Dear Friends, It is 4 days until Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for and joyous over, and are just so blessed in so many ways, yet grieve so heavily that Jerry will not be with us for the first time this year during the holidays. This next season of our life will be the hardest since it will be the year of "the firsts." First Thanksgiving and Christmas without him, first for other holidays, birthdays, etc. Although we are in a season of fierce suffering, we know that God is always with us. He knows what is happening and all the intricate details of our life, and can walk with us through our circumstances. Psalm 46:1 tells us that He is our Rescuer, Deliverer, and our Refuge in life's storms. I am able to make it each day only by keeping my eyes on Jesus. Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) I want you to pray for the Anderson 3 this week. I am going ahead with some Thanksgiving plans that Jerry and I had already decided on back in July before we ever knew he was sick. We had planned to go to Yosemite National Park along with two of our dear neighbor families, and a third family, to an RV campsite for the Thanksgiving holiday. The trip was already planned and spots reserved, and I feel like if Jerry could send me a message he would really want the kids and I to go ahead with these plans if at all possible, besides the kids are really excited. My brother, Greg, has offered to come and go with us to help drive my RV and help me with all the set up, etc, which I am very grateful for. On second thought, my dear neighbors, the Rennick's and Patterson's, may need your prayers more than us...they may not know what they have gotten themselves into having to mess with the Anderson family! Please pray for our safety and that we will feel God's presence in a big and mighty way! Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10) Praying boldly for God's gentle guidance! Candy

Dear Friends,

The fires in Santa Barbara are now almost completely contained; however, there have been many, many homes lost. There are 9 families represented in the church that we attend (Santa Barbara Community Church) who lost their homes in the fires. Please pray for them. They were each prayed for in our worship service this past Sunday, and several of these families stood and were in attendance, worshipping God in His House only days after the loss of their own homes and memories. What a testimony of faith!

With love to each of you,

Candy

Dear friends outside of California! We're receiving lots of worried phone calls regarding the wildfires in and near Santa Barbara that you've heard about and seen reported on the news. Just wanted each of you to know that we are not immediately in harms way. Although we were able to watch the flames while standing on our street last night, the fires are about 13 miles south of our home. This morning, we can definitely see a haze of smoke drifting our way across the mountains, but we are in no immediate danger. However, some of the fires are in heavily populated areas and there have already been many homes burned, so please pray for calm winds today to allow the firefighters more ease in getting the fires contained, and so they will not spread uncontrollably. Pray for the safety of everyone! We love you, Candy, Natalie and Joshua

Dear Friends, I am really missing Jerry. He is constantly on my mind - in every waking thought. The sadness is sometimes extremely overwhelming. I look for him in everything we do and picture how he was always there. I just miss his mere presence. I saw an episode of Oprah this last year in which Jerry Seinfeld was the guest. He was talking about his wife, Jessica. He commented that he liked her "aroundness," and he explained that he just liked knowing that she was "around." Perhaps not in the same room as him, but just knowing that she was present in the home somewhere. That's what I miss about Jerry. His "aroundness," and just knowing that he was around and present - even if we weren't interacting at the time, or were in separate parts of the house doing our own thing, I knew he was there. I miss his laugh and the sound of his voice. I now frequently find myself calling our home phone number and listening to the voice mail message just to hear him speaking. I cannot for the life of me record over our home phone message and probably never will as long as we have this number. So, if you call our home and we are not available, you will hear Jerry on our message center. This has happened a few times now to family and friends and I can tell by their broken voices while they leave a message that it was touching and emotional for them to hear his voice (sorry Dinah). BUT, this also speaks volumes to me knowing that Jerry was so well loved! Please know that we love to talk about Jerry (in our grief, it is such a comfort). His name is spoken every day in our house and we share memories of him constantly. While walking with my neighbor, Pam, this past Friday, she shared with me certain things she missed about Jerry and some little "phrases" that he always used that she liked. It made me smile and even laugh a little! This is such a comfort to me and I find it so enjoyable to hear others share things about Jerry that they remember or liked. So, please do not be afraid to talk about him! It is day by day, moment by moment, but my hope is in the Lord! Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. Lamentations 3:22-25 Hug, love and enjoy your families today. Give thanks for the day, and take nothing for granted. This verse was written on the programs at Jerry's memorial services and I want to share it with you again: You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist (vapor) that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, I will live and do this or that." James 4:14-15 Cherish life! Praying boldly for God's guidance, Candy