One Thousand Gifts

A week or so ago, when I did my tour of blogs, I came across one to add to my blogroll. Ann Voskamp keeps a blog called “A Holy Experience,” and one of her projects is the 1000 gifts. Read her post here:

http://aholyexperience.com/2006/11/gift-list-thousand-things.html

This is where my list begins. And in the days to come, when I find myself getting gripey and negative, I will return to the exercise of gratitude, and post some more.

Everyday things to be thankful for:

kicking up a six-inch carpet of oak leaves along ATV paths
naptime
a 21-month-old snuggling down with absolute trust in your arms
having so much to give that you never lack for ways to exercise creativity
NEO
cousins who are willing to share their woods
friends w/whom you can pick up where you left off, even after a long absence
living parents
living grandmothers who get to know their great-grandchildren
porch swings
a little tumble-kin swimming laps and stretching around the obstacle course inside my abdomen
the joy of giving joy to someone else—especially a child
a fiscally responsible husband, who ensures that recession is nothing more than an inconvenience
the smell of dead leaves
sight
always having another goal to reach
an extra-good choir rehearsal
sunlight breaking all along the crest of the hill beyond the creek bed
sitting in the woods in mid-November
the love of a man who stands by me, even when I don’t deserve it
the love of a man for whom forever is not negotiable
turkey dressing
kisses from preschoolers and toddlers
the dawn of language comprehension
divine inspiration