I've been wanting to read Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts for quite some time, and thanks to my husband's kind cousin, I finally had the chance. It's a very deep book written in poetic prose. It wasn't always an easy read, but it was a very enlightening one - and reading about Voskamp's struggle to be faithful through hard times is encouraging.
My husband and I have been talking for a while about ways that we can encourage our children to be both grateful and gracious, and we decided that keeping our own list of gifts would be a great start.
My Big Helper and I made a special journal to use, and so far we keep it on the kitchen table in the center of the house, where it's always accessible to all of us. The kids are very excited about listing what God has given us, and while so far they mention the most basic of aspects of our lives, isn't that what this process is really about? Isn't the faith of a child what we should strive to maintain?
Here's a few of our gifts from this week ....
- a cat had kittens and has moved them into our yard. They hadn't even opened their eyes yet!
- a child who absolutely loves to eat his fruits and veggies
- a child who loves to cook and help in the kitchen
- father and daughter, excited to spend time together
- father and son, one teaching the other how to be a man, the other reminding us of the wonders on this Earth
- a sudden summer rain, absent of storms, a great time to run and play and make memories
What blessings have you been given today??
I love the photo of your children playing in the rain! It is wonderful that you encourage such memories!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteI loved playing in the rain as a kid! Many things I have to say 'no' to in this world because of the increasing dangers, so I try to say 'yes' whenever I can.
Here's another gift to celebrate-- you won the giveaway for Renee Swope's new book! Please email me at marybeth6@gmail.com with your address so we can get the book out to you. Congrats!
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