One Thousand Gifts

I'm sure for the vast majority of you summer has arrived in your household.  In ours, we still have two more days... blech! I'm kinda wishin' we hadn't had those two snow days earlier in the year.  Oh well... the end is in sight.

Today I want to share with you an issue that weighs heavy on my heart... I don't necessarily think it's something new in the culture, but it's definitely not readily taught in many schools and unfortunately not in many homes either.

I'm talking about thankfulness.

I see it lacking in my kids... I see it lacking in my heart.  I don't like it in either and I desperately want it to be different.

As you may or may not know, during the school year I work as a preschool teacher's aide, a job I love and feel incredibly blessed to have and do.  One of the perks of teaching is the little gifts you sometimes get at the close of the school year.  This year I received an amazing book from one little girl and her family called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I don't know what it was, maybe it was the picture of a bird's nest gently cradling two Tiffany blue colored eggs, but I instantly knew that this book was going to be incredible... I'm only a portion of the way through the book, but my gut instinct has not failed me.

If you've not already read the book, I don't want to give away the details so suffice it to say the author, Ann Voskamp, had experienced several life changing events that I would never ask for or wish upon my enemy... it was some tough stuff! Through it she began to question if God really was who He says He is... is He good?

At one point in Ann's life a friend challenged her to write out 1000 things she loved; in essence 1000 gifts from God.  She took the challenge and as she filled up her journal with her list of 1000 love gifts, her heart was changed.

Ann's writing is beautiful and poetic.  As she recounts some of her love gifts she focus on the many things we daily overlook.  Things like...

~the sight of a robin in early spring

~the taste of warm chocolate chip cookies

~the smell of lilacs floating in the air

~the gentle hugs from my child

~the noise of laughter in the yard

As I read Ann's story, I was deeply stirred in my soul that God wanted me too, to recount over the summer months His love gifts in my life.  My next thought was to invite my two older kids to join me.  My hope and prayer for myself and my kids is that through this journey we will see how God provides so much on a daily basis.  His love for us can even be found in the little mundane things of life.

Will you join us?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  (James 1:7, ESV)

If you are interested in owning a copy of One Thousand Gifts, it can be purchased through online retailers like CBD or Amazon.