Currently I am attempting to read “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. I say attempting because I find it difficult to carve out time to sit and read. Historically, my reading time has generally been at bedtime, but these days by the time I get there, I don’t last very long and I am usually drawn to my nightstand’s stack of decorating, cooking and sewing magazines FIRST before I pick up a book. So, I am attempting to read “One Thousand Gifts”. This book is not the type of book that I generally pick out to read. However, I made a commitment to read the book and gather weekly with a group of women to discuss a chapter at a time. I must be brutally honest that while Voskamp writes beautifully and eloquently, her writing style is COMPLETELY lost on me. The message of the book, however, is not.
The subtitle of “One Thousand Gifts” is ‘A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are’. This sub-title is what hooked me. For the last several years Dean and I have felt in many ways that our lives are ‘on hold’. Plans to go full time on the mission field, derailed. Attempts to sell our home, derailed. Quest for good health, derailed. Search for more time to spend on the things we enjoy, derailed. It feels that we are always waiting for something to start a chain of events where our real life can start. Frustrations with work, family, health, church, finances always seem to drain the energy and make us yearn for a fresh start. A Do-Over.
This year we prayed for God’s leading and direction. If He wanted us to move, he would allow our house to sell, our debts to be paid, and a new path to be dictated. Our self-imposed deadline was the first part of September. Well September came and went, and with September came a new health (and financial) challenge. We pulled the For Sale sign down and realized, again, that God has other things in mind for us right now.
So, moving on. ‘A Dare to Life Fully Right Where You Are’. I will give it a try. I picked up the book and I started to read. By Chapter 3 I was hooked. Again, remember, I have to fight through the verbose to connect with the message, but I am connecting with the message. I relate to the author’s feelings of disappointment, sadness and restlessness. Her quest for T.I.M.E. Then, she stumbles onto something, being thankful and it changes her, for the better.
A friend challenges Ann to begin making a list of 1,000 things to be thankful for. She discovers that once you have identified those things, however small, give THANKS for them. Each of those things are a blessing, a way that God shows you how he loves you. A gift to you, to remind you, that you are special. By giving thanks, we set the tone for amazing things to happen. At first the concept of list-making can be a little difficult to grasp. I think in today’s world, we are always in the bigger is better mode. We forget to recognize those tiny things throughout our day that can make us smile. In the book, Ann starts her list and shares many of the examples. As you read her list beginnings you see how retraining the eye to not overlook things as simple as the colors of soap bubbles can enable you to find joy in their beauty. The chubby hands of a small child. The smell of fresh buttered toast. The first sip of your morning latte’. All of these things that can and do bring warmth to your soul.
Earlier this week, a friend was struggling to put a bad mood behind her. I suggested to her to try to recognize throughout her day all those things that may bring a flash of smile to her face. When she felt the smile, write down the cause and give thanks! Then, continue to add to it. See how fast you can get to 1,000 things. Once you open your eyes, it can change, EVERYTHING.
So I challenge you (along with Ann Voskamp), to grab a small notebook and start recording. As you record, don’t forget to give thanks.
A few of mine for today:
* A warm shower.
* The quiet of the house, a chance to breathe.
* A smiling picture posted on Facebook.
* A fresh, warm cheesy goodness piece of pizza.
* A quick lunch with my best friend and husband.
* Bright red fall leaves set against the clear blue sky.
Thankfulness is the big focus of my life at this point. I find that it sets you up for a steady stream of tiny miracles. I've had a lot of things just fall into place "magically" once regular gratitude became habit. Thought I'd share a couple things that have helped me establish this habit.
ReplyDeleteOne is a website called thankfulfor.com. It's brilliant in it's simplicity. It's like an online thankfulness journal. Yes, you could easily just jot what you are thankful for on your own. But I like that you can also read what everyone else posting is thankful for. It inspires me to look at things I might not have even thought of. Plus using it is a great tool for building the habit.
The Heart of Abundance by Candy Paull is a quick, easy read that showcases how to be grateful. I also follow a blog titled The Thankful Project at http://sothankfulproject.blogspot.com/. it's another means towards making thankfulness a main focus for me.
Another somewhat related concept is to quit complaining. I've read A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted by Will Bowen and am attempting the challenge in the book of going 21 days without complaining. While I have as yet to make it much past 24 hrs., I can see that I have improved dramatically. It typically takes months to pull this off. But even as it is right now the reduction in complaining has done nothing but increase my appreciation for the GOOD stuff! It all seems to tie in together. I'm having fun with this challenge in spite of the difficulty. It's proven to be very eye-opening!
I had not heard of the book you're reading but I plan to check it out. I feel like there is information flowing to me these days. It's all a gift that I'm very grateful to be given. :)
LOVE.IT. Thanks Brenda!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful book...I may check it out. I need to remind my self in all the hurry to have everything be so good in life that it doesn't have to be BIG changes or BIG things to appreciate...the little things matter. Thanks for the reninder. So happy to see you blogging more...I have been watching :)
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