Since it's so easy to focus on what's lacking in our lives I try to keep track of all the blessings that come my way. God is so faithful even when I'm not. And He gives each of us so many undeserved gifts, large and small. In the last 48 hours or so I've enjoyed some really good coffee, taken my boys to a costume party, edited several chapters of The Locket, fixed a great meal or two, slept 10 hours one night, heard that The Frontiersman's Daughter is being read in Moscow, Russia (amazing, huh? God is good!), received a wonderful letter from a reader in Ontario, enjoyed your blog comments, and so much more.Here's a short list of things I'm thankful for. I could, of course, hand you a list of all that's not so nice in my life but what a downer that would be. So here goes...
* healthy kids
* a husband who's my best friend
* windy walks
* maple trees changing color (those evergreens are stubbornly green)
* sassafras tea
* Scripture that speaks to your heart
* salvation
* candles
* sleeping in
* a real live letter in your mailbox
* leftovers
* chocolate
* coming home
* fiddle tunes
* childrens' laughter
* fresh apple cider
* too many things to count...
Can you add anything to the list? Or is yours so long you can't possibly find enough paper?
When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. -Willie Nelson
No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has escaped the kingdom of night. -Elie Wiesel (accepting Nobel Peace Prize, 1986)
He said he got up to the line and thought about his wife and daughter, and everything he had to be thankful for. (Interview with Derek Parra, immediately following his silver medal winning performance at the Olympics, 2002)
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine... Proverbs 17:22