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Friday, May 9, 2014

Grateful: #FiveMinuteFriday

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It's been a few long years since I first penned the words to page. This counting of gifts. A record of gratitude in all things. It was just a few weeks in, the first go round, that he said he could see a change. That I was different. That somehow the counting had changed me. I was better in attitude and heart. I laughed at the days to come.

And then the page grew cold and I laid the pen down for a long season. I did not want to give thanks for the hard things. The bloody broken things. The death of dreams. Like a pig in slop I wanted to wallow in bitterness, anger, and despair.

But sometime in the last nine months or so I picked up the pen again. I mark each day off in threes. Some days more. Some days my gifts flow like water from a heart that is truly grateful. And some days I stair out this same window forgetting that everything is a gift. But each day I write down something. Anything to remind me.

From the extraordinary to the mundane:
A promotion.
Gas in the car.
A change in the weather.
Hard eucharisteo: a loss that hits too close to home.
Dirty dishes showing a life well lived.
And so I try to see each day in numbers. Gifts counted on the page and in the heart.





On Fridays  I join a community of writers that encourage one another. You can join us here.

Five Minute Friday

6 comments:

  1. This was really beautiful, Joy. You've inspired me to do the same. I think when we write those things down, when we choose to focus on them instead of the difficulties, it makes a huge difference just the way your husband noticed. Thank you for sharing this.

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  2. I kept a really regular gifts journal right after I read One Thousand Gifts, but it's been a hard habit to maintain long-term. Any tips for remembering to do it every day?

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  3. Joy this has prompted me to get back to journaling in my Blessing Journal! I've gotten away from that. Thank you! You're post is uplifting and transparent. Thank you for sharing!

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  4. Amy, yes! I do it everyday as part of my time with God. It's one of the first things I do each morning. My goal is three gifts every day. Sometimes I write more but three is an easy number to get down no matter how busy I am or what kind of mood I'm in.

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  5. Thank you so much, Julie. I'm glad I could inspire you. And thank you for stopping by.

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  6. Thank you, Abby. I'm so glad you stopped by. I completely agree that the actual writing make a huge difference.

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