One Thousand Gifts

One of my favorite bloggers, Ann from Holy Experience, writes:

"As the moments slip down the hour glass of time, I am scratching down the gifts---just as they happen, as they arrive, as they are unwrapped---that He has given that make my life grace, the daily graces that He gives in an infinite number of ways, that stir me."

Head over to Holy Experience and read this post. And this one. And this one, too. Aren't you inspired? I was.


I've begun my own list of One Thousand Gifts. A couple times last week I grabbed my journal and took it with me to the kitchen. As I washed dishes or made dinner, I pondered the gifts God has lavished upon me. I'd get a running list in my head and then quickly dry off my soapy hands or pause in my meal-making, pick up my pen, and jot them down. I'm on number 236, and counting... up to one thousand.


So, some snippets from my ever-growing list:

....crisp fall leaves crunching beneath my feet....a fresh bouquet of flowers....flickering candles....grandma slippers....the rice bag that keeps my feet warm when I crawl into bed....seeing my children raise their hands in praise...and lift their voices to sing-- if too loud or off-key....how "I" puts his hands on my cheeks and pulls my face toward him to give me a kiss...beginning a good book.... little arms wrapped tightly around my neck.... a hot bubble bath....the patch of sunlight that falls on the floor from our front windows.... love notes on the bathroom mirror.... rearranged furniture.... praying with Mark.... obedient children.... pajamas.... hearing grandpa's prayers.... my daughter's handwriting-- big, mishapen capital letters.... binding that final stitch to clear the knitting needles.... photos of loved ones.... early morning walks with my mom.... our home.... memory.... stacks of folded laundry....
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!--Psalm 118:1