Thinking out loud

First things first- I'm sorry for doubting! I figured no one was listening and I quit rambling... thanks to all who responded to my post last week and let me know you're still out there and interested in what's going on in my corner of the world. It felt good to hear from so many. I knew already that I am loved, but it still felt good to be reminded. Tell someone that you love them today.
If I can get a little introspective and intimate...
I have been reminded over and over this week how wonderfully I am blessed!! All around me, friends are hurting and lives are being shaken. So much has happened this week- and it's only Wednesday... a people that I love are reeling from political turmoil in their country (Kenya)... I spent time praying with a friend who has been grieving the loss of her father... I prayed with another friend who's taking a break from a marriage on the rocks... another friend's marriage ended this weekend, days after she ended the life of a baby inside her... another friend is grieving the loss of an unborn baby she has desperately wanted and prayed for... It has been a heavy week. I've spent a lot of time with God these past few days, much of it crying out for these women that I love. Some are believers, whose faith will be strengthened by their current circumstances; some of their faith has been destroyed, and they need to regain the once solid foundation they once stood on. One has never understood the love of her Creator, and doesn't yet know the salvation and peace He can give her.
I'm not really sure what to think or how to feel. As Rob & I were talking earlier about all these situations, I told him that my heart and emotions are confused- heavy and burdened for my friends, but also light with the realization of so many things we have to be thankful for. I'm guilty of complaining about my job and griping about being cramped in a small apartment. At the same time- I'm grateful to have a good job and good insurance that we haven't had to use because we're healthy. We drove past the house we almost bought last week, and were so happy that it's not ours, because the builder still hasn't finished that street, and it's the lone house in the middle of a desolate construction zone.
The one thing I am sure of: God is good and He is still in control. When nothing else makes sense, we can be still and know that God is God.
I'm not really sure where I intended to go by sharing all this. Maybe I just needed unload a little bit.
Several years ago, a friend shared with me that with the coming of every new year she makes of list of things she's thankful for in the past year, rather than resolutions for the coming one. (Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I shared about this last January.) I think I'll go make my list- it could take a while. I've got a whole lot to be thankful for!