Celebrating the Gifts of God: 7800 and Counting

Over a year has passed since I last shared items from my gratitude journal. Initially prompted by Ann Voskamp’s 1,000 gifts, the list has surpassed the original goal and then some. While I haven’t been blogging about them, I’ve still recorded items weekly.

Mother

Like any good southern girl, I’ve always addressed my father as Daddy. Whether I’m speaking to him, or just about him to someone else, I consider it his proper name. A friend once pointed out that since he isn’t her father, I should refer to him as “my daddy” but it just never took.

Feeling the Love of Friends and Family This Thanksgiving

Earlier in the week I attempted to list out my blessings with the aid of a prompt list. Instead of generating thanks in my heart, I ended up just listing things I ought to be thankful for. Fast forward to this morning, and I struggled with my attitude from the moment I woke up. The whys are important, but not to the point of this story. The difficulties were helpful in pointing me to my blessings.

Persevering through Obstacles: Part 2?

 

Back in January, I wrote an article titled “Persevering through Obstacles: Part 1.” Perhaps I shouldn’t have rushed to publish. Over the past 11 months, I’ve failed to persevere in writing parts 2+.

Difficult Seasons Demand a Gracious Heart

Admittedly, I’m one of those annoying people who like to take to Facebook with 30 days of thankfulness when the calendar hits November. I know the practice has its detractors. Questions like “where is your gratitude the rest of the year?” and “Isn’t this just another way to brag about your life?”

God’s Answer to the Prayers of My Heart

My attempts at prayer feel awkward at best. At worst, I feel like a big fat prayer failure. My mind doesn’t automatically shift to prayer as a natural response.

In my mind, prayer should be as natural as breath. Something we don’t think about, just do. In reality, my prayer life more closely resembles the deep breaths I take while my doctor has her stethoscope on my back.

Celebrating the Gifts of God – My Thankful List

This week’s sampler platter of thankfulness takes us from December all the way into 2016. I might get caught up yet. Hold please while I add that to my list…

7600) Sunday lunch with the parents
7611) Star Wars plans with the Macs
7623) Jay being social

Fall’s Thankful Throwback – Family, Football, and Food

Eventually, I’ll get caught up and will stop having to preface my thankful blogs with a note about the month these thanks were actually recorded. For now, I’ll clue you in that our wedding anniversary falls in November and let you calculate from there.

7400) Answer to prayers – anxiety about tummy issues
7413) House guests who help with dishes
7427) Townsend hot dogs for our 7th wedding anniversary

Gratitude Delayed: Choosing to Recount Autumn Blessings

Now that spring is here, seems like the perfect time to flip through the pages of my gratitude journal from October and November. Okay perhaps November would have been the perfect time, but now is the best new time.

7200) warm shower
7212) Bible study class – honest conversation
7224) help from a coworker

A Sample of the Top 7000+ Blessings in My Life

Groundhog Day strikes again. Not the actual day, of course, which happened a month or so ago. Rather I’m referring to the Bill Murray phenomenon.

Picture it: East Tennessee. A young 30-something girl picks up her laptop to hammer out a post about thankfulness.  After a search to see where she left off last time, she thinks to herself: Self, could it really have been that long?