with an HDMI wire so we could watch/listen to our pastor do our Wednesday night service on Facebook live on the TV.  He set the TV up to get his Facebook account through his Amazon account, but we could not watch live for some reason; only after it was finished and recorded.

Thank you, Joy, for helping to do this for us!  Thank you, Brother Bobby, for continuing to bring God's Word to us!  It still feel strange to be sitting in our living room in our regular clothes and "going to church" via the internet.  I pray this is not the new norm, however, because I sure do miss my church family!  I'm praying the LORD accomplishes His purposes in this time quickly so we can resume meeting with our church family!  But, I am so thankful for the technology that is available to us today!  Our brothers and sisters in the LORD did not have the technological advantages that we have back when they were dealing with epidemics!

Today I had to get some groceries.  I decided to go to the store rather than order it on line.  That way I could pick up extras that were not on my list as I went down each aisle.  It was a good plan because I got lots more stuff than was on my list!  Thank You, LORD!

To protect myself, I took disinfectant wipes and latex gloves with me.  When I got to the store, I donned the gloves and took several wipes into the store with me.  I wiped off the handle of the cart first.  And kept the other wipes in my hand as I shopped.  Then I wiped off the car door handle, steering wheel, door, shifter, etc. when I got back into the car.  I took one glove off and held it in the other gloved hand as I removed that glove, tucking all the wipes and glove into one "package" to be thrown away.

I had about 10 items on my list and came away from the store with more than $100 worth of stuff!  Does anyone else try to get as many bags as possible into the house in one trip?  Is it a woman thing?
Here is my first load:

A few of the bags were a bit heavy, but most of them were not too heavy!  And looking at this picture, I just realized what the difference between the blue and white bags are.  Do you see it?

Here's the complete shopping trip:

In other news, I completed another craft project from the 24 Hour FREE Online ART PARTY while we watched TV last night.  I just have to put a ribbon around it to hold it together.  It is a little journal made from one sheet of paper that you paint the front and back of before folding it into 16 sections and cutting it into one long "strip."  Then I did some stamping on it.

The stamping on the front cover says, "Quiet the worries.  Be still.  Let Him speak to you."

Before I go, I wanted to share something else I saw today while on the way back home from the grocery shopping.  I had heard that the school buses were delivering lunches to the children along their bus routes, but I had not actually witnessed it until today.  The thing I noticed at this particular stop where I, too, had to stop for the bus, was an older gentleman came out to the bus with a tote bag so the girls could drop the food into it.  The thing I was surprised by was that it was an older gentleman, probably a grandfather, to the school-aged children receiving the lunches.  It made me realize that this is probably more of the norm than the exception.  And it made me thankful for grandparents who are willing/able to stay with the children while the parents continue to work (those who are able to continue working, at least).  Mark and I have not had to take up this responsibility, but we would do so if the need arose.  May the Lord bless those of you grandparents who have had to stay with your grandchildren so the parents could continue to work.  May He give you the strength and wisdom needed.

Praying for the LORD to bless each and everyone of you with health and safety!