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Monday, September 17, 2012

One Thousand Gifts (932-941)

Continuing toward my journey of one thousand gifts....


While I was driving out of my neighborhood this past week, I saw a father and daughter walking two dogs on leashes. The leashes were tangled and I got to see a beautiful spontaneous choreographed daughter twirling and laughing with her father as they untangled themselves.

It brought a smile to my commute.

Thank you Lord!

932 - 941 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

932. a father and daughter laughing together

933. hard eucharisteo: our two (adult) children being sick this past week. I wanted to fly through time and space to mother them, but couldn't. (They are both feeling better.)

934. the comfort of prayers and a healing God

935. arriving home from work and seeing a huge spider in it's web. I'm thankful that the spider was outside catching bugs too.

No, I wouldn't get any closer. Yikes!

936. a happy surprise that I know a blogger and had been reading his blog for a couple months, had read his e-book and just this week figured out he goes to the church I used to attend. Walt Disney was soooo correct....it is a small world after all! Ha!

937. five days on Tready this past week

938. a sympathy nap. The term occurred to me after Wonderful Husband bleach-cleaned the front porch in order to get it ready for the Fall sealant and I took a three hour nap! A sympathy nap! Hee hee!

939. a lawncare company that achieved core-aeration, seeding and fertilizing in an hour and a half. It would have taken us much longer and we avoided the stiff muscles. It's a win-win!

940. an opportunity to make a new friend

941. Maria for being kind when I pushed back our coffee meet-up

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Have you noticed an abundance of spiders in your area?

Monday, September 10, 2012

One Thousand Gifts (920-931)

Continuing toward my journey of one thousand gifts....


Last week I went to a local Christian bookstore/gift shop with a specific purchasing goal in mind.

I almost always leave a store disappointed when I go shopping and look for something specific. Does that happen to you?

While reading the book One Perfect Word (by Debbie Macomber) she suggested having a visual reminder of my word.

In 2010 my word was "hope."

In 2011 my word was "grace."



I have these small engraved metal bits and a couple other art pieces for Hope and Grace.

My word for 2012 is "fellowship," and I couldn't find anything at the store with the word printed, engraved, or scribbled on it.

My mind raced around and I thought about buying Christmas ornaments from the local craft store, painting my words from the past three years....and then I started thinking about how I am not that artistic.

I could probably paint the words "hope" and "grace" pretty well, but what about "fellowship"? That's an awfully long word and on a round object, well my mind pictured the worst.

I used to cross-stitch before children and then when I had one very young child. Now my two children are adults. (Read: It's been many years since I cross-stitched.)

I found a piece of graph paper in my desk. Who knew that I hadn't already tossed it? But then if you could see my desk drawers still filled with notebook paper and bright orange and green construction paper, you wouldn't be all that surprised. I worked myself almost cross-eyed "designing" the words and now want to find some dark cross-stitch fabric and use some light colored floss for my project.



Wow!

I have a project!

And I am thinking a new tradition.

920 - 931 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

920. Debbie Macomber's idea of a visual for my 2012 word

921. God planting a bit of creativity in me

922. restored internet and working telephones at work

923. lunch out with co-workers to celebrate Anne's birthday

924. my wise Wonderful Husband. God has blessed me abundantly with this man.

925. lovely yellow Monarch butterflies flitting by (almost daily) outside at my work

926. the Republican and Democrat conventions are over

927. our granddaughter falling asleep in my arms while Grandpop plays his guitar

928. a surprise weekend visit from our son, The Teacher

929. cooler temperatures and leaves falling from trees

930. hard eucharisteo: fall bringing a shorter amount of daylight each day

931. a telephone conversation with my mom

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Do you suffer from shopping challenges like me?

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

One Thousand Gifts (903-919)

Continuing toward my journey of one thousand gifts....


A wonderful voicemail from Charlotte on Saturday aroused my curiosity. I called her back to hear how the Holy Spirit had worked through me for her benefit.

Here's the explanation:

Charlotte watches Good Morning America and Robin Roberts was scheduled to leave her job on Friday due to a recurrence of cancer. She ended up departing a day earlier than expected because her mother was in poor health and she planned to be with her.

Charlotte was touched by her farewell speech and hearing the "Prayer of Protection" which was taught to Robin by her mother many years ago. She says it each morning before leaving her home and recited it on-the-air. Charlotte wished she could have written down the prayer, thought about emailing GMA and asking for a copy, or asking her friends to see if they had written it down.

I went to a luncheon at Charlotte's home a week ago Sunday and I took along a Guidepost magazine. It's my way of recycling it and after Charlotte reads it, she passes it on to another person.

On Friday, Charlotte picked up the Guidepost and who was on the August cover? Robin Roberts. It had an article about she and her mother and included in the article was the prayer (by James Dillet Freeman): "The Light of God surrounds me. The Love of God enfolds me. The Power of God protects me. The Presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is."

God's timing is always perfect my friends!

903 - 919 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

903. God's perfect timing and Charlotte sharing her experience with me

904. Bonnie Gray (Faith Barista) and her honest, encouraging, beautiful post:
http://www.incourage.me/2012/08/when-your-journey-leads-you-downhill-god-will-make-a-way.html

905. the beginning of September

906. the school bus in my neighborhood today. (I'm probably more thankful than the kids that have to ride it. Ha!)

907. hard eucharisteo: an incident at work that shows me I need more of a servant's heart. Praying.

908. reading The One Year Chronological Bible daily

909. three days off from work

910. laying out in the sun

911. shopping with Wonderful Husband

912. the Berean Christian Bookstore (my local DaySpring connection)


913. our third visit to a Methodist church and the Pastor of Caring Ministries introducing herself to us

914. receiving communion in a new way (kneeling at the front of the church)

915. a visit from our daughter and granddaughter. Love seeing our granddaughter standing on her tiptoes while holding on to the ottoman.

916. candy corn

Must. Stop. Buying. This.
917. beginning (again) the lifestyle of eat less, move more. Hello Treadmill...I'm back!

918. our nephew becoming engaged...another wedding in our future

919. finishing One Perfect Word by Debbie Macomber

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Are you as happy as I am to see September?