I've been reading a wonderful book by Ann Voskamp "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are."
And I am taking her "Joy Dare" challenge for this year, 2012....to list 1000 gifts - thankfulnesses to my Abba for His Grace and Mercy.
Do the math - 366 days this year (it is a leap year!) averages out to three items a day to be thankful for....
so....18 thanks so far.....
1) walking in the cemetery
2) Mikayla
3) Kirsten
4) Ben
5) James
6) Jerard
7) Kurt
8) medicine that controls siezures for Jerard
9) a godly, wise counselor friend
10) a friend who comes to hold Jerard and play with him
11) pizza
12) Starbucks coffee in my mug
13) pen and paper
14) creative stories told to me by my four year old
15) warm bread dough rising
16) a wonderful, fun friend and prayer partner
17) my piano
18) email
simple gifts....life is full of blessings....start your own list....let me know what you are thankful for!
I love Josh Groban's song, "Thankful" because he expresses it so well...we do have so much to be thankful for......
Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.
Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say
I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for._
Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more
There's so much to be thankful for
(From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/josh-groban-lyrics/thankful-lyrics.html)
(read more about the challenge at http://www.aholyexperience.com)