Gratitude Gifts Today

#4512 - #4552 - July 31 - August 6, 2012

- asking for forgiveness
- resting in Him when I feel hopeless
- words that leap right out of the sermon to speak to me
- that He loves me so much and cares for me
- worship music

- blank pages of a new journal
- white chickens wandering on green grass
- big jug of milk
- haircut
- de-humidifier drying out the basement

- stack of books from the library
- 3 gifts eaten: raspberries with brown sugar and cream, saskatoons fresh from the bush, all our own garden grown vegetables at suppertime
- bright yellow-orange pumpkin flowers
- grain beginning to ripen
- pink, stripey petunias

- freshly mown grass
- yellow beans to pick
- tall tomato plants hanging with green globes
- 2 pails of saskatoons cleaned and spread on cookie sheets to freeze
- groceries to fill the fridge and cupboard

- conversation with siblings
- sweet peas, my Dad's favourite flower
- my childhood church and the foundation I gained there
- cuddling Peyton
- supper with family

- listening to vacation stories
- helpers to make alot of potato salad!
- care packages to send home
- freshly made beds
- floors vacuumed, cupboards clean, dishes put away - our home

- sitting under the trees on a summer afternoon
- birthday celebrations
- the respect my father has in his community
- stories from years past
- watching him with the great-grandchildren

- words of honour given to him as gifts
- Mom's pies
- pastures of cattle grazing
- a sermon about finding manna in our wildernesses
- this little light - one life lived for Him

(catching up slowly - the lists are recorded but not posted)

Gratitude Gifts Today

Philippians 2: 12   "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

Do I say "yes" and then do nothing for Him?  Do I say "no" to the world but really mean "yes" by my actions and thoughts?  Is my "yes" all for Him and for all He offers to me?  This week I open my eyes and my life to all that "yes" in Him can be, beginning with the counting of His "yes" gifts.



#3054 - #3086

- warm winds blowing through the nights
- reminder of tropical warmth
- flowers still blooming
- no frost so the squash and tomatoes grow on!
- still more sweetpeas

- hours enjoying Maëlle
- how her smiles brighten a moment for others, especially in the hospital
- pretty little red crocheted hat
- time to spend with those I love
- photo reminders of when our four were little - oh, my!

- harvesting complete!
- bales hauled off and stacked for winter
- smell of earth turned over and now resting
- full grain bins
- beautiful colored leaves

- ducks bobbing and spinning in circles on the waves
- bike rides
- seeing beauty on every side of the path
- sun shining on golden leaves
- amazing sunsets

- only a few empty jars left
- shelves bursting with jars
- daily picking of tomatoes
- digging potatoes
- five boxes of apples picked off our tree

- emails from family
- weekend planning
- book club
- wonderful friends
- celebrating Bob's mom's 85 years of living

- sensing His presence in each day
- a reminder that grace - love - mercy from Him are first in our lives - where are they in my heart?

Gratitude Gifts Today

There have been so many examples of God's love and His plan for my life this week that I am in awe and wonder.  How can it be that He continues to care for me and surround me with such good?  And then I read at Ann's and am reminded that He works all things for good and there is nothing that He cannot change into good.  And once again I rest in His unfailing love for me, sent with instructions "to go and do likewise" this week.   So I count on and wait on His instructions and His opportunities.



#2870 - #2910

- storm clouds that blew away
- freshly cut grass
- sweet peas in a vase
- empty countertop (thanks for the inspiration, N!)
-  raspberry smoothie from Tim Horton's

- a great big basket full of zucchini
- food processor to chop it all
- smell of relish cooking
- filled jars
- so much good food

- chains that keep turning
- husband-mechanic who keeps it all going
- long green rows being eaten up
- land that produces abundance
- great big machines

(there were two but one was very shy)

- hawks silently watching
- raindrops, tiny morsels of water
- birthday parties, months later
- big blue sky with puffy clouds
- surprise photo book arriving in the mail (thanks, M!)

- goldenrod flowers, harbingers of the next season
- young couple, full of enthusiasm,  heading out on a new adventure
- writing to our Compassion child in Ethiopia
- working alongside my Mom and Dad
- the generosity of others

- sharing faith across the table
- visiting on a summer afternoon
- watching a young woman grow in her faith
- praying together
- knowing that God has it all planned for His good (just like Ann said today!)

