Thankful Thursday - Playing Catch Up

I've been saying how busy I've been lately, so today I'm catching up -- sharing what I've been up to over the last few weeks.

The photo above is a stained glass piece in a prayer chapel I visited recently.  I love it, don't you?  As I sat there, I remembered a song I sang as a young girl: "Have faith, hope and charity.  That's the way to live successfully.  How do I know? The Bible tells me so."  I'm thankful for the stained glass and the song that were a loving message from my Heavenly Father that day.

I'm abundantly thankful for weekly play days with our grandson.  I stockpile every empty paper towel and toilet paper roll so that he can create with them.  Here, he was making battle armor for his arms and legs.

We went to see The Secret Life of Pets with his mom and some friends.  Afterward, we went to the ice cream shop.  If you like animals, you'll love that movie.  It's hilarious!

Jem and I also went to see the movie Hillary's America. I'm thankful for Dinesh D'Souza who had the courage and willingness to produce this movie to expose the truth about American history and about Hillary Clinton.  I highly recommend it.

I'm grateful that we've been having lots of children under the tallit on Shabbat.  We love that.  The little boy in the white shirt, on the front row, is so much fun.  He always has a new joke to tell Rabbi Jem each week.  This past Friday night,  he said, "Why did the rabbi cross the road?  To get to the synagogue!"

The two little ones on the left, front row, are just adorable brothers, age three and four. We used to call them the "wrecking crew" when they first came because they were so rambunctious; but now they are very well behaved, and sit through the whole service, quiet as little mice.  They even participate in the discussion sometimes.  All of our children stay in the service because we believe families should worship, study and pray together.

We visited Books-A-Million and I saw these some items I thought would make good gifts for book lovers.  I think I could make the ones below.  Looks pretty easy, right? One day I'll have to show you all the books we have here at the Golden Cottage.  We're both book worms.

I agree on both points

I'm getting better with selfies

Jem's birthday was last week, and I gave him a big surprise.  We went to a Trump rally in Daytona.  Thousands were packed into the auditorium.  The people who stood in front of the stage were on their feet for about five hours. 

We both wanted to attend a rally, hear him speak and draw our own conclusions about him as a candidate for President.  We found him to be very calm and soft spoken, humble and positive about the future of America.  He was not my first choice when the race began, but I'm convinced he loves America and that his business sense will be an asset to our country.  Another thing I like is that he's an outsider and independent of powerful lobbyists.  He has been in the public eye for over thirty years, and is not a racist as the media portrays him.

A few months ago, Trump was endorsed by a number of evangelicals, including Dr. James Dobson,.  I have great respect for Dr. Dobson and value his opinions on important issues.  He reported that Trump had repented and surrendered his life to Yeshua as the Messiah.  I've watched him closely since then, and I see a change.  As a new believer, he's not going to reach maturity overnight.  I'm also encouraged to learn that his daughter, Ivanka, is married to a Jew, as is one of his sons.  These people will be powerful spiritual influences in his life.  He is on a journey, and I believe G-d has His hand on him for such a time as this.

We have watched our country go through so many detrimental changes during the last seven and a half years.  I am confident that if Hillary is elected, things will continue to get worse, and we will wind up as a socialist country.  With the influx of illegals from the Middle East, our country could easily go through the same horrors as France, Germany, and other European countries.

I'm thankful to have heard him speak in person in order to discern his spirit.  I believe Donald Trump loves America, as I do. I've looked. at his future plans and proposals, and they look good and sound to me.  You can hear him speak on the important issues HERE.  He has a proven track record of economic success, and I believe his ideas will help our country.  He has Rabbi Jem's and my vote in November, and we are encouraging others to vote for him, too.

I urge you, Gail-Friends, to listen to his speeches entirely, not the tiny sound bites you hear on the news media, and to prayerfully consider him and his plans for making America safe, prosperous, and great again. I believe he can and will do it.

Thankful Thursday is my day to focus on and be grateful for all of the good things in my life.  

P.S. Next week I'll share about the baptisms at the beach, the Bat Mitzvah we had at the synagogue, and more about Rabbi Jem's birthday.

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