Thankful Thursday - Blessings Overflow

Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

 give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4.

I hope y'all are having a happy and thank-FULL Thanksgiving Day.  I'm thank-FULL, grate-FULL, and just plain FULL. After a great morning of cooking, then eating, and napping, I'm getting ready for a walk around the block.

Counting my blessings today, including a wonder-FULL husband, who has helped me by washing dishes, as I've been cooking for the past three days. (I love a man with dish-pan hands!)

Also, I'm thank-FULL for all the years my mama cooked Thanksgiving dinner for us.  It is a labor of love that she passed on to me.  I love doing it for my family, just as she did all those years.  I always miss her most this time of the year.  Her gift of hospitality blessed so many family, friends, and neighbors. (Here's my post about her from last year.) 

And here's another post about her:  What My Mama Taught Me

I mentioned last week that I'd share some photos from our Simchat Torah celebration, so here you go. There was dancing, singing, and praising Hashem for the glorious gift of His Torah.  Everybody, young and old, gets the blessing of parading the Torah.  It brings tears to our eyes as we remember the blessings His Word has brought to our lives.  Here's Rabbi Jem dancing with the Torah, which isn't easy because it is quite heavy. 

Rabbi Jem carrying Torah

Me carrying Torah

On Simchat Torah, it's a tradition to stay up all night studying Torah, singing and dancing, eating and drinking (caffeine) and giving praise to Hashem.  We had fifteen people who stayed all night, including a ten-year old boy.  He was alert and asking questions all night long.  I heard this from Rabbi Jem because, alas, I'm not one of the ones who made it through the night.  I'm notorious for turning into a pumpkin at 10:00 p.m. 

Evan, our youngest Torah scholar on Simchat Torah.

I've so much more to be thankful for over the past three months.  One of our greatest blessings is having many children under the tallit on Shabbat.

I'm thank-FULL for my country, and for my highly decorated, hero husband and his love and service to America.  Here he is saluting the flag during the recent Veterans Day parade.  He is a Purple Heart recipient (wounded in Viet Nam) and leads our congregation to love and honor our country.

I'm very proud of my patriotic husband.  (Note how many people are honoring the flag....very sad.)

We both voted to Make America Great Again, and are thank-FULL that Donald J. Trump has been elected as our next president.  May G-d protect, preserve and guide him in the paths of righteousness and justice.

The Goldens during early voting.

I'm also thank-FULL to have lived another year, and for the blessing of good health and strength.  Here are some photos from my delight-FULL birthday party last month.

I love gardens, so they decorated with a garden theme.

So many creative ladies in our synagogue

Arene't these flower cupcakes beauty-FULL ????

In the words of one of my favorite songs:
 My Cup Runneth Over With Love

I hope your Thanksgiving Day was wonder-FULL, thank-FULL, and FULL of praises to our wonder-FULL Heavenly Father.  We are all blessed just to wake up every day and be able to see, hear, walk, talk, think, and have strength.

What are you thank-FULL for, Gail-Friends?

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I sometimes share my posts with these friends:

Spiritual Sundays      THE SUNDAY COMMUNITY – #GIVE ME GRACE @SEE SPEAK HEAR MAMA Kathy’s Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life     GRAND Social       The Beauty in His Grip Link-Up   

Modest Mom Monday Link-up         Growing Homemakers Link-Up        The Gathering Spot Link-Up 

MOTIVATION MONDAYS – @EMBRACINGHISWILL      SHARING HIS BEAUTY – @THEBEAUTYINHISGRIP

The Art of Homemaking Mondays
Monday of Many Blessings 

Titus 2 Tuesday     Share Your Stuff Tuesday    TITUS TUESDAYS @CORNERSTONE CONFESSIONS    

Wordless Wednesdays    Jennifer Dukes Lee Tell His Story  Teaching What Is Good Link-Up

Classical Homemaking Link-Up    Judith’s Wholehearted Wednesday     Raising Homemakers Wednesday     A Wise Woman Builds       Wake Up Wednesday     A Little R & R Wednesday     Wednesday's Prayer Girls & Link-Up Party Thought Provoking Thursdays at 3D Lessons 4Life     Thursday  Favorite Things 

 Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life 

Friendship Friday