- sunset flaming pink, orange and purple
- supper with family to celebrate my parents' birthdays
- hearing the long-awaited news of a baby coming soon
- listening to my niece share stories of teaching on a missions trip to Zambia
- her love for missions and her willingness to go and do

- harvest season - in gardens and on fields
- a reminder to keep praying for a family who is dear to us
- God's messages of "this is a child of mine" and "don't ever give up" (Matt. 15: 10 - 28)
- to be counted as His child
- and that He never gives up on me!

Gratitude Gifts Today

Today I am grateful for these gifts:

- phone calls from the sub office

- lunch made the night before

- ginger lemon tea

- a warm shower

- Oil of Olay skin creme

- Burt’s Bees colored lip gloss

- good driving conditions

- smiles to greet me in grade 1

- great lesson plans :)

- organized systems for hot lunch orders

- playing games to discover the sounds of letters

- little ones echo reading

- watching pointer fingers follow the words

- eyes lighting up as I hear “Hey, I get it!”

- mini-muffins for snack

- hot chocolate + coffee + flavoured creamer

- helpful colleagues checking in on me

- reading stories 

- beautiful illustrations

- favourite authors

- kids having fun on crazy carpets on the big hill

- warm winter clothes

- Kleenex in my pocket

- cooperation and good natures

- sandwiches

- time to read independently

- math word stories

- “Tell another one!”

- after school visiting

- shared pizza bread

- a pot of tea

- non-stop chatting

- a listening friend

- coming home to supper ready to heat

- popcorn with melted butter

- warm air blowing from the furnace

- a rocking chair

- making lists

- warm gloves

- the last piece of Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese icing

- email messages

- going to bed early

Gratitude Gifts Today

These things brought me joy today -


- early morning laundry started



- clean shirts hanging ready to go back in the closet



- containers filled with applesauce moved to the freezer



- a letter in the mailbox from our niece



- an appointment to pick up precious documents



- fresh multigrain bread coated in sesame seeds



- bright berries hanging heavy on the branch

- poutine - one of my favourite treats of all time!



- conversation with friends



- visits from our grandchildren



- photo opportunities outdoors in the brightly colored leaves



- 3 generations gathered around the kitchen table at suppertime



- arms wrapped tight to give hugs



- little monkeys jumping on our bed



- Death by Chocolate Zucchini Muffins



- our daughter who cleaned up the kitchen after supper



- the sun shining through colored leaves



- fresh applesauce, still warm, served with cinnamon and cream

Ten On Tuesday

1. I'm getting used to hearing the phone ring before 7 a.m.! When the phone rings that early, I know the substitute teacher service is calling with a job for me.

2. I survived as a music teacher today! Thank goodness for awesome plans, equipment meticulously set up, and enthusiastic students.

3. I emptied our camper this evening so it would be ready for a long, cold winter in storage. It was such a good small investment for us and it's sad to know that we won't use it again this year. But I'm already excited for next year's trips, wherever they may be.



4. Naomi and I are heading off to take a cooking class with a local restauranteur tomorrow night. It should be fun! I'll let you know what we make. Note to self: take the camera!

5. We are enjoying some excellent music on the CD player this week. I'll tell you why tomorrow - it's a happy story!

6. Christmas is drawing closer - especially if the number of mail order catalogues arriving in our mailbox is any indication! The Royal Canadian Mint one came today, showing special coins available to collectors. There are some lovely sets featuring the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and colorful NHL team coins.

7. The sunset tonight was spectacular - bands of red, orange and yellow across the cloudy sky with black silhouettes of trees and buildings.

8.

Alphabet Soup this week is brought to you by the letter 'G'. Go and link up at Morning Glory's blog if you'd like to join us.

These things fill my heart with gratitude:

God - our Heavenly Father who has created me for a purpose and has plans for my every action and encounter. How good HE is to me!

Grandchildren - the joy, delight, love and excitement that these little ones bring to my life is truly amazing. I am blessed to see them so often and to enjoy such marvelous times with them.

Golf - I still love it, even if I haven't done much the last few years.

Gingersnaps - especially the soft and chewy kind!

Greece - it's high up on my list of places to visit.

Green living - I'm glad we all are more aware and try harder.

Games - whether played on a board or a court, I like them. Looking forward to winter evenings and time to play often with family and friends.

