Thanks For My Family

First of all Thanks to my son Kneil who came up with this great idea (even for those of us who are not bloggers).

I thank God every day for my incredible family. For Tara, my wife of over 40 years, who loves me, her kids, her grandkids, all the rest of her family, but most importantly her Lord. It has been very inspiring for me to watch her growth in her faith, her ability to teach other women so effectively, and to see how she impacts others who are struggling in their faith. She supports me and prays for me in all the things that I do. Everyone who knows her knows the kind of prayer warrior that she is. Praise God!

I am so thankful for my sons, Matt and Kneil. As their father I am blessed beyond measure to see the men of God that they have become. I listen to all of my friends and colleagues brag about all of their childrens accomplishments, their status, etc. and I could do the same, and probably do to some extent, but rather I am most proud of who my sons are: sons of our Heavenly Father who exhibit that to everyone that they come in contact with. Not a lot of fathers, unfortunately, can brag about that aspect of their sons lives and the fact that they positively touch the lives of so many that they come in contact with every day. I am also, very thankful to have had the opportunity to share the land of our Lord, Israel, with my sons earlier this year. It was a very special time and a very special treat for me to be able to baptize both Matt and Kneil in the Jordan River. I could go on and on with this story because those of you who know me know how I love Israel. Praise God for my Sons!!

I am also thankful (but not surprised because of the prayers of my wife) that God led my sons to choose such beautiful, Godly wives as they did. Sacha and Jodi, my daughters, you both know how special you are in my life and what you mean to me. God knew exactly what He was doing when he chose each of you for Matt and Kneil. You two, like the guys, have grown into unbelieveable Godly women, wives, mother, and mother-to-be. It has been one of my great joys to watch your growth over the years. Like Sacha said to me the other day, Wow, you have known me since I was 18. Yes, and it has been a blessing to watch you grow since then. You have become an incredible wife, Mom, and Godly woman. Jodi, ever since that first message on my pager in the movie theater, before I even really knew you it has been equally joyful for me to watch you grow. Especially to watch your faith strengthen and your love of our Lord grow during all the adversity. Now, it is a blessing to watch you and Kneil as you prepare to become parents for the first time. God Is Good!! Thank you Lord for my girls!

GRANDKIDS! What else can I say? OK, I will. Eden, Brenden, Colten, and "baby on the way", Wow! You are very, very special to your PopPop and Mammies. It is such a joy for me to see these little ones grow, to see their personalities take shape, to see life through their eyes, to see how they already have such a love for our Lord it makes me burst with pride. It was such a joy to be a part of and witness Eden's baptism earlier this year. It is so much fun for me to take Brenden to the driving range, have water gun fights, and see a golden eagle together. It is such a trip to get in the floor and play trucks, helicopters, etc. with Colten and to just sit back and watch how he interacts with Rhett (our miniature schnauzer)--they are buds. Grandchildren are truly one of God's greatest blessings. Everyone who sees me gets to hear about my amazing grandkids. I can't wait to tell them about the next one. Thank you Kneil and Jodi.

Then there is Tara's folks, MeMa and PaPa Harmon. Kind of like Sacha said to me, I have to say the same to them. Wow, you have known me since I was 18. At 18 they probably wanted me to go away because I was dating their little girl who was 16. That was a long time ago, but they have been a blessing to me all these 40+ years. It was an amazing time to be able to spend time with them, all of Matt's family (except Colten), Kneil and Jodi, and Tara and I in Hawaii a while ago. To see PaPa try snorkeling for the first time at 80 years old was a treat for us all.

Needless to say, the Novak clan has been blessed and we continue to be blessed as God uses all of us as we continue to serve Him in our churches, our workplaces, and our neighborhoods. I praise Him every day for allowing us to live in the free country that we do and for giving us the privilege of serving Him. I pray that He will continue to bless us, that He will allow Tara and I to lead a trip to Israel next year, and that He will provide for me to make a trip to Poland soon to serve with some friends there.

May God bless all of you on this Thanksgiving Day!

H.T.