“When all is said and done,

I will judge my life by the people I met along the way,

the friends I laughed with, shared with, and cried with;

the people who held me up when it seemed like all I could do was fall;

who made me laugh when there was nothing left to say;

who accepted me and celebrated me for being exactly who I am.” – Vanessa Bridson

God has given us special people in our lives that we call friends.

Each one of us have people in our lives that are very close friends.

Today let us stop and think God for the gift of friends who have been in our lives.

“Do you ever look up to see the stars at night? Have you tried to count them all or imagine their number, feeling small and insignificant and overwhelmed at the sight?

Do you ever try to picture the hand that put each star in its place, that knows their number, and – most importantly – knows that you are looking up to see the vastness of His universe?

God loves you more than all the stars in heaven. There’s an endless amount of love that He is always sending you, and His love is there to cover every moment of your life.” – Barbara J. Hall

We cannot imagine how much God loves each one of us. Let us stop and thank God for the many gifts given to each one of us.

Our God is a God of love.

“My children are light sleepers, so when they fall asleep on me in the rocking chair, it can be a real challenge to get them into their crib without waking them up. Over time I’ve learned the delicate art of pressing them close during the transfer. That way, even if the chair and the door (and my knees!) all creak in unison, the stirring child quickly softens back to sleep as soon as I gently tighten my embrace.

I’ve often found that God holds us with the same closeness during the difficult transitions of our lives. And unexpected people often emerge to lead us through the darkness. We see this when Christ met Saul, held him close, and led him to Ananias. Previously fearful of Saul’s murderous threats, Ananias lays his hands upon him, heals him, feeds him, even watches as he takes his first wobbly steps as a newly baptized Christian.” – Michael J. Sanem

I love this image of God holding us close to him during difficult times in our lives. Actually God holds us all the time but we feel the need of it more during difficult times. Let us pause and thank God for being present in our lives every day!

“This life is yours, Take the power

to choose what you want to do and do it well

Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly

Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature

Take the power

to control your own life

No one else can do it for you

Take the power to make your life healthy exciting worthwhile and very happy” – Susan Polis Schutz

God is calling each one of us to take the power to choose life every day.

“God gave us the seasons – each with its own beauty and reason, each meant to bring us a blessing, a joy, and a feeling of love. God gave us the sunshine, the rain, and the beauty and freedom of nature to teach us the wisdom of gentle acceptance.

God gave us miracles in our hearts and lives, little things that happened to remind us we’re alive.

God gave us the ability to face each new day with courage, wisdom, and a smile from knowing that whatever sorrow or pain we may face, he abides with us securely in our hearts.

Most of all, God gave us one another to teach us about love and guide us through this world, always available to help us forward toward a greater understanding and a greater sharing and giving of love. “Regina Hill

God gave us one another. Unfortunately today there are too many people that are trying to cause more problems. I was appalled when I saw a congresswoman, breaking curfew and inciting people. She said, “We’ve got to get more confrontational.” She is from California and she’s stirring people up in Minneapolis. Where are people like Dr. Martin Luther King and Representative John Lewis? Let us work for peace and justice for one another in a non-violent way.