One of my favorite scenes in Lord of the Rings is when the sun shines on the fallen head of a statue of the King. For a moment the loss and pain of Sam and Frodo are lifted as they watch the King be crowned again.
Sitting here thinking about the gifts that God has given me this week makes me feel like that. Taking a moment to think about our Heavenly Father, is like being warmed by the summer sun on a cold day. We have had an exhausting and challenging week. Posting on here about the infertility that we are struggling with is one of the biggest steps I have taken in a long time. When I put that post up my heart was pounding, and my palms were sweaty. I was scared, but I also felt liberated. Like this darkness that has been shadowing my soul can no longer stick me in a corner and intimidate me by myself. Like one of my friends said, this way I can have more people praying for us.
Anyway, as a reminder Monday is for listing gifts that God has given this week so here goes:

#15 A new church to attend, we think that we may finally have found a place that feels right.
#16 A fantastic public pool, and it costs less than a dollar!!
#17 The long weekend! We are going to Swakopmund with the Wrights and Marye. I cannot even express how much I am looking forward to this long weekend. We plan on going sand boarding, braaing, I plan on jogging on the beach (Hasselhof style), and there will be a boat load of relaxing. We found a missionary guest house that has a pretty good deal!
#18 Birthday cake!
#19 The Gym. One of our closest friends, and a dear supporter, has decided to pay for us to have gym memberships for a while year. How cool is that?
#20 This one may sound weird, but today I am thankful for Abraham and Sarah. I was reading about the long road that they were on before God blessed them with a child. It gave me hope, and reminded me that God always has a plan.

If you are reading this, and you have a blog, join the thanksgiving and list some things that God has given you this week!