Friday, November 26, 2010

A Thousand Gifts, pg 3

101). Getting up before everyone else, and listening to the silence.
102). And then listening harder and it sounds noisy! Like the furnace, the hum of a computer, the coffee maker...
103). Good coffee.
104). Sipping it out of a shared mug with the one you love.
105). Being thankful for all these gifts. You can actually FEEL thankfulness in your heart if you're sensitive to it.
106). Watching movies on the couches with Guy and the kids the last two nights.
107). TV.
108). Books.
109). My journal which I have kept since the kids were little. It is filled with the unedited story of my life. Love it or hate it, it's just a chronicle, and I am thankful for my own strengths.
110). Funny anecdotes about stuff my kids said. Like when Ally was just learning to talk, when I would say, "I love you!" she would respond with, "I love me, too!"She'd cock her head a little to the side, sort of like a reassurance. It was so cute!
111). The fact that Bobby talks at all. He didn't talk until he was almost 4 years old.
112). Which made me think something was terribly wrong, but it wasn't.
113). He's actually just brilliant.
114). That Bobby could explain to me the difference between the Theory of Relativity and the Theory of Special Relativity when he was in 2nd grade. "Quanta are just little tiny packets of energy, Mom."
115). Paved roads.
116). Red maples.
117). Taking a scenic drive in the fall and looking at the leaves.
118). Or a scenic run, or on the bikes.
119). When Guy and I had a picnic in the parking lot, on the asphalt, at Lake Rebecca last summer. Spread out a plaid blanket, ate cheese and crusty bread, and shared a Summit.
120). That no matter where I am with him, I feel like I'm at home.
121). Fine smelling cleaning products.
122). Pine scented candles at Christmas time.
123). Red toenail polish.
124). Being able to remember my dreams almost every night.
125). Watching people I care about, succeed. Like following people on Ironmanlive when they qualify for Kona, and just wishing I were there to see them smile! Or how I felt when my boss Darin get promoted. I still miss his humor!
126). That I can get back up again when I get knocked down.
127). That cuts heal eventually.
128). The canvas which is the sky, that God paints every morning and every evening. Our God can PAINT!!!
129). Hot chocolate with marshmallows.
130). Picking your own apples.
131). Walking down to the farmers market in Medina to get peppers, and then holding a bag of veggies in one hand, and each other's in the other hand, all the way home.
132). The old blogging days when we'd get to know each other by our words alone, then meet up at some race in a cool location.
133). Staying in touch with some of them!
134). Meeting someone as passionate about God as I am.
135). And freely talking about it.
136). Praying with my eyes open.
137). Being moved to tears every week by worship music.
138). Feeling God's presence.
139). Knowing that God knows that I try, and still loves me when I get it wrong.
140). Electricity. Our power went out for a full day recently - so inconvenient! but enlightening, too.
141). Actually getting pregnant and having Ally AFTER having ectopic pregnancies in both tubes.
142). Becoming a Christian a few years ago.
143). Standing on a bridge over a river and watching the water flow downstream.
144). Dropping leaves in it and watching them disappear.
145). Doing that with your kids just on a steam in the woods in back of the house.
146). Treasure hunting with a metal detector.
147).  Panning for gold. ("I'm not addicted! I can quit whenever I want!" "Honey, you said that two hours ago."
148). Lucky Charms. And how they put in more marshmallows so you never run out anymore.
149). Lasik
150). Cute reading classes for when the lasik doesn't work anymore.