Grapes - on their own or paired with cheese for yummy snacks

Germany - we have such wonderful memories of our visit to this land of our ancestors.

9. If you are looking for a little Christmas project for yourself that will help you focus on the moments of the season, go and check out Ali Edward's December Daily album project. It's so pretty!!

10. I've been burning scented candles in the evenings now and I love the glow and scent with which they fill our home.

Thanksliving

Heather has inspired me to pause, reflect and give thanks for things that happened this week.

1. Remembrance Day and the chance to reflect, give thanks and honour those who have fought for our freedom and peace in the world.



(Photo by Tom Hanson for Canadian Press)


2. Visits with my sister, Esther and her husband, Larry. We had supper with them yesterday, stayed overnight and went for a long walk this morning. I am blessed to have her as my sister and my friend and love every chance we get to be together.




3. The chance to spend time with these 2 precious little ones! They bring so much joy and energy to our days. Thankfully they both live pretty close so we are able to connect often. I don't know what I would do if they lived across the country!




4. Email and all the technology that allows me to stay in touch with friends and family around the world. Seriously, this is such an amazing thing. Not that very long ago it took months for a letter to go across Canada!

5. Anniversaries - a good time to celebrate couples who have worked, compromised, supported and loved each other. Bob's parents celebrated 63 years together this week.



And our good friends, John and Doris, had a 25th anniversary celebration this weekend. I remember how very freezing cold it was the day they got married! Thankfully it was warmer this time around.


6. Long walks through fallen leaves, around frozen creeks and over tree trunks cut down by busy, busy beavers.

7. A fully stocked kitchen which makes it so easy to cook good things to eat like Sweet and Sour Spareribs (Darrin's favourite) that we had yesterday. I am blessed to have an abundance of fresh, high quality food.

8. No snow on the ground yet! Last year we'd already had a whole month of the white stuff. I wouldn't mind if it stayed nice until Christmas.



This picture was taken last year on November 3rd!

Alphabet Soup

Today's thoughts of gratitude are brought to you by the letter 'E'. And life was busy this week so I'm late but still extremely grateful.

1. Email - how I love seeing new messages from those I love and care about! Long or short, staying in touch so quickly with these messages just makes for good days.

2. Edmonton - the closest city to us, the place where I do my major shopping and where we go to concerts or sporting events. It has a beautiful river valley with many trails, golf courses and parks.

3. My wonderful sister, Esther. I am blessed to have such a caring, thoughtful, fun woman as my friend and my sister. She is always so generous with her time and expertise whenever any one of us needs something, including hugs. I love that we share so many interests and hobbies, including scrapbooking and quadding. Here we are at the top of the world near Grande Cache.



4. Evening - the quiet reflective time of my day.

5. Earth - the planet that sustains us and provides so many beautiful places and people to enjoy.

6. Eyes - with which to view the world and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.

Thanks for the inspiration, Morning Glory!

Alphabet Soup

Today's thoughts of gratitude are brought to you by the letter "D"!

1. Our son, Darrin - it has been such a blessing to watch him become a man of conviction and integrity. He loves to be an uncle, work on cars and quads, come home to the farm (but not to work cattle!), ski and snowmobile, and hang out with Kelsey! I was lucky for many years while he was at university because he would come home to work in the community for the summer so we had him around long after most guys had left home. Like I do with all of our children, I try to make his visits home a little bit special - which often involves some favourite dessert!



2. Digital toys - especially cameras! If I had to keep only 1 piece of electronics, I would chose this one. It gives me great pleasure to capture moments of living through my lens.

3. Dad - I am blessed to have my Dad enjoying good health, his farming, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his dogs and all parts of his life. It's his birthday this week too!

4. Desserts - just about my favourite part of the meal! I love pies, cheesecakes, crisps, squares, cookies, fruit - really just about any dessert will make me happy.

5. Dogs - we've had some special canine friends over the years and our kids have many stories involving their favourites. German Shepherds have been our breed of choice and this is BJ, the most recent one.



6. Dancing - I love to dance but don't get a chance to do it very often these days. Good music always makes me want to take to the floor.

Thanks again for the inspiration, Morning Glory!

Alphabet Soup

Today's thoughts of gratitude are brought to you by the letter "C".

