Three years later, one journal full to overflowing and a new one begun..

It’s been almost three years I’ve been gathering gratitude, counting my thanks.

The little green journal is full to overflowing and tucked away for safe keeping,

and a new little journal traveled to Ghana with me and back home again.

Two weeks worth of thanks to share with you this week,

since I wasn’t able to post from Ghana last Monday.

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I’ve taken the Joy Dare.

I’m counting one thousand thanks in one year.

I hunt for thanksgiving using the prompts Ann gives us each month.

If you are interested in joining in, click the link above or at the bottom of this post.

I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal…

#1827-#1868

a gift hiding-

-Ghanaian pastors in little villages

a gift held-

-my granddaughter and grandson

a gift heard-

-Ghanaian children singing “You are great, You do miracles so great…”

3 gifts opened up-

-coming to Ghana, even though I was reluctant at first

-bottles and plastic bags of clean drinking water

-Ghanaian grown watermelon

3 gifts budding/blooming-

-African forget me nots

-fushia colored flowers

-cocoa trees

3 gifts worn-

-men and women in traditional Ghanaian dress

-cool cotton clothes in hot, humid Ghanaