One Thousand Gifts

I first read the book, One Thousand Gifts, about two years ago.  Fell in love with it.  I've reread it twice.  It is that good.  Every year I think in my head that I will make my own list of one thousand gifts, but I haven't ... well, this will be the year.  And, to hold myself accountable, they will get their own day ... of course, Thursday.  Because, Thankful Thursday.  Duh.

So, here we go ...

1.  A FaceTime "call" with a girl I love to ring in the new year.  Ahhh.  Technology.
2.  A quiet January 1st with the man I love.
3.  A freezer full of fresh meals to make dinner prep easy in January.
4.  A tick-free day.  Finally!
5.  The knowing that You have been faithful in the past and You will be faithful today.  Please keep whispering it to me.  I NEED to hear it right now.
6.  Dogs snoring past midnight.  The knowing that they will be super happy to see me in the morning.  They love me in spite of me being me.
7.  A garage that is clean.
8.  A husband who comes running at the sound of broken glass and cleans up my mess.
9.  The knowing that we can give anything to you.  You are bigger than all of it.  And able to do more with it than we ever could.
10. Hand lotion.  Man!  My hands have been dry lately!
11. A warm bed.  With a featherbed on top.  Super love!
12. Hot coffee in a big mug.
13. A Christmas break that feels exceptionally long.
14. The laughter of teenage girls in the kitchen.
15. Homemade pizza.  Even the crust.
16. A puppy who snuggles in for a nap.
17. A warm spot by your feet created by a cat who just left the room (um, Kita, next time could you hang out on my side of the bed?!)
18. A cold afternoon and a warm house.

The beginning.  Go read the book.  And, make your own list.  You will find the peace that a heart of gratitude will give you ... and you will find amazing gratitude in the smallest of things.

Be Still

Well, today was hard.  Not the whole day.  Just the last bit.  I would love to tell you that it wasn't something earth shattering ... but, for a bit it felt like it was.  But, I will tell you this ... hours later it doesn't feel quite so terrible.  Hard? Yes.  Overcomeable? Um, of course.  Will we be OK?  Absolutely.

Because, we aren't in charge of this.  We are doing what we must, but we are trusting the One who loves us more than anyone.  And, He has this.  And, in a bit we are going to look at this day and rejoice in it.  Because we will have learned much.  About who we are.  About what we believe.  About who He is.  About Who we believe.  

You can call me crazy, but in this moment, I am a little bit excited about this trial.  I'm excited about what we are going to learn.  I'm excited about where we will be when we get through this.  And, I know it will all be worth it ... because I am determined for Him to get the glory.

So, for now, I am choosing to be still and know that He is God.

Great Beginnings

Wallah ... another blog post.  On two consecutive days.  I feel like I have already accomplished so much in this the two thousand thirteenth year of our Lord.  Actually, I have accomplished much today ... or so it feels.

 I got a text from my sister asking me how my meal making was going.  I decided that in 2013 I was going to cook more.  But, lets face it ... if I am actually going to cook more I am going to have to plan more.  And part of planning more means I will have to get some meals in the freezer.  So, that was my plan for the day.

I may or may not have told her it would be going great if I would get out of bed.  It may or may not have been well after noon.  In the words of Michael Scott, "Sue me."  I did get my act together and I am proud to say that I now have 13 meals in the freezer.   Please feel free to think I am amazing.  Humility is not my word for 2013.

 And, because I haven't blogged in FOREVER, you do not know that there is a new member in the Townsend family ... of the four-legged variety.  His name is Bentley and he is Zack's mini-me.  He is also a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel ... and, if you are keeping track, he is number 3.  He was a gift from a family at school.  We are all in love.  And, by we, I am not talking about the cats.  Sophie just forgave me two days ago.

He is quite a cheeky little monkey.  He is a climber ... we have given up on keeping him in the playpen that kept the other two out of trouble when we weren't home.  He loves the other two ... he is quite adorable when he goes and curls up next to Zack or grabs onto Zoey's ears to get her to play with him.  He is a BIG crybaby ... he is sure to let us know when he feels wronged or hurt or scared.  He has also chewed the rungs on EVERY ONE of the dining room chairs.  He was not cute or adorable or my favorite that day.

He drags his bed all over the house ... he takes it to wherever we are.  I was cooking in the kitchen and looked down to see him making himself comfortable. Dean and Torrey got a big chuckle out of him running through the house with a little pillow in his mouth ... we never quite know what mischievousness he will get into next!

This day has been as close to perfect as you can get.  A fun face time "call" with Torrey right after midnight (she was spending the night with a friend).  Sleeping in until noon.  Cooking in the kitchen.  A movie with Dean.  Torrey out with a friend.  Quiet conversations.  2013 is off to a great start!