One Thousand Gifts Journal

I created this page to keep up with the things for which I'm thankful each day. The list is by no means complete and I can just imagine that I'll have pieces of paper and notes on my iPod and pictures everywhere until I am able to get organized in this endeavor.

 If you have not yet read the book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voscamp, please do. There is a link to her blog on my page. (Thank you, Jackie for recommending this awesome, life-altering book!) It was the inspiration for this page and a life changer for me. I have always struggled with a negative, critical spirit, and this book opened up a whole new world for me, making me aware of my own spiritual bankruptcy and the power of gratitude. So, here are my first official entries in my gratitude journal. I am sure it will change with time as I'm inspired to snap pictures of the every day ordinary, extraordinary blessings. There will also be some things that may not seem like something I would be thankful for. The ugly/beautiful. (Read the book, you'll see what it means.)

 Well, here goes...
Hydrangeas - remind me of my Mama
  1. Birds singing through open windows in the morning.
  2. Mornings. I am now thankful for each and every new morning that the Father gives me. (Being somewhat of a night owl, the woman I was BC {before cancer} actually dreaded mornings.)
  3. Fresh spring air, especially blowing in my bedroom window at night just before a storm.
  4. Coffee.
  5. Coyotes in the pasture.
  6. Ceiling fans.
  7. Great blue herons in flight.
  8. Red sky at morning. Went to the chemo clinic today and had to leave so early the sun was just coming up. I know the old saying "Red sky at morning, sailor take warning," means rain is coming. It takes clouds to make beautiful sunrises and sunsets. 
  9. Rain.
  10. My husband.
  11. My daughters.
  12. Sisters.
  13. Friends.
  14. Quilts.
  15. Cancer. (Yes, one of these things is not like the others. May I explain that cancer has give my life a whole new meaning and opened my eyes to really good things -- as well as ugly -- I would never have seen otherwise.) There will, no doubt, be more ugly/beautiful seen on my list.
  16. My patio on a spring morning.
  17. The Father's sweet whisper that everything will be all right -- even when there seems to be no way.
  18. Calls from my daughters.
  19. Birthdays (today is the birthday of a dear friend and fellow cancer fighter/survivor).
  20. A fire in my fire pit on a cool spring day. (Thanks for the reminder, old friend!)
  21. Strawberries from my garden.
  22. Sunshine.
  23. Flowers.
  24. Forgiveness.
  25. The Father's unconditional love.
  26. A new day.
  27. Glimpses of the front of the tapestry the Father is weaving, when usually all we see is the tangled mess on the back.
  28. John Denver songs.
  29. Worship music at our church -- a church that is finally growing into Him.
  30. Praying with my beautiful friends.
  31. An unexpected April shower.
  32. More strawberries from my garden.
  33. Memories
  34. The loving, caring hands laid on me in prayer tonight.
  35. Hope.
  36. Lightning bugs.
  37. Hummingbirds.
  38. Old photographs and rich memories.
  39. Baby squirrels
  40. New friends brought into my life by...you guessed it...cancer. Fellow sojourners.
  41. Quite nights.
  42. Slumber parties with my daughters.
  43. Hydrangeas
  44. Painted Lady butterflies
  45. Family get-togethers
  46. The Father's way of working in all things...
  47. NEDness (No Evidence of Disease)
  48. Unplanned days spent with a friend
  49. My pastor
  50. Puffy clouds on summer days
  51. Clean, crisp sheets of paper just waiting to be decorated with words
  52. The first light of morning
  53. Fresh fruit in the summer -- especially watermelon and cantaloupe
  54. Mexican food enjoyed in the company of my hero
  55. The Lord's Supper - a reminder to examine myself and to be grateful
  56. My present chemo that's not as harsh as the last two go-arounds
  57. An armadillo in my yard :)
  58. The beautiful deer that show up on Mockingbird Hill every now and then...
  59. Second, third, fourth....chances
  60. Meteor shower
  61. Cool nights
  62. "Kids" coming home
  63. Home
  64. Seeing another glorious autumn
  65. Caring and compassionate doctor
  66. Deer in my back yard
  67. The sound of acorns falling on the shed's tin roof
  68. Cardinals (the feathered ones)
  69. The soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb
  70. The deep colors in the western sky at sunset -- a gift from the Master Artist!
  71. My two-week chemo break
  72. Sister time and Annie's Happy Birthday
  73. My month-long chemo break
  74. Health Insurance
  75. My doctor's nurse 
  76. Mrs. Cat
  77.  Faithful friends who bring supper
  78. A beautiful teal prayer shawl from a beautiful niece
  79. Rita, the night nurse
  80. Hero...yes, you're still the one!
  81. Kennebec's legacy
  82. Our Father's sense of humor
  83. Jehovah Rapha, our Healer
  84. My funny, praying friend from Ecuador
  85. Patti


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