232.

232. His mercies are new every morning
233. safe arrival
234. warm cup of tea on a chilly morning
235. being fictive Aunt
236. a washing machine (not everyone has one)
237. people on the other side of the world who pray for me
238. people who trust God even in negative circumstance
239. safe return
240. videos of my grandson on FB
241. baby Micah dedicated by his parents to the Lord
242. getting to watch baby Micah's dedication over Skype
243. smores
244. chores done

219.

On one hand, I don't feel particularily thankful at just this moment.  That's because I'm troubled about something, and envision a week of uneasy unknowing ahead.  That said, if I put my sadness aside I can quite easily see that my life is full to overflowing with good things that God provides.  I will list a few more, regardless how I feel:

219. a concert of prayer
220. the privilege of working with people who pray
221. a local church opening up its facilities
222. being treated to lunch
223. a best friend who has enough history with me to know why I'm hurting
224. the confidence that God is in control
225. the belief that God will provide one way or another
226. the knowledge that God loves me
227. the knowledge that God loves those whom I love better and more than I do
228. preparing for Advent lessons
229. some time alone
230. breakfast for dinner
231. a text message from my husband (who hates cell phones)

207.

207. His mercies are new every morning
208. a beautiful fall day
209. breakfast
210. learning how someone spent hours to help someone without "needing" to
211. a walk with a friend
212. God's protection for my BF's grandbaby
213. catching up
214. homemade spaghetti sauce
215. caramel apples dipped in trail mix
216. laughter around the table
217. God's promise: I will never leave or forsake you
218. help with the dishwasher

197.

197. finishing a project
198. people who care about our ministry
199. God's grace in times of ugliness
200. an intentional thank you
201. homemade soup
202. birthday cake
203. birthday cupcakes
204. my friend traveling 8000+ miles to visit her dying mother, arriving 4 hours before she passed
205. on-demand greeting cards
206. handmade paper from Thailand

191.

191. rain last  night
192. more rain coming today
193. a tiny bit of fall color
194. dinner invitation so I don't have to cook
195. Ton's
196. a walk around the block with my daughter

180.

Well, I'm officially behind schedule with the number of gift/blessings/thanks I wanted to list each day.  I am finding the exercise is keeping my mind alert to naming the good things God does, but I guess I've picked off the easy ones!  I also keep wondering if I am repeating myself--entirely possible with my declining memory.  On the other hand, being thankful more than once for a good thing can't be a bad thing!

I finished reading the One Thousand Gifts book.  I hope I can cultivate a life of giving thanks well into the future, beyond this month and reading this book.  The main thing I got out of the book:  if your heart is filled with thanks, there is no room for all the negative things like worry, anger, fear, distrust, pride, and just general selfishness.

180.  the promise of a new day
181.  the promise of a little rain for our dry ground
182.  lunch with my daughter
183. news of drug addicts seeking the Lord
184. safe arrival
185. expressions of trust regardless of the circumstances
186. hearing "Lord, you give us prayer as an alternative to worry."
187. funerals turning into family reunions
188. the resources and opportunity for two trips last year
189. a place to write down all the passwords
190. enough leftover blueberry cobbler to share with a guest

165.

165. churches which send shoeboxes
166. the steadfast love of the Lord never changes
167. his mercies never come to an end
168. his mercies are new every morning
169. Great is his faithfulness
170. enough to give
171. redeeming the secular for God's purposes
172. there is no longer Jew nor Gentile
173. I actually heard a young man say these words today: I'm courting Suzie...
174. the last chapter
175. Gary sleeping through the football games
176. packed shoe boxes for giving
177. teaching Sunday School during Advent

178. God's promise of peace regardless of circumstances
179. a friend coming to visit