I have been counting for over a year, ever since reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp for the first time. At first I counted sporadically, but in January I took the Joy Dare to heart.
3 gifts per day for a year.
My eyes have been opened to so many things of beauty, so many hard-to-swallow yet good and perfect gifts, and gifts unexpected.
On my list are names: my children, my husband, friends and family and even the occasional stranger. Places: beaches, mountains, and fields of wildflowers. Foods, phrases, scriptures, sights, sounds and smells all inhabit my gratitude journal.
999 gifts written. What would the 1000th be? Would it be obvious that it was meant to be the 1000th? I prayed He would make it clear what the 1000th gift should be, because I felt it should be unique...different...a stand-out.
I went to lunch with my sweet friend, Margaret, today. It had been too long since we had just sat and talked about all the things that matter to us, so that hour of conversation with her was gift number 998.
Our new chore pack system started a new phase today...lunchtime chorepacks. Today the children did their chores beautifully, thus the chorepacks are gift number 999.
The mail arrived. Gracie and I went to the front door to begin the walk to the mailbox.
I opened the door and it was like my senses were magnified a thousand times...
the breeze so warm, sunshine, floweres blooming everywhere, the rustling leaves of the tall trees as the wind blew, and songbirds so happy all around.
Of course! Of course the 1000th gift would be extraordinary in it's ordinariness! All of Creation sings praise to Him and He allows me to see! He is near...oh, so near! How perfect that His gift to me would be the reassurance of His presence in the everyday and simple things like a walk to the mailbox.
Glorious. It is all to bring Him glory and I got to stop for just that moment and breathe it all in.
Thank you, sweet Father.
And the counting continues...
3 gifts per day for a year.
My eyes have been opened to so many things of beauty, so many hard-to-swallow yet good and perfect gifts, and gifts unexpected.
On my list are names: my children, my husband, friends and family and even the occasional stranger. Places: beaches, mountains, and fields of wildflowers. Foods, phrases, scriptures, sights, sounds and smells all inhabit my gratitude journal.
999 gifts written. What would the 1000th be? Would it be obvious that it was meant to be the 1000th? I prayed He would make it clear what the 1000th gift should be, because I felt it should be unique...different...a stand-out.
I went to lunch with my sweet friend, Margaret, today. It had been too long since we had just sat and talked about all the things that matter to us, so that hour of conversation with her was gift number 998.
Our new chore pack system started a new phase today...lunchtime chorepacks. Today the children did their chores beautifully, thus the chorepacks are gift number 999.
The mail arrived. Gracie and I went to the front door to begin the walk to the mailbox.
I opened the door and it was like my senses were magnified a thousand times...
the breeze so warm, sunshine, floweres blooming everywhere, the rustling leaves of the tall trees as the wind blew, and songbirds so happy all around.
Of course! Of course the 1000th gift would be extraordinary in it's ordinariness! All of Creation sings praise to Him and He allows me to see! He is near...oh, so near! How perfect that His gift to me would be the reassurance of His presence in the everyday and simple things like a walk to the mailbox.
Glorious. It is all to bring Him glory and I got to stop for just that moment and breathe it all in.
Thank you, sweet Father.
And the counting continues...
I like it. I really like the pictures, too!
ReplyDelete