Thousand Gifts

I have neglected my list...and should not be...
Remaining thankful in the midst of the madness!

171.  Silence. 

172.  Two napping yahoos when you desperately need them to nap.

173.  Incredibly upbeat, caring Doctors who call you right back!

174.  Just the right words at just the right time from just the right soul to yours.

175.  Linus and the great pumpkin.

pic from here.

176.  Fresh paint for today, and bright hope for tomorrow....

177.  Eccl. 7:13...Consider the work of God:
         For who is able to straighten what He has bent?

178.  Psalm 86: 11...Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth!

179.  Yes, that is what I said, Fresh paint for today...and bright hope for tomorrow!


180.  Blessings all mine..and ten thousand beside!

Flooded...

with tears, with heartache, with exhaustion.

with emotion, anxiety, fear.

trickle here, dripping there...

the rush does come.

it comes and consumes.

paralyzing the soul,

I know not how to survive,

except to climb aboard the raft of faith.

and so I continue to remember the blessings...

161.  safe arrivals

162.  a bearded Jeff, tanned and toned from hard work

163.  young hearts excited to do the work

164.  potty training a fast learner

165. a giggling Jack-Jack

166.  old hymns and the reminders they carry

167.  homemade pasta, meatballs

and the dear friend who made them

168.  a hot sun to dry up the wet

169.  teachable souls

170.  another day to be reminded and remember

Going Without

For the last two summers these two have experienced amazing adventures in the Canadian Wilderness.

They were excited about going again this summer.

But God had a different plan.

I'll let you know more about that next week.

Today I am counting the hours and minutes along with the blessings.

161. Jeff and Mac

162. The Yahoos

163.  Air-conditioning

164.  Quiet play time

165.  Smart phones

166.  Neighbors

167.  Grammy visits

168.  Weekly Lunch with Patty

169.  Sprinklers

170.  A Good Book



One Hot Day....

and ten more to add to the list....

151. lots of purple cone flowers

152. old college buddies that come for a visit

153.  old college buddies that breathe new life into a weary soul

154.  looking back and seeing how far you have come

155. An evening shower after a hot day

156.  cookie dough ice cream

157. Jeff's hummmmm 

158.  one true love

159.  today

160. I AM

The Hard Stuff

It is really hard to be thankful for the things you wish were not so.

Thousand Endless Gifts

131.  Pain

Reminds me of our imperfection,

and the need to be healed

132.  Fear

that I might diligently Hide in Him

133.  Weariness

that I might rest in Him

134.  The Unknown

teaches me to trust in Him

135.  Humility

puts me in my place

and He in His

136.  Heartache

Woos me to our One True Love

137.  Hunger

so I might feast upon His word

138.  Barrenness

that I might opens my heart to His children

139.  Insecurity

so I might discover the peace that surpasses understanding

140.  Darkness

so I might search for His light

Shepherds, and Pastures, and Cups Overflowing....

When my heart is tipping over with grief, and consumed with worry over the future,

Our gracious Heavenly Father bestows upon me a reminder of His goodness in Psalm 23. 

How could I sit in my angst

when He promises us...

Endless Gifts...



121.  Our own personal shepherd...on duty...24/7

122.  We shall not "lack"...for anything...

ever

123.  green pastures

124.   quiet waters

125.  Our own person tour guide...on duty...24/7

(who stakes HIS own reputation on our ability to navigate life)

126.  no.more.fear

127. guidance and discipline 

128.   A feast in the midst of a battle

129.  overflowing cups

130.  Goodness

Lovingkindess,

Dwelling in His house

Forever!

Mellow March Moon

O LORD, our Lord,

         How majestic is Your name in all the earth,

         Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

    From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength

         Because of Your adversaries,

         To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

    When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

         The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

    What is man that You take thought of him,

         And the son of man that You care for him?

   Yet You have made him a little lower than God,

         And You crown him with glory and majesty!

    You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;

         You have put all things under his feet,

    All sheep and oxen,

         And also the beasts of the field,

   The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,

         Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

    O LORD, our Lord,

         How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8

Thousand Endless Gifts

111.  Mellow March Moons...the work of HIS fingers

112.  silent soulful midnight sky 

113. embracing branches

114.  whispers long into the night

115.  dreaming with my favorite dreamer

116.  yahoo's rhythmic breathing

117.  murmers of Neverland

118.  sweaty faces

119.  tiny feet from beneath the sheets

120.  kneading purring feline paws 

First signs of Spring...

We usually think of a few robins flying about.

Or crocus peeking through the snow.

But for us, it is a sure sign of spring when the yahoos pull out their favorite vehicles

and start racing around the front sidewalk.

There may be bits of snow on the cold ground,

but that will not stop them!

Thousand Endless Gifts!

101.  yahoos on rollerblades and scooters

102.  Li shouting that she has seen Gypsy!

(another sure sign of spring)

103.  tiny baby feet

104.  tiny baby socks

105.  darkness coming an hour later

106.  Words that are hard to hear but challenge the heart

107.  Hershey's Candy Coated Milk Chocolate Eggs!

108.  giggling with a co-worker

109.  mint green, pale blue, lilac, yellow and pink!

110.  Jelly Bellys!

Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Thousand Endless Gifts

91. old love letters

92.  old pictures

93.  musing over memories

94.  DC Talk

95.  the hard stuff that draws them in, instead of pushing them away.

(why are we so afraid of the hard stuff?)

96.  tears and repentance...and a new heart

97. my dear sisters in Christ

98.  the unique and gentle voice of a dear friend, and her love for my children

99.  Mae's arm wrapped around mine

100.  we are at a hundred, and there are so many more!

That's my girl...

She came home from co-op, had some dinner, and dove into her Lit. reading.

That's my girl.

A Thousand Endless Gifts!

81.  watching the Holy Spirit at work in her heart.

82.  giggling in the car on the way to co-op!

83.  inside jokes between my girl and myself.

84.  crazy foreign accents only understood between friends!

(or mothers and daughters)

85.  patience that only the Holy Spirit can impart.

86.  learning to sing my frustrations away, and the one who encouraged me to do so.

87.  the hope of melting snow and ice!

88.  a weekend with precious neighbor baby and the comfort that comes with holding him tight!

89.  the blessing of teachers that look after my yahoos when I am not there to do so...

90.  learning alongside the one you dearly love...

God's LOVE...

Today we met and the question was,
"Have you experienced God's love?"

HAVE you REALLY experienced God's love?

DO you experience God's love?

REALLY?

And of course, we chatted about the day we "met" HIM, that day where the blinders fell off,

and the light streamed through,

and we knew the love of Christ fully, completely.

But in the day to day, HAVE we experienced God's love?

Can we say that we have?

Do we really KNOW HIS love?

And I smiled, because I knew, just when.

Yes, I have.

Yes, I do.

My mind went back to 15 years ago.

Do you see him?

See his face?

See him looking at me?

The one in the corner.

That fresh, handsome face?

When I walked through the doors,

And started down the isle,

and saw that face...

I knew.
I saw His love, in his eyes.

Those eyes followed me all the way down.

They never wavered.

They never wandered.

They stayed right with me all the way down.

And I knew.

Those eyes have been with me ever since.

Through all the good stuff.

Through all the heartache.

All the illness.

All the joy.

All the tears.

They have never wavered.

They have never wandered.

And every day I look into them.

I know I am loved.

By the ONE who made him.

Just for me.

Yes.

I have REALLY experienced God's love.

Endless ways...Endless gifts...

71. his eyes

72.  his permanent smile

73.  Wedding photos that record the memories

74.  Monday afternoons with Patty

75.  Grandmas and Grammies and Nanas

76.  My favorite sweatshirt

77.  Birds chirping even though the winds blow

78.  last minute offers to babysit 

79.  Family Bible Study

80.  voice mails from my favorite buddies

The ways He loves me....

61.  forgiveness

62.  A kiss even on a "grumpy" day...

63.  valentine tulips waiting just for me

64.  Hershey chocolate

65.  funny co-workers who make me giggle

66.  surprise cinnamon rolls

67.  movie night with my yahoos

68.  the desire to run

69.  another day to try again

70.  the promise of the Holy Spirit....

Happy Valentines Day to you all.

May you experience HIS love today!

Endless Gifts...

they keep coming.  everyday.  amazing.

51.  happy horn honking...

52.  that HE holds onto me...and not the other way around

53.  newlywed neighbors to remind me of the beginning

54.  another week growing with Li

55.  Kiki's "woooo hoooo!"

56.  poppafisherman's warm apple crisp and homemade ice cream....yum

57.  e-mail invites to dine...that pop up at just the "right" time

58.  the hope stored up in heaven...

59.  the coffee... that is "cafe," and the giggles that erupt

60.  the miracle that for some reason God made me the wife of poppa fisherman and the mama of FOUR yahoos...

Blessings in the snow...

As we are waiting for the snow...we are warmed up remembering all that HE had done...

41.  winter winds while safe inside

42.  Li's blanket, fresh out of the dryer

43.  home made laundry soap

44.  the calm before the storm

45.  movie night with the yahoos

46.  a fresh bowl of popcorn

47.  2nd chances

48.  Jeff's "hmmmmmmmmm" that makes my heart flutter

49.  Li's cartwheels

50.  Li's favorite song...over and over and over again!

Thousand Endless Gifts 11-20

Week #2 in our List of Endless Gifts...

11. pretty little notebooks to write our Endless Gifts in...

12.  friends to keep you on the straight and narrow...

13.  lunchtime hugs from hubby...

14.  my afternoon cup of pink milk...

15.  whispers shared between little people...

16.  whispers shared between myself and my little people...

17.  Kiki's kiss....mmmmwwwwaaahhh!

18.  old movies to share with old friends...

19.  waking up to those sweet brown eyes peering back at me...

20.  having them all come safely back home again...

The Thousand, Endless Gifts...

I stumbled upon this blog post by Ann Voskamp and have been smitten by her simple, warm, worshipful writing.  She has been compiling a list of endless gifts for two years now. Since it is the new year, I thought  we might join her!

Part of a prayerful, worshipful life is being thankful for all that He has bestowed upon us.  How much time do you spend reflecting on all that is good in your life?  Too often our minds dwell on the negative...and our words and actions reflect those dark thoughts as well. 

So we begin the new year, with a new list...of what we are grateful for...

A Thousand Endless Gifts!

1. crazy colored cozy socks

2. swinging in the hammock while reading a favorite book

3. the way Jeff says my name

4.  playful puppy dogs

5.  sleepy puppy dogs

6.  Mae's sweet voice singing thru the darkness from the back of the truck

7.  Mac's steady, reasurring presence

8.  listening to the little one learning new words

9.  my old NASB Bible, pages worn with tears and hope from the very beginning until now

10.  Celebrating the New Year with dear friends



Happy New Year, dear friends.




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