One Thousand Gifts: Friday, Week Ten

Happy Friday, Friends! 

How did you like this week's devotion?  Did you experience any "cathedral moments" this week?  If so, I'd like to read about it in the comments below.

I want to share with you something that happened last Saturday.  I didn't share it on Monday because I was trying to put it out of my mind.  Trip and I were walking the Westies, and he went inside our local General Store while I stayed outside with the dogs.  We were enjoying looking at the many Halloween decorations and inflatables outside the store.  There were several kids out there, too.  In the distance, I saw two large dogs running toward us.  As they got closer, I recognized that they were pit bulls.  My first thought was for the children, some as young as three, between us and the dogs.  However, the dogs spied our Westies and made a beeline towards us.  They approached, and they were circling us, and our male started after them to protect me and his mom.  They started growling, and the larger brindled pit bull was about to attack when Trip walked out of the store and saw what was going on.  I was screaming, he was yelling, and his approach was enough of a distraction to enable me to pick-up one of the Westies, and Trip picked-up the other.  We quickly walked back to the store, and I was able to get inside.  The pit bulls ran a few feet away to where their owner was, and she put these spiked collars on them (which makes me think that they are problem dogs).  Everyone around the store was yelling at them for not managing their dogs.  The dogs escaped their backyard, and the male millennial owner kept saying: "It wasn't my fault."  The parents outside the store gave him a talking down like you've never heard!

The good news is that no one was bitten, and I know that it was because God protected us all.  We were both shaken-up by the incident, and it took us a surprisingly long time to get the cortisol and adrenaline out of our systems. 

I want to thank you for praying for us, and I think it's important to continue to pray for the families who read this blog.  I often pray that God will place a hedge of protection around us and our families.  Let's also pray for those who read our posts and never comment.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for Kris's daughter Kim as she only has a few days until she gives birth to her first child.  Let's pray for an easy labor and delivery, and a healthy, happy mom and baby!  If the baby isn't born sooner, she will be induced on Tuesday (of next week).
• Pray that the division in our country ends, and that we can truly be one nation under God, and indivisible.
• Let's continue to pray for our gold star families and our active military.  This past weekend was gold star family weekend.
• Please pray for Kitty's DIL, Julie, that her heart will change; for SIL, Eric, that he will see some relief for his cervical dystonia; and for her son, Mike, that he will get a job.
• Carla reminds us that it's not too early to pray for an honest election for all sides running, and that everyone that wants to run can have a fair go at it.
• Rita's sister-in-law and brother-in-law made it home, and both are doing much better!
• Please also keep Rita's daughters in your prayers. They are both in graduate school and working full time (one being a full time momma), and are feeling a lot of stress currently.
• Please pray for travel mercies for Shelley, Trip, and me as we travel to Louisiana for our niece's wedding this weekend.  

I hope you recognize many "cathedral moments" this weekend!

Until next time...

Blessings,

Ricki Jill