where do you want it?

...a world wide web kind of thank you hardly seems to touch the surface of the gratitude that we have towards our family and friends and the friends of our family and the friends of our friends.

it is totally amazing to us how with all the "stuff" going on here and there (the dow is down and the gas is up and the election is coming) and all the everyday problems that other folks must have that we are STILL in the midst of peoples generousity and prayers and support. i know that i will not be able to touch on everything that has come our way recently but just so you can get a little taste of what we are experiencing i thought i would throw out some actual events:

first off...is everyone sitting down...because I AM BAKING BROWNIES!!! yes because of the generousity of a co-worker i have a brand new oven and it actually works. (and all that time i just thought i was a bad cook...who would have guessed).

i have already mentioned the "wedding ring" surprise in a previous blog and in addition to that another co-worker has contributed to the PASSPORT wish list. yes...my husband wants a passport...i guess now that his hair is growing back he is ready for a photo shoot>even if it is only canada to go see the falls (he actually wants aruba but i told him not to hold his breath on that one just yet)...he wants his passport and he wants it stamped.

other friends have helped with school supplies and school clothes and one without even knowing it had "perfect" timing to help make a college tour a huge success. we randomly get gas cards and grocery cards and fresh fruit and veggies delivered right to our door. we have friends doing bake sales (hey...i can bake now). many of these things help towards the co-pays and the pharmacy bills. (my daughter thinks we should have the pharmacist from the rite-aid over for dinner some night-we see her all the time).

in addition to this there are many many individuals that have sent a card of encouragement or a funny get well card and i can't tell you how many people we run into that tell us that we are on their DAILY prayer list...we can't begin to express what that means to us.

I corinthians 12:6 says "GOD works through different people in different ways, but it is the same GOD who achieves HIS purpose through them all".

just yesterday i had a guy knock on my door and ask "where do you want it?" i said where do i want WHAT??? he said...the wood. i heard you needed some firewood...where do you want it? i guess we should put it right next to the neighbors lawnmower that they let us borrow because ours died.

we have been so blessed...it is a strange feeling. i know that i have often said that i prefer to be on the giving end than the receiving end (but i have to admit it has been so COOL to see how GOD is working in our lives on a day to day-sometimes on an hour to hour basis) it is amazing to be able to show the kids how GOD is working in our lives...we are not embarrassed nor do we hide the fact that we are being helped. we are very open about things-all things. our prayer is that someday (even if we can't) our kids will be able to remember what it was like to be blessed and they will go out and DO THE BLESSING...

no one knows why we are living through what we are living...but i do know that i can't deny that GOD has had HIS hand on the entire situation and that my friends is why we can sleep at night and get up in the morning and make it through another day.

thanks for checking in

tim and tammy