One Thousand Gifts (Part 4): Weekend Getaway

It seems every blog post is filled with entries for my 1000 gifts project because I am always looking for God's blessings in my ordinary, everyday life.

47.  I'm so thankful that God's love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8a)

There once was a kid who liked to tease my little boy with light name calling, head noogies, and the like. My flesh wanted to train my boy to get tough and fight back, but remembering 1 Thess. 5:15, I simply encouraged my son to repay the kid's meanness with kindness. My son recently announced that the kid is super nice to him now, and I even heard the kid tell my son, "See you later, friend. I love you." 

48.  My mother celebrated her 72nd birthday last week and remains in excellent health.

With so many friends losing their mothers entirely too soon, I am celebrating each of my parents' birthdays with more thanksgiving than ever before.  What a blessing to still have them both healthy and continuing to offer love, guidance, and help.

49.  My husband and I just returned from a weekend getaway together in Asheville, NC. 

My husband and I both share a love for travel, so whether the destination is near or far, it's an incredible joy to get away and explore God's earth together.

50.  I'm so thankful that my parents were willing and able to watch the kids for us while we were way.  They treated them far better than I ever do!

51. We are all so glad for the gift of time with cousins.  It's a gift that their cousins could carve out time from their busy schedules to hang out with our kids while they were in town for the weekend.

Cousins enjoying the beach together

52.  I'm thankful for free passes to Biltmore House!

Our initial view of the Biltmore House set against a cloud covered sky

53. Thank you, Lord, for the precious friends who gave the free passes to us!

The weather forecast for our trip called for rain on Friday and warm sunshine on Saturday.  Unfortunately, the sun did not come out until Sunday, so it was dreary and wet for our day at the Biltmore Estate.

54.  God thankfully held most of the rain in the clouds and kept it warm enough so that it did not snow.

Photo by Biltmore Estate staff

55. Flowerless rose bushes in the estate's garden in the winter reminded me that the thorns in our lives may be necessary prerequisites before exquisite beauty can fully bloom.

56. Thank you, Lord, for showing your artistic brilliance through the beautiful bursts of floral color safely sheltered in the Biltmore Conservatory.  

57.  Just as the conservatory shelters the flowers, God is our perfect shelter and refuge in times of trouble.

 

 Psalm 27:4-5 (NIV1984)

⁴ One thing I ask of the Lord,
    this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
    and set me high upon a rock.

58.  Getting to see 4-day-old turkeys was another gift this past weekend.

59.  Touring Biltmore Estate was a fabulous gift, but visiting a dear friend from college, B,(see gifts #10 & 11 from part 1) whom I had not seen in 16 years was an even better blessing.

60.  I'm so glad we finally got to meet his lovely wife and daughters.

 

61.  The after dinner conservation inspired me.

62.  My husband's willingness to carve out time from our romantic getaway to spend time with people he had never met before was a huge blessing.

63. So, I'm especially glad that B and his wife "just happened" to serve one of my husband's favorite entrees and his all-time favorite dessert, lemon pie, with whipped cream made from scratch. 

64.  Recently, my husband and I have developed a fettish for goat cheese, so we considered it a great gift when spinach salad with apple slices and goat cheese was also served with our meal.  It was delicious.

65.  Icing on the cake was when B accidentally shaved off twice as much goat cheese into our salad as intended. Yum!

66. The following evening we joined B and his wife and two other treasured couples for dinner at a fabulous rustic restaurant.  I haven't seen these couples since we were college students except for one brief social a few years ago.  It was if no time had passed, and the conversation just picked up from where we left off 18 years ago with the same fun mixture of hilarity and spiritual encouragement.

67.  I'm thankful that our hotel offered excellent service and kept baskets of my husband's all time favorite, hard-to-find in local grocery stores, tea packets in the lobby.  Bigelow Lemon Lift, you make my man happy.

68.  The hotel's indoor pool, hot tub, and fitness center were well equipped and make our trip even more enjoyable.

69.  I'm even thankful for the terribly unhealthy but tasty buffet breakfast served each morning.  My mouth is still watering for another bagel, cheese, egg, and bacon melt.  My husband was shocked to see me eat something I would never serve myself at home because of nutritional concerns and then actually admit to really enjoying it.

70.  The sun came out on Sunday morning, so we drove home Sunday afternoon in glorious weather while singing Christian praise music with hands lifted and smiles wide.

71.  When I returned home I found an email inviting me to write for a women's ministry. While I have been doing freelance writing on the side for practice, training, a few pennies, and primarily to present Biblical truth on a secular platform,  I have been praying for another outlet to write in which I would not have concerns over questionable advertising surrounding my writing.  This invitation was a clear answer to prayer.