Gratitude
I love the gift of gratitude. A fellow blogger, Ann Voskamp of A Holy Experience, started what she calls a gratitude community. The idea, as her site explains, is to count the gifts we have. To make this a regular practice. So, beginning today, April 29, 2010, I am joining the Gratitude Community.
1. Days with bursts of hail and rain followed by blinding sunshine
2. A husband I can lean on and receive encouragement from
3. A son who is seeking to find his own way in the world
4. A daughter who has an eye for beauty
5. A job that I love
6. Seven colleagues who make my work a joy
7. A sister who I’m getting to know more and more every day
8. The birds whose songs I wake to every morning
9. A husband who knows I don’t like to shop, and so takes that on
10. A group of women who I spend Tuesday evenings with in great conversation
11. My last-Thursday of the month group of women from my grade school
12. Adoptive parents who loved me
13. A birth mother who dared to give me up, and who I will never know
14. The smell of spring
May 1, 2010
15. For the quiet of early morning hours
16. For another day in the beauty of creation
17. For the warmth of a blanket
18. For the memory of my father’s last days
19. For our daughter coming home after her first year of college
20. For hugs–held a little longer
21. For God’s faithfulness in everything
22. For grace and forgiveness
23. For running hot and cold water
24. The smell of coffee
25. Tears of remembrance
May 3, 2010
26. For a loving God
27. For Christ
28. That the sky displays Your craftsmanship
29. For Your ever presence
30. For just being God
31. For the peace that comes from knowing, from faith in the Father
32. For all the gifts, because they are from You, the Giver of all
33. For forgiveness and second chances
34. For unconditional love
35. For all the gifts I failed to recognize or simply tucked away.
May 4, 2010
36. Waking up before the sunrise, or the birds
37. My son’s voice on the other end of the phone
38. Extra long hugs
39. My husband’s calm in the storm
40. A dog that smiles
41. The gift of words
42. For books that make me reflect and desire to be closer to God
43. For primary colors
44. For all the flowers blooming in our garden
45. For my morning coffee
46. For water
47. For another day
May 5, 2010
48. God is good
49. For answered prayers, in His time, not mine
50. For music
51. For my husband’s chance to play music with friends
52. For my son’s smile this morning
53. For students who inspire me
54. For wool socks on cool spring days
55. For the friends I hung out with last night
56. For the chance to share my joy today with my sister and a friend
57. For dog hair on the carpet, because I love the dog who left it there
58. For the sound of rain on the roof
59. For the baby Robins right outside our window
May 6, 2010
60. For every breath
61. For every tear
62. For every hug
63. For every smile
64. For moments when silence is the only answer
65. For mothers
66. For birth mothers
67. For quiet moments
May 7. 2010
68. For friends who make me laugh
69. For fresh strawberries
70. For flannel
71. For great movies and movie makers
72. For faith when the world seems to have gone mad
Monday, May 10, 2010
73. For early mornings
74. For not knowing what to say sometimes
75. For friends who do
76. For the gift of parenthood, even when I feel less than adequate
77. For wisdom teeth
78. For homemade lasagna
79. For more to read and grade
80. For beautifully written words
81. For busy days following days of rest
82. For families trying to work things out
May 24, 2010
88. For every breath
89. For knowing love
90. For knowing I am the object of that love
91. For knowing and trusting that my husband is the object of Your love
92. For Your word
93. For knees that are able to drop to the floor
94. For aches and pains that remind me that I am alive
95. For spring rain
96. For the green and colors that follow
99. For the sun breaks that give hope of new life
100. For gentleness
101. For peace
57. For dog hair on the carpet, because I love the dog who left it there — I love this one. I’m going to use it with the dog and the kids. As in, for the dirty dishes in the sink that didn’t get put in the dishwasher, because I love the kid who left them there. What a great way to redirect annoyance to gratitude. Here’s another one — for my friend who leaves such inspiring ideas on her blog!!
Galen — You make me smile! How about: For blogs that bring us closer in friendship, because they let us share our hearts in ways that might have otherwise taken us years.