Happy Thanksgiving!!
My small group has been going through a book called One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp.
I'd recommend it, especially if you read it slowly. I think that's the only way to read it, really.
Anyway.
The challenge presented through the book is to list a thousand blessings, small and large. (I wrote more about the book and what it's meant for me in my post Counting Gifts). And I've been sharing some of those blessings through this little blog.
It's been a life change. It's been a soul-healing change.
And I'm not even close to writing down one thousand gifts.
One of the things that I enjoy about the book is that the author shares the gifts in her own life. It helped me to see the little things, to notice the tiniest of blessings. It helps to have an example, you know?
So, in honor of Thanksgiving, a time when we stop, count our blessings, and give thanks to the Creator of all who has given us all good things, I thought I'd share more of my list from the past few months.
Sunshine through the laundry room window
Early morning snuggles
Prayers offered by many
Crunchy walk to work
Little girl squeals from the playground
Plaid jacket
Cracks in old hardwood floor
Pink wispy sky
Surprise hugs
"Ping, ping" of recycling day
Fireplace crackles
Order from chaos (organized binder!)
Lace under fingertips
Sleepy Trevor smell
Chapel time
Shared laughs in the dining hall
Her quiet elegance
Tree tops touching a pink sunset
Smell of yeast
Warm milk
Rain smell
The last leaf hanging on
Fallen nest and new adventures
Dark curly hair
Carmelized onions
Tucker Turtle striking at food
Warm quilts
Turkeys running across the Rec field
Lights on Christopherhaus
Holding hands
Arm in arm in the car
Sparkles in raw squash
Long aprons
Perfect circle moon
Icy snow on fallen logs
Deer prints in new snow
Stories of those who came before
Excited voice over the phone
Space heater
Gently falling snow
A desk cluttered with life
The chance to try again
Putting faces to names
Just enough milk for the recipe
That comfort-smell
Warm coffee mug
Damp-leaf smell
Surprise pictures
Cold toes in warm socks
Fireplace smoke smell
Toddler kisses
Sunshine warm on my back
Help with the dishes
Clean stairs
Happy squirrel that bounded up the tree
Little boy with a temporary tattoo on his cheek
Girl giggles and fashion advice
Lanky arms wiping tables
Raindrops tapping on dried leaves
Light through yellow leaves
Rooty squash smell
Kissing his temple
Tractors in fields
Rough Trevor fingers on my palm
Farm cats on the four-wheeler tire
Miles of yellow-white corn
White country church in the middle of fields
Toast smell from kitchen
Birds chattering
Spices and pine smell
Tiny spider in the door frame
Baby's scrunched up angry face
Smooth green pepper skin
Afternoon naps
Birch trees bowing in the wind
Tiny downy feather on the sidewalk
Kids calling from the playground
Quilt folded neatly over the couch
Tunnels through mountains of leaves
My head fitting perfect between his shoulder blades
Silky Nellie-dog fur
Woodpecker in an oak tree
Comfy black sweatpants
Pine needle piles
Pear yellow
Her "success" smile
Ringlets at the nape of her little neck
Forehead to forehead secrets
Glass that looks green in the sunlight
Red speckles in changing leaves
Fat robin on the sidewalk
Horses standing peacefully in the pasture
Sunset water-coloring the lake
Nibbles on fishing poles
Acorns popping in the fireplace
Little bird perched on a rock
Tartness of apples
Warm banana smell
Bare feet on the kitchen floor
Soft hugs from gentle arms
Tiers of light from the clouds
Purple ditch flowers
Rhubarb pie from friends
Monarch flying overhead
Thousands of stars
Wing flutters
Canopy of oak trees
New uses for old things
New life announced
A paperclip pretty next to the blue mug
Ferns turning orange
Tiny white flowers
Leaf smoke acid smell
Tucker thudding down his ramp
Lavender soap on linoleum floor
Blotches of oil on his work shirts
My ring sending sparkles on the wall
Fresh from the dryer towels
Cinnamon floating in cereal milk
Dragonflies in the parking lot
Dark, heavy clouds
Spiders weaving in windowsills
The earring dangling at her jawline
Eyelashes on sunburned cheeks
Sunshine-colored soybeans
Morning light making the laundry room magical
Dragonflies dancing
The purple hostas in bloom
.... and there have been lots, lots more.
A desk cluttered with life
The chance to try again
Putting faces to names
Just enough milk for the recipe
That comfort-smell
Warm coffee mug
Damp-leaf smell
Surprise pictures
Cold toes in warm socks
Fireplace smoke smell
Toddler kisses
Sunshine warm on my back
Help with the dishes
Clean stairs
Happy squirrel that bounded up the tree
Little boy with a temporary tattoo on his cheek
Girl giggles and fashion advice
Lanky arms wiping tables
Raindrops tapping on dried leaves
Light through yellow leaves
Rooty squash smell
Kissing his temple
Tractors in fields
Rough Trevor fingers on my palm
Farm cats on the four-wheeler tire
Miles of yellow-white corn
White country church in the middle of fields
Toast smell from kitchen
Birds chattering
Spices and pine smell
Tiny spider in the door frame
Baby's scrunched up angry face
Smooth green pepper skin
Afternoon naps
Birch trees bowing in the wind
Tiny downy feather on the sidewalk
Kids calling from the playground
Quilt folded neatly over the couch
Tunnels through mountains of leaves
My head fitting perfect between his shoulder blades
Silky Nellie-dog fur
Woodpecker in an oak tree
Comfy black sweatpants
Pine needle piles
Pear yellow
Her "success" smile
Ringlets at the nape of her little neck
Forehead to forehead secrets
Glass that looks green in the sunlight
Red speckles in changing leaves
Fat robin on the sidewalk
Horses standing peacefully in the pasture
Sunset water-coloring the lake
Nibbles on fishing poles
Acorns popping in the fireplace
Little bird perched on a rock
Tartness of apples
Warm banana smell
Bare feet on the kitchen floor
Soft hugs from gentle arms
Tiers of light from the clouds
Purple ditch flowers
Rhubarb pie from friends
Monarch flying overhead
Thousands of stars
Wing flutters
Canopy of oak trees
New uses for old things
New life announced
A paperclip pretty next to the blue mug
Ferns turning orange
Tiny white flowers
Leaf smoke acid smell
Tucker thudding down his ramp
Lavender soap on linoleum floor
Blotches of oil on his work shirts
My ring sending sparkles on the wall
Fresh from the dryer towels
Cinnamon floating in cereal milk
Dragonflies in the parking lot
Dark, heavy clouds
Spiders weaving in windowsills
The earring dangling at her jawline
Eyelashes on sunburned cheeks
Sunshine-colored soybeans
Morning light making the laundry room magical
Dragonflies dancing
The purple hostas in bloom
.... and there have been lots, lots more.
We are blessed. So, so blessed- by the little gifts of this beautiful life, and by the big gifts that shape my life.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
(Full disclosure- the link to the book is an Amazon affiliate link. That means that if you click the link and then purchase a product from Amazon, I will receive a teeny little commission, at no cost to you.)
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