1. Children - we are so blessed to have 4 wonderful children - Darrin, Heather, Melinda and Naomi. They are a constant source of inspiration, amazement, encouragement and joy. The zest that they all have for life and the various partners, interests, work and accomplishments they share with us have blessed our lives much, much more than we ever could have imagined. Everything else we have pales in comparison to them and we thank God for them every single day.



(Taken at Melinda's wedding in 2004 at Chester, Nova Scotia)

2. Canada - what an immense, beautiful and peaceful country we live in. Our ancestors made a great choice when they left Europe and settled here. One of my favourite songs is "O Canada", our national anthem and I love to hear it played by high school bands.

3. Chocolate - in all of its various forms - bars, baking and drinks! It is definitely one of my favourite treats.

4. Cooking and cookbooks - and the foods that go with it - carrots, chicken, cauliflower, cabbage, cupcakes, cheese, corn, cherries - I could go on and on. So many flavourful and delicious foods to enjoy. How thankful I am to have all of these choices in my kitchen!

5. Colours - all the colours of the rainbow and more! My picture taking and scrapbooking capture them in every part of my world.

6. Company and connecting with the people that intersect my life and bring joy and energy to my days. Whether they come into our home, enter our lives in passing or are companions online, I am grateful to be surrounded by each and every one.

7. Christmas - my absolute favourite season and holiday! I love everything about it - the ancient reason for the season, decorations, food, people, gifts, celebrations, memories, and music. I look forward to it all year long and it lingers in our home long past the actual dates.

Thanks again, Morning Glory at Seeds From My Garden, for inspiring me to document these special thoughts.

Alphabet Soup

Today's thoughts of gratitude are brought to you by the letter "B".

1. my husband, Bob - the man who makes me smile, laugh, think, try harder, attempt the unknown, and who sometimes tries my patience! I can't imagine going through these days without him and I look forward to many shared adventures, quiet talks and debates in the years ahead.

2. books, books, books - for me, for kids, for gifts, for escape - I am blessed to be in a place where the printed word and text are so easy to find and enjoy.

3. beverages - milk, water, chai latte, juices, iced tea, salted Caesars, wine - so many choices for so many occasions.

4. blogs - and so many newfound friends around the world who challenge my thinking, encourage my writing, support me and share their lives and passions via weblogs. I am blessed to have developed marvelous contacts and friends!

5. babies - Thank you, God, for little ones sent to fill our lives with joy and love. Their smiles, their development and their innocence make me slow down and savour each moment. I am reminded that Jesus told us to become like these little ones - how amazing to see the world as they do!

Thanks again for the topic, Morning Glory! Go on over and see how similar our lists are - I think we are 'blog sisters'!!

Alphabet Soup

Morning Glory's got a new creative writing challenge on her blog so here are today's thoughts of gratitude brought to you by the letter 'A'!

1. Albums - scrapbook, photo, or music, albums bring so much joy to my life. I love to leaf through old ones and marvel at the memories captured from long ago. The new pictures that fill the most recent one are snippets of our days, preserved and precious. The musical ones fill my heart and my home with joy and praise.

2. Apricots - have long been one of my very favourite summer fruits. The soft orange color is one that I love and the apricot pies my Mom makes are scrumptious. No one makes pie like she does!

3. Adventures - we have been so lucky to travel often! For a time, it was across Canada when Bob was involved in the dairy industry and more recently, it's been with our family as we are scattered now. And always on those trips, we've had amazing adventures and side trips. Ones that quickly come to mind: walking the Great Wall of China, visiting Fort Louisburg, walking on the ocean floor at the Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy, biking the seawall in Stanley Park, parasailing in Mexico, hiking along the Grand Canyon, riding subways in Taipei and Beijing, caving in Belize, motoring across 2 lakes to get to the fishing cabin in Minnesota - the list could go on and on!

4. Airplanes - I love the feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when the wheels of the plane leave the tarmac and we lift off into the air. Such an engineering marvel and I am thankful to those who manufacture, maintain and repair these giants. I think the love of airplanes must be genetic as my brother and 2 of my nephews are all pilots!

5. Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa - so many places to still explore! I am thankful for an adventurous husband who is full of ideas and energy to do these things and the resources to pursue some of our adventure dreams!

Stay tuned for the letter 'B' next Wednesday - and feel free to join in!