On April 28, 2011, nearly two years ago I began my own list of 1,000 gifts. This month I have finished writing my own unique list of one thousand things that I have learned to be thankful for. Twenty-two months of living in gratitude, and learning to find joy in each of those things. It was a lot easier to write down the things like #177 - Dinner on the porch while watching the rain come down, than those like #562 - Cleaning the mud/rain water out of my bathroom from the recent storm, but learning to then write #563 - having access to a toilet in my house.
I still find it hard to be thankful for the difficult, but I do love writing on my list the amazing sights, opportunities, lessons, and experiences that God has given Chris and I over the last two years. I continue to learn what it looks like to be living in gratitude when all I want to do is complain or be saddened about the tragedy, injustice, bitterness, ugly, and sadness that God also wants us to walk through.
"If the height of my joy is dependent on the depth of my thanks" then I do want to continue to grow in the depth of my thanks. To live out the Eucharist. To live out a thankfulness for Christ and what He has so divinely given me. A new life by death on a cross. #1,001 - The cross.
But here is what I was thankful for for the past few days:
#993 - Being able to answer a call from my mom's cell phone
#994 - Chris doing the dishes when neither of us wanted to
#995 - Jesus bringing rest from self-effort and self-focus
#996 - Good conversations with employees
#997 - Spaghetti for dinner
#998 - Knowing we will be given enough strength for today
#999 - A pool to swim in
#1,000 - Never once did we ever walk alone (listen to the song here)
So I will keep going. Keep learning. Keep trying to remember why we are to be thankful. Keep choosing joy each day.
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