Oh deer

This is a photo of Mike's car, which had the misfortune of colliding with an 8-point buck last Tuesday night.

We are thankful the deer did not come through the windshield and that Mike walked away with no injuries.

The car and the deer, however, are different stories. A hunter came along shortly after the accident and shot the deer to put it out of its misery. The hunter speculated that all four legs were broken, so there was no chance the poor thing was going to survive.

The car is totaled.

Which, in a way, is a blessing. We were hoping to replace the car in the next year or so. It had a bad oil leak and we hadn't put any major money into repairs for it, so it's a blessing that we are getting insurance money out of something that could have (very soon) been a liability for us.

On Saturday we got a new-to-us car. It cost more than what I wanted to spend on a car, but in looking at our options, it was the one that made the most sense and will be the best value for us in the long run.

The good news is that the week before, God blessed us and gave us the ability to completely pay off our minivan.

For a split-second after Mike's run-in with the deer I was a little frustrated - we finally had paid off both cars, but less than a week later we had to add a payment back. What kind of progress is that?

But then I realized that, while this isn't ideal, God had already provided. We hadn't yet reworked our monthly budget to account for not having a car payment (we had in our heads - but not on paper) so to take on another payment is effortless. What a blessing!

As we approach Thanksgiving day I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for. The list is long.

I'm not sure what else to write here - there has been a long pause in my thinking, reflecting on all the reasons I have to give thanks. One of the verses from Psalm 16 comes to mind - it is the same Psalm the Holy Spirit brought to my mind when I went in for my biopsy last year. It seems quite appropriate as a Psalm of thanksgiving (and for what we've been through in the past week) as well.

Yes, surely I have a delightful inheritance!

Psalm 16
1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." 3 As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. 4 The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. 5 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.