Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A Thousand Gifts

I just stumbled upon a blog from a fellow blogger's blogging buddy. It's called A Thousand Gifts. Basically you write down a thousand gifts... I think it's a beautiful idea! I am going to start right now.

1). The millions of snowflakes gently falling onto the deck furniture outside my kitchen window right now.
2). The sound of my kids' voices while they watch funny youtube videos in the next room.
3). The unending love and amazing Grace from my Savior.
4). The fact that He forgives me for not listing #3 first, when now that I think about it, it certainly should be #1!
5). The love showered on me from my soulmate, Guy. He truly possesses all the Fruits of the Spirit listed  in Galatians 5:22.
6). Those being Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Those are ALL incredible gifts.
7). The fact that I can read and write.
8). The fact that my children can, as well.
9). The fact that, while my soul didn't do anything to deserve it, and it was only by the Grace of God, that I was born in a free country.
10). That I enjoy climate control pretty much everywhere I go. Not too hot, not too cold.
11). People with a sense of humor who make me laugh.
12). I have a small handful of friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin.
13). That when I screw up, and I do a lot, I am given the opportunity to apologize and make it "right" again.
14). That we can disagree in America without getting shot, stoned, or burned with acid.
15). That my kids have a Christ-centered school that they love where they can express their faith openly.
16). Watching my kids singing along, hands raised, words memorized, to the worship songs at the Starfield concert a couple weeks ago.
17). That Guy surprised us with tickets to it. He is so thoughtful and romantic!
18). Gosh how I love Starfield.
19). And Chris Tomlin.
20). And the Newsboys.
21). And Toby Mac.
22). And how these bands have AWESOME running music that stirs your soul and supercharges your feet and you don't have to wait for it to "kick in" like you do with Gu or PowerGel.
23). That Guys parents are coming tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner.
24). That Guy's family has welcomed me and my kids like we were family all along.
25). People who trust God alone to be the judge.
26). That we are shown love and mercy by Him every day.
27). That He gets up every day and pursues ME, just forgettable ol' Jenny Moore. The God of the Universe seeks me! Can you believe that?! I am nothing, and He already has everything, but He still loves me enough to pursue me. I'm not "nothing" to Him. It's mind boggling.
28). That I have my health.
29). The white clouds moving across deep blue skies in June.
30).  Watching tall, amber grasses blow in the wind.
31). My mountain bike.
32). Superior hiking Trail.
33). People who have artistic skill to make woven rugs, sturdy enough for walking on everyday and they look beautiful and pleasing year after year, anyway.
34). That I have a job.
35). That I understand compassion and can give freely, and I LIKE to, even when nobody else knows about it.
36). Twisted-peppermint scented lotion and body wash from Bath and Body Works.
37). That I can go to a number of spouts and get clean, microbe-free drinking water without even having to go outside or walk to a stream.
38). Silence.
39). People who I can be silent with, and it isn't awkward.
40). Guy's kisses. He kisses me like he loves me.
41). The way I can actually "see" Guy's soul when I look in his eyes.
42). That Guy SO fills my own heart with love, that I sometimes wish I could climb inside him for a day, to see what he sees, hear what he hears, and feel him talking.
43). Holding hands.
44). Watching friends I love, repeatedly and unfailingly and gracefully, take the "high road" when people are harsh and difficult with them. Carrie - I rarely get to see you, but you have no idea how much you inspire me.
45). The way Bobby just jumped up and ran to hug Guy when he walked in the door from work just now.
46). Seeing how much Guy loved it.
47). Seeing how much my kids like peace.
48). Honesty and Truthfulness.
49). Knowing the difference between genuineness and acting.
50). Realizing that genuineness is actually easier!

That is 50 already, and they just RATTLED off the keyboard all by themselves. I will take this challenge - it's fun! I think I will hit #1,000 before the end of 2010.

Who wants to join me?

3 comments:

Wendy said...

Hi Jenny! Thanks for stopping! I love that you are doing this too. :)

Carrie said...

Fun list to read!

Ann Kroeker said...

You are just overflowing with gratitude! Beautiful!

If you want, you could link this up to Ann Voskamp's Gratitude Community--she posts it on Mondays, but you might be able to still link up (or save this for this coming Monday). She hosts a carnival called "Multitude Mondays" or something like that. It's what she created when she outgrew one thousand gifts (though she went on to write a book about it!).

Check her out: aholyexperience.com

Thanks for linking to my posts--may the list grow long!