I've been meaning to make a gratitude journal for the longest time. I've been inspired to by the book "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are" by Ann Voskamp. Through this book, Ann, tells her personal, heart wrenching story whilst writing about what she is most grateful for. She writes that in order to receive God's blessings we need to give thanksgiving first. I visit her blog A Holy Experience almost daily and am blessed every time.
"I only deepen the wound of the world when I neglect to give thanks for early light dappled through leaves and the heavy perfume of wild roses in early July and the song of crickets on a humid night and the rivers that run and the stars that rise and the rain that falls and all the good things that a good God gives."
"It takes a full twenty minutes after your stomach is full to register satiation. How long does it take your soul to realize that your life is full? The slower the living, the greater the sense of fullness and satisfaction."
In the book, she encourages you to take a joy dare by being thankful in every circumstance and finding joy in the little things.
"It's habits that can imprison you and it's habits that can free you. But when thanks to God becomes a habit - so joy in God becomes your life." ~ Ann Voskamp
So, I'm going in. I'm going to begin to keep a gratitude list. Take the joy dare with me!
Here is what's been making me terribly happy lately:
1. The miniature Christmas nativity which I forgot to take down. When I see it I reflect on the amazing gift of God's Son to the world.
2. Flowers from my husband. And, when I asked him why he got me flowers, he says: "Can't a man get flowers for his wife with no reason?"
3. Fire engine socks. They are absolutely adorable and underneath those socks are the sweetest little piggies I've ever seen.
4. Pumpkin snack cake. A new recipe! Enjoyed baking and eating this one.
5. Scrabble game pieces make the best reminders. I love the "PRAY" reminder on my hutch. Sadly, I need the reminder often.
6. Bundling up in warm sweaters on cold days.
7. A snack of clementines and pistachios... leading to a clementine throwing match with my husband.
8. A package in the mail from Korea with tasty (and not so tasty) treats.
9. Hanging out with the ladies in Coffee Break and watching the beautiful movie "October Baby." The movie tells the story of a woman who is the survivor of a failed abortion. I came across this website after watching the movie and was amazed by the video testimonies. Please visit: Every Life Is Beautiful!
10. Snow tubing with the youth in our church. I only went down the hill 3 times as Isaac was keeping warm in the clubhouse with a friend. Thanks Kelly! It made me realize I'm getting older as I nearly peed my pants. It was really fun though!
11. Choo Choo trains - they're just plain cute.
12. Building a collection of children's books for my wee one and reading them to him.
13. Isaac's smiles in the morning when he wakes up and sees me. I've become more of a morning person just knowing that I'll get to see that beautiful fresh face. He doesn't wake up in the morning with an agenda like we do as adults. He's just simply happy that it's a new day.
14. Bubble bath suds. Even dish soap suds for that matter. Have you ever really looked closely at a bubble? They are quite lovely. They're translucent yet seem to have thousands of colours going on at once. What a divinely beautiful detail God made for us to enjoy!
15. French toast, raspberries, icing sugar, and (real) maple syrup. Okay, not the healthiest breakfast, but delish!
16. Onesies - you can't have too many of them!
17. Softly falling snow - the combination of no wind and big snowflakes and how it leaves a gorgeous dusting of snow on the branches of trees. I couldn't resist bundling Isaac up to go outside in the carrier to let him see snow falling from that perspective. The resulting picture still makes me chuckle - as he appears to show signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
18. New shoes at a good price!
19. Good reads! Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Did you know that a caterpillar has over 220 distinct and separate muscles in it's head alone? That an Elm tree can have more than 6 million leaves on it? That's detail in design! We have a God who designed the beauty of this world, a world so big we can't even fathom it, and on top of it all He is relentlessly in love with you and me.
20. Laundry! Though, I do not love folding it. I must be thankful because I have running water, hot water, hydro, more clothing, towels, blankets... than I need, hands to fold with, the ability to work. God is good to me!
21. Homemade Valentines. A new loose leaf tea I've found and am in love with, "A Monk's Blend" - I've decided to give a tea sampling out to friends for Valentines Day.
22. Hosting and partaking in a progressive dinner with good friends, new friends, delicious food, and a red and white theme. I enjoyed making the desserts: A trifle and chocolate covered strawberries.
.....
In naming these gifts I have found that this in itself is a gift! I look at some of these things and they might be quite ordinary things. But, now that I have named them, it somehow gives them more meaning. Of course there are days when you can't think of one thing to be grateful for. That's okay too! We forget and we take things for granted. We stumble and we fall. God understands this. But, it's so good to reflect on what is good in this world and on what is beautiful in the midst of the ugly
"If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad. It might even be good."
~ C.S. Lewis
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