134.

134. sleeping in a little
135. participating in citizen science
136. cheap cat shots
137. the service of others
138. blueberries
139. friends of friends
140. a reprieve
141. Gary's willing help
142. freshly mowed lawn
143. seeing Micah and Isabella on Skype
144. flexibility
145. invitation to a dinner party
146. cupcakes for a birthday ending in 0
147. email from a long-lost friend
148. a meal with friends
149. stories that mold us
150. recipes from childhood
151. hope for rehabilitation
152. "Happy Birthday" sung to voice mail
153. an extra hour to sleep tonight
154. a new birdfeeder
155. a empty laundry basket
156. you, Lord, are enough
157. Sunday starts in Fiji and arms raise in praise to you around the globe
158. clocks that reset themselves
159. slow but steady healing
160. God's strength when we are weak
161. God's peace when we are upset
162. God's wisdom when we are stumped
163. God's grace when we are selfish
164. God's mercy when we are guilty

101.

101. digital camera ease
102. hot showers
103. warm clothes
104. payday just in time to pay the high deductible
105. faithful friends and churches who financial support us each month
106. and they pray for us too, not just send money
107. receiving a profuse note of thanks
108. payment for services rendered
109. colleagues who work in hard places
110. for young parents who love their health-challenged children
111. postponed surgery
112. tea and cookies
113. unexpected opportunity for a walk in the park
114. beautiful weather for a walk in the park
115. friends who take the time to call to rejoice with yo
116. adopted kids
117. clean windows
118. ancient words of present truth
119. a new identity
120. satisfaction from simple things
121. the cat's predictable behavior
122. small potatoes
123. God's promises stand true regardless of my feelings
124. God invites my trust as an alternative to my worry
125. when people are patient with me
126. a shared bowl of ice cream
127. a chance to serve
128. a chance to be served
129. that which was lost has now been found
130. news of a good deal
131. chosen
132. alive
133. loved

67.

67.  a warm cuddle on a chilly morning
68.  indoor plumbing
69. toast and eggs
70. a YouTube video of my grandbaby
71. crossing something off the to-do list
72. stories told by friends
73. expressions of thanks from others
74. text messages
75. $.37 dividend
76. a short work week
77. getting my desk cleaned off
78. ganache
79. extra space for visitors
80. a really good vacuum cleaner
81. second chances
82. people who care about me enough to read my printed newsletters
83. people who read my newsletters and then send a personal response
84. new recipes to try
85. meeting friends of friends
86. making something useful out of scraps
87. a phone call from David saying his interview went well
88. building a birdfeeder
89. birds immediately coming to new feeder
90. news of blessings others are experiencing
91. a walking stick that really looks like a stick
92. a second species of sparrow in my backyard
93. the furnace running the first time of the season
94. faithful pray-ers
95. paper letters with envelope and stamp
96. a picture blanket
97. greeting cards on demand
98. the first freeze of the season
99. God's command to trust
100.  God's promise to be trustworthy

35.

35. a morning walk
36. a safe neighborhood
37. clouds blowing by
38. memories of children's jokes
39. a best friend, even if we don't talk so often
40. bread and cheese
41. walking to work
42. wind in my hair
43. a bird I don't immediately recognize
44. people who forgive better than I do
45. coffee break with colleagues
46. house plants
47. chatting with friends
48. good news from afar
49. God's promise to do good
50. peace in my heart when I expect worry
51. young love blossoming (even if they aren't so young anymore)
52. old friends who support us
53.  handmade cards
54.  news of the safe arrive of a first child
55. news of God's work in Asia
56. a happy neighbor child
57. chocolate from Europe
58. safe arrival
59. a history of shared experiences
60. learning a new song
61. watching a foreigner enjoy Mexican food
62. unexpected gifts, even if not particularly wanted
63. singing harmony
64.  singing harmony between two women who sing better than me
65. hearing OT stories again for the first time
66. Mexican food

A Month of Thanksgiving

I'm reading a book I was recently given called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. I'm not finding this book particularly easy to read due to its poetry-prose style. I have to slow down to read it, and maybe that's not such a bad thing.

And even if I don't like the writing style, I certainly am finding the point of the book to be meaningful. In a nutshell: giving thanks to God "solves" a lot of our spiritual, emotional, and social problems because thanks in one's heart means there's little room for anger, worry, fear, pride, etc.

I'm only half way through the book, but I'm determined to finish it soon. I've seen other bloggers do it and I will too: use this space to list 1000 gifts from God that I'm thankful for.*

1. a month to give thanks
2. a warm, safe, comfortable place to sleep
3. too much food in my freezer
4. fall sunshine--not too hot, not too cold
5. fall flowers reviving after a hot summer
6. a peaceful evening
7. the sparrows have returned
8. green grass after a dry summer
9. the internet
10. the world's two cutest grandbabies
11. a hot shower to ease away a headache
12. leftover pumpkin pie
13. the Bible in a language I can understand
14. toast and butter
15. technology to help Gary read
16. IRL friends
17. internet friends
18. green cat eyes
19. my commissioned portrait
20. the family who liked #19
21. people who like their job
22. afternoon sun through the bedroom window
23. fall birds finding my backyard feeders
24. being invited to a business dinner
25. high-speed internet
26. clean kitchen floor
27. half-time job
28. leftover zucchini cake
29. God's provision in so many ways
30. people who listen
31. people who care
32. picking up with old friends many years later
33. the crows' antics with pecans
34. a little time to read

 *Big and little, important and insignificant, immediate and eternal--there are no real rules on what can or cannot go on this list--just that I am thankful to God for them.