<<<-My Spirit Hit The Floor Running Thanksgiving Day->>>

12:00AM

 I lay awake, talking on the phone with my friend. Right after we hung up I literally fell asleep, literally. With my cell by my side and my pillow drenched in sweet dreams, at last my body fell into a deep deep slumber.

6:00AM

Seldom do I wake up at such an early time. Little rays of light shined through my window, tickling my eyes. I rose to my feet and thanked the Lord for so many big and little things. Quiet: the perfect ambiance for some intimate time with God. Can somebody say "Soul Food"? I piled up my three notebooks, huge water bottle, and Bible in my arms and crept downstairs toward the couch in our living room. I really felt like my Spirit was just crying out and saying, "Feed me Deya, feed me!" Pages and pages later, I journaled for a bit and finally got into the word. I wanted to cry as I read the life of David as I approached the end of the second book of Samuel. After some amusing conversations with my God, my Mami (how we say mom in Spanish) came downstairs and we ate a yummy breakfast. A nice sandwich comprised of whole grain bread, ham, lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo, and mustard. This may not be your typical breakfast but it's part of the healthy meal plan that thanks to God I am now following. Tips to come!

2:00PM

The smell of turkey, stuffing, gravy, and green-bean-casserole filled the air and floated up the stairs and into our three bedrooms. The four of us gathered around the table, agreed as we came together in prayer, and ate my Mami's amazing food. It was so good! We laughed, reminaced, and then laughed some more!

5:00PM

And the crazy back and forth driving began! First stop, my Abuelita (grandma) Yolanda's house which is ten minutes away in Mission. We drove back to our old neighborhood, past our first house and seven houses later, parked in front of my Abuelito's (grandparents's) House. My little sister, mom, dad, and I walked in, abrasando y saludando (hugging and saying hello with a custom side cheek kiss), all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I love our culture and I love how God just transcends all culture to define and receive us. Because we had eaten at home I just grabbed a teeny slice of pumpkin pie while laughing my head off with my cousin Genesis. I hadn't seen her in forever since she took off to Texas A&M in the Fall. They officially converted her and I couldn't help but laugh and throw it in her face as we chuckled and loudly spilled over the couch making our usual references to Transformers Movies, (apparently only we do this) "Don't talk to me don't talk to me criminal!" I missed my Prima (cousin) so much! Before we had to leave to head on over to our second stop I got to say Hi to my cousin Laura, a news anchor for Telemundo 40, so that was cool too. I honestly had a great time as strange as it felt revisiting the roads that use to break my fall as I fell when learning how to ride my bike, that use to be targets for setting fire to fireworks in a glass bottle on Año Nuevo (New Years).

8:00PM

Second stop: Abuelita Marta's house. Here abraze y salude, I smiled, giggled, cried, and prayed. My Tia (Aunt) Chio has been bed bound for a while now with Cancer. Just like my Mami she's an amazing Woman of God with faith that can move mountains. All twenty of us gathered around her, held hands, as my Papi (Daddy) and then Mami led us in powerful prayer. We're all believing God for her recovery and restoration because we've seen and have experienced first-hand what the Lord can do if we dare to believe. We all know that the case is not the same for everyone but as Believers we know that God prepares his people for what is to come, revealing to us that which is hidden. Through dreams we have all seen my aunt walking, talking, and giving testimony of her experience. Even my grandma of my dad's side of the family has dreamed her. I can't even fathom what the Lord has in store for my Tia but like Jobe she will be restored and overflowing in blessing because not once did she complain nor deny her God, her Lord and Savior. We serve the living God who's hand is not too short to save. I believe it!

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Ahhh, what a beautiful Thanksgiving this was.

Thanksgiving: A Grateful Heart

Greetings friends! I hope everyone had a blessed thanksgiving! Yesterday was a great day- I got to spend time with those I love and took many trips down memory lane with a very special someone. This morning I woke up and began to really ponder over the things I am grateful for and how sometimes I might only say thank you do God for those obviously important people and things in my life, but...I want to dig deeper...I have too. God's done so many wonderful things for me that might even go unnoticed. Kind of like those prayers that He answers that we forget ever asking. I don't ever want to forget...God is faithful! You are faithful Lord and you keep all of your promises. I just want to take this time to thank the Lord for those special and subtle petitions He's answered and blessed me with: they might not make since because it's sort of an inside-prayer type of thing between God and I but I'm sure someone out there could relate to some of these thank yous.

(Psalm 136:1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.

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Thank you Lord for our first encounter. That day when you found me where I was and took me in your arms and promised to never leave me. Thank you for your sacrifice Jesus...for my salvation...where would I be without You?...Lost...completely lost and lonely, in need of You father. Thanks so much for placing me in the right place because many months ago I made a prayer to you in church for You to transition me and transport me like a chair where You wanted me to be. Like always you kept your promise! Thank you for being with me in those times when I felt so sensitive and fragile like a glass vase. I felt like I couldn't take the pain...I didn't want to sing anymore. It wasn't your fault! What was I thinking at that time, feeling like You'd abandoned me. You didn't. You watched as I helplessly fought to breathe through those agonizing tears and gasps of air. You broke through the silence, through the sadness in my heart and gave me once again a reason to live for. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving be the ability to praise You, God, with my voice. Thank you for accepting my life song! I love you for putting by my side my best friend on this earth and for allowing us to praise you together. When the notes of my heart and strokes on his guitar meet our worship becomes the best part of us that we can give You. Thank you because I'm not alone. Thank you because you've not only given me family in Christ to love but for the family You have given me that lives to serve you. Thank you for that day in the bathroom when I asked you for a favor asked as a simple joke between me and I- You made it happen. My parents were blessed that day in church. Thank you. If I kept going Lord, I think Blogger would run out of text space because I could go on and on. You've done so many things, oh so many things. I want to say thank you for the little big things that You do for me: Thanks a bunch for the parking space you had ready for me at school, You know how close I was to being late for UNIV and how badly I didn't not want to walk all the way from where I was "supposed" to park. Hee hee. Thank you! Gracias Padre santo! Many many thanks for helping me exactly afford that package of scan trons right before my American Heritage quiz. Whew! That was a close call. Thank you. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that you've given me to meet these new teens at the church that you have Daniel and I worshipping in. I just want to ask you for one thing before I go on and I know that You are listening: Please guard their hearts...they've gone through so much and they need you to show them Your way. They're willing to worship you Father but a pray for a complete transformation in their life to the point that they are filled with so much love that they no longer remember their past. Keep them safe always Lord...Thank You.

All that I have thanked you for father is just a tiny truffle of what You deserve to hear, God, but all of this comes from me and from the bottom to top of a grateful heart. Thank You.