Last evening was one of those evenings when it felt good to

curl up in front of the fire.

 

I went grocery shopping in the late afternoon yesterday, and found

 loading the groceries into the car, colder than I expected.  Actually,

I heard on the news, that we had a wind chill of minus 30

degrees.  I must say, I can't remember loading my groceries

in the car, in those kind of conditions before.   For those

of you who know me well, you know that I am always cold.

I called my daughter living in the Midwestern part of the

country and asked her how she does grocery shopping with

such bitter cold temperatures?  She told me that her and

her husband went grocery shopping the evening before, when

the wind chill was actually -46 degrees, and she said, "that

everyone in the store was bundled up so much that you

could only see the eyes of everyone".   She told me that

when you live where she does, you learn to dress in layers.

 

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year, was this amazingly warm,

soft, and pretty blanket, from the Shabby Chic collection at Target.

My girls gave it to me, and I appreciate it's warmth so much.

I saw this scene last evening when I looked out my window.  My mother had a beautiful glass
water holder for her birds, but the ice broke it.  So, she filled a cake pan to provide water
for the birds.  With the frigid temperatures, the water froze solid.  The Robin seemed
perplexed at the situation he found himself in, and worked for quite a while trying to
crack the ice.

Today will not be as cold, I am told.  I must admit, I was made aware of more things to be
thankful for during the last few days.  I found myself thanking God for a warm home,
for my scarf and gloves, and for the heater in my car.  Sometimes, I take too much for
granted during the everydayness of daily life.  After listening to the evening news, I felt
thankful for the missions and shelters that open their doors so generously and welcome
people in.  I want everyone to have a warm place to find shelter.  Especially when it
was so cold here, that it shattered a 72 year old record.

I am thankful for you, too!  Even though I have only "a little something" to share.