Category Archives: Gratitude Community

Blooming in Barrenness

Janis Van Keuren

Each day I drive by these botanical symbols of life in the springtime desert. The ocotillo dressed in statuesque elegance with its plumes of red flowers sways in front of the Sonoran Desert hallmark, the giant Saguaro. I drink in this fleeting beauty which will fade as spring turns up its heat and all that will be left are the spiny thorns which make these sentinels unapproachable. Still I marvel at God’s artistic majesty to create striking beauty in a … Continue reading →

A New Chapter in His Majestic Creation

Janis Van Keuren

Four nights under the His canopy of stars. Almost five days of trekking through His forest of towering pine trees. In awe of God, I spread open His word and worshiped Him for His glorious creation that brought me peace.

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The Super Moon

Janis Van Keuren

For a second night, the Super Moon hung in the sky beckoning us to leave behind the artificial blue lights of our technology and gaze upon real light created by the Master. Hubby and I grabbed the camera and stomped through the ankle deep, nighttime green of our grass. Pushing aside the possibility of what type of bugs my bare feet could encounter (Hubby wore flip flops), we plodded to a space against the block wall where the great beam … Continue reading →

The Man Who Trusts in the Lord

Janis Van Keuren

        “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green….”  Jeremiah 17:7 and 8 NIV       It may have been Father’s Day but it felt like Mother’s Day to me. Our family was together~those of us still living here at home. We … Continue reading →

Anytime is a Good Time to Give Thanks

Janis Van Keuren

           I looked at the clock, and the hour was pushing its way into early evening. It felt like it was too late to post about the gratitudes for this week at Ann Voskamps’s Multitude Mondays. Then I realized that anytime is the right time to give thanks to the Lord, whether it fits in with the early morning announcements of many bloggers or it’s one quiet voice in the evening recalling His blessings.     This will be a short … Continue reading →

My Hope Comes From Him

Janis Van Keuren

Winter’s Deep Freeze Has Left the Branches Bare       My hope has been placed in so many things, in so many people. I depended on circumstances, or well-thought-out plans, maybe a job, but most especially a particular person in whatever season of my life on which to hang my hope. If whatever I was hoping for would come to pass, then I knew I would be at peace and filled with joy.     But time and again, whatever I … Continue reading →

He Has Made Me Glad

Janis Van Keuren

          We had looked forward to this time for months. With our son having left for boot camp only two weeks prior, we knew that a few-day visit from our friends would be the perfect pick-me-up for our droopy spirits. But as the time approached, I felt myself sinking into a deep pit. Son had not called or written–my heart breaking while other Moms reported glorious words from their offspring. Energy levels plummeted with the mood. I looked around the … Continue reading →

The Dream Abandoned On The Plane

Janis Van Keuren

        The text from youngest beeped at me, “(Lol) Sean Miller is on my flight.” The thoughts start whirring as I walk through the grocery story. The basketball coach of the University of Arizona is on the plane with youngest. The basketball coach for whom Jordan was one of several team managers a couple of years ago.     It was the road we all thought youngest would travel. Keep working for the team, continue his major in Journalism, and blaze a … Continue reading →

“Setting Sail” with His Kindness

Janis Van Keuren

      Nervous, as I always am before an event that I am hosting, I checked off my last minute list of goodies to be packed in the car for the party. Star-shaped cookies wrapped in wristbands, two floral centerpieces, the cake, photos of our youngest, the Navy journal, and, of course, the camera. Everyone was in the car when I glanced back and saw youngest’s jeans–they had the fashionable hole on the knees. I started fraying like his jeans, and … Continue reading →

He Has a Plan

Janis Van Keuren

     Only 22 days left. The countdown makes my heart race. The urgency builds to a crescendo tapping out every sacred moment. The notes beat a rhythm in my mind, echoing the refrain, “make every moment count.”      On July 18, our youngest son, Jordan, leaves for Navy Boot Camp. The final papers have been signed. The final “Yes,” has been pronounced. Lists have been checked for the meager items he can take. Left behind are remnants of memories for … Continue reading →