God is alive and active in our lives. Blessed shares the author's encounters with God which she recorded for future family generations and as a testimony to all who are seeking a personal relationship with God.
The story of "Blessed" was meant to be a recounting of our experiences on our yacht "Blessed", which I wanted to share with our children. It was written out of obedience to Deuteronomy 11:18-20.
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,"
During the writing of our experiences on "Blessed", God continued to bless me, and move me to write more. The more was rather personal, and I've tried to write it in such a way as no one mentioned will be embarrassed, but rather be "Blessed", and honored, that they have been included as one of the blessings God has given to me.
Excerpt:
Have you ever been so angry you just can’t even find words to express the livid emotions erupting inside you? I reached that point the day I walked through our front door, and my husband declared with obvious delight and pride that he had bought a boat. Not just any boat, but a large sailing yacht he expected me to live on! Now 40 feet is not a large living area for me to live in, especially with a husband I am now livid with. I grabbed the dog, and went for a walk. Thank goodness God is an understanding God, for I yelled and screamed at Him, my mind erupting like a volcano. I felt no better. I knew I had to return to the house and somehow be civil to this husband of 25 years. Until this moment, I loved him dearly, but his standing was now in grave jeopardy. I took a deep breath, and then just told God I wasn’t prepared to deal with this, so it was His entire problem.
Priding myself on my calm composure, I re-entered the house and went through the daily routine of life for the next week. One evening, my husband came in from work looking very downcast; his wonderful new boat had just sailed off without him, as he couldn’t work out the financial details before the deadline. In other words, our investments, which had to be freed up to purchase the boat, had met some unforeseen problems and were not immediately accessible. The deal fell through. I refrained from voicing the huge “Yes, God!” that ran through my mind, and instead managed to voice a subdued regret, and some encouraging words about finding another boat when the time was right.
Smug in my victory, I happily went about my week. About ten days later, I was plunged back into a panic. My husband came home from work all excited because he had found yet another boat to buy. This time, however, he had at least consulted me, but I’m not sure why. He wasn’t listening to any of my little protests anyway. Our money was available and my heart sank. Once again, very irreverently but quite fervently, I called out to God inquiring as to what He thought He was doing. I didn’t get the answer I wanted but, “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10 kept rolling through my mind every time the panic rose up within me. I obeyed. It didn’t take many days before my husband’s face was again downcast, as he had not been able to find a way to get the boat from its present location to ours. Another huge, “Yes, God!” issued forward from my mind to my Saviour. He really was there and working for me. What an awesome God He was! Isn’t it easy to praise the Lord and issue forth words of gratitude when things are going your way?
Secure in my lovely home in the mountains of the interior of British Columbia, surrounded by my family and friends, I was bathing in the knowledge that God was looking after me and we would never own a yacht. I was happy and content. My husband, on the other hand, seemed to be having a mid life crisis, and he was intent on finding the boat of his dreams.