So VERY thankful!

Happy Be-lated Thanksgiving! I can't believe it has come and come but let me tell you I feel that I still have SO much to be thankful for. We were able to spend Thanksgiving with Arte's family and now my parents are visiting from Canada. That alone is so special. But something happened this year that made it extra special for me.

Just before we left for Portland, we found out that a good family friend of ours was going in for emergency triple by-pass surgery. We drove a few hours on Wednesday to go see him and his wife as he was just getting out of surgery. He did well but I think it was a bit of a wake up call for us. It just gets ya thinking. The night before we left, my very best friend in Canada told me over the phone that her Dad (who is a Pastor and who she works for and is very close to) was just given 6 months to live. WOW. That's a tough one. It left me nearly speechless. I'm so glad to serve a God who fill me with confidence and hope that all things are in His control.

As we were driving to Portland, we had a moment in the van where I thought my heart would explode with happiness. My 3 yound kids (8, 6, and 3)were singing to their favorite kids praise and worship CD. You could tell that they were getting louder and louder and it seemed to become a compition to see who could be the loudest! LOL! As the song finished I talked to them about what the words meant. The words said "I will worship with all of my heart." I explained to them that with all of your heart meant that you really were singing from your heart because you're are grateful for the blessings in your life and that whoever is 'loudest' isn't the most important thing. What was important was that it's from the heart. We played the song again (it's their favorite.) I totally could have balled my eyes out. There was such a change in the atmosphere of the van although they were almost singing just as loud but you could really tell that it was sincere, totally from the heart. Even our little 3 year old! Arte and I sang along with them and it was so loud and strong and beautiful. It was a moment that I will never forget. I truly felt God's love envelop our van, giving us a big hug and reassuring us that He will never leave us or forsake us even when it seems the world around us is falling apart. I don't have a photo for this moment but I'm definitely going to scrap it!

Then, on Sunday morning, the message was all about hope. It was wonderful. There are so many of us in the world that feel like there is no hope. I don't normally do this but I feel so impressed to right now. If you are reading this and feel like you are a person without hope and would like to hear this message that was spoken at our church, I would be happy to send you a copy. Whether I know you or not, I love to get you a copy. Email me at julieoverby@peak.org.

In the end, we had a fabulous time in Portland. Here is a picture of our kiddos with their cousin Tanner.