Sticky faces and a maroon pickup

Thought I'd update on my own list of One Thousand Gifts...

41. Crazy laughter emerging out of tickling bellies.
42. Messy faces sticky with ice cream.
43. The maroon pickup driving up the lane at the end of a day's work.
44. The rainbow of golden colors at the touch of autumn.
45. A field of diamonds glistening in the snow.
46. Blasts of warm air from the space heater.
47. Summer afternoons on a porch swing.
48. Ice cold sweet tea brought to thirsty lips.
49. Cake for breakfast.
50. A gripping novel.
51. A steaming hot shower.
52. The yellow flashing lights bringing my boy home from school.
53. Silly movie nights with the girls.
54. Spontaneous visits to the park.
55. Piles and piles of laundry for it means we live in abundance.
56. Watching old classics with the kids.
57. Little children sitting in a row.
58. Projects complete.
59. Stroking my cheek against a newborn's soft, warm head.
60. Pretend tea parties with stuffed animals.
61. Morning coffee time on the porch.
62. Children gather 'round for a read-aloud....
63. ...on a blanket in the shade.
64. The carefree days of summer.
65. Morning visits to the bakery.
66. Sprouts of green breaking through the rich soil.
67.  A fresh dose of perspective.
68. Yummy smelling hand soap.
69. Sticky fingers gooey with melted marshmallows.
70. Secretly watching little ones playing so sweetly.
71. Kids that are actually help.
72. Husband that offered to cook dinner.
73. Oldest child reading to younger siblings.
74. Family Bible time.
75. Air conditioning. The end.
76. Cheaper, healthier solutions.
77. Spontaneous, repurpose projects.

To be continued...

Time is life.

"They say time is money, but that's not true. Time is life. And if I want the fullest life, I need to find fullest time... the busyness of your life leaving little room for the source of your life... In Christ, don't we have everlasting existence? Don't Christians have all the time in eternity, life everlasting? If Christians run out of time--wouldn't we lose our very own existence? If anyone should have time, isn't it the Christ followers?" (Ann Voskamp, 64)

"Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry.  But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing... Through all that haste. I thought I as making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away." (64)

"Time is a relentless river. It rages on, a respecter of no one. And this, this is the only way to slow time: When I fully enter time's swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of my full attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here. I can slow the torrent by being all here. I only live the full life when I  live fully in the moment. And when I'm always looking for the next glimpse of glory, I slow and enter. And time slow. Weigh down this moment in with attention full, and the whole of time's river slows, slows, slows." (68)

So I continue looking for the next glimpse of glory. I continue making my list of one thousand gifts

32. Fresh fruit dripping with juicy sweetness.

33. Baby hands turning the thick pages of a children's book.

34. The cozy warmth of a child nuzzled onto my shoulder.

35. A newborn baby fast asleep on my chest. A moment so precious that nothing else matters in the world.

36. Soft baby skin.

"I want to slow down and taste life, gives thanks, and see God." (77)

37. Boy who shouts Mommy! every time he gets off the school bus and runs into my arms.

38. The subtle thumps and whispers that signal that the house is awaking.

39. The childlike innocence of backwards pants, shoes on the wrong feet, and hair in a gnarly mess.

40. Family naps.

"...When I'm present, I meet I AM, the very presence of a present God." (70)

Gift List

One of the books I'm currently reading is Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts.  In her attempt to get out of life's darkness, she's challenging herself to complete a list of 1000 things she loves, 1000 things she's thankful for and to view the world in a new brightness. To have a heart of gratitude. Always. In everything.  So I'm taking on this challenge for myself. 1000 is a lot of things. 10 lists of 100! But so I begin.  I begin a life of looking for the beauty in the everyday things we typically pass by without a thought. This is just a beginning. May I never stop looking for these treasures in life...

1. The peeking of the sun as it rises up and gives hope and promise of a new day.

2. A cup of hot tea giving warmth to my soul.

3. A splash of cool, fresh water on my tired face.

4. Wild flowers lining the side of the road.

5. The soft glow of a lamp in the quiet of the evening.

6. Stealing secret kisses in the kitchen.

7. Sleeping children snuggled into their plush blankies.

"And I see it now for what it really is, this dare to write down one thousand things I love. It really is a dare to name all the ways that God loves me. The true Love Dare. To move into His presence and listen to His love unending and know the grace uncontainable. This is the vault of the miracles. The only thing that can change us, the world, is this -- all His love." (59)

8. Bright stars lighting up the night sky.

9. The smell of coffee.

10. The intoxicating scent of men's cologne.

11. The sacred moments of quiet when the house is yet asleep.

12. A soft blanket of warmth resting upon my skin.

13. Passionate desires fulfilled.

14. A glass of wine at the day's end.

15. Lazy, sleepy mornings in cozy pajamas.

16. Warm, homemade bread soggy bread soggy with melted butter.

17. New socks that are so wonderfully soft on my feet it actually makes me moan.

18. Surprise mail from a friend.

19. Waking up to the smell of sizzling bacon.

20. A soft towel warming on the radiator.

21. The fresh smell of clean linen.

22. The brief moment around a table when all heads are bowed.

"Life change comes when we receive life with thanks 
and ask for nothing to change." (61)

23. The gentle rustling of leaves in the autumn breeze.

24. The crackling and popping of a campfire

25. And the firelight dancing across a circle of faces.

26. The deafening sound of summer bugs in the evening.

27. The soothing rhythm of a gentle rain as each droplet meets the ground.

28. A country sunset cascading over golden fields.

29. Feathery soft clouds wisped across a bright blue sky.

30. Sun rays bursting through the clouds, allowing me to see a real touch of God's glory.

31. The soft padding of a child's footsteps coming down the stairs in the morning.

"What if tomorrow you only had the things you thanked God for today?" - Ken Blanchard

To be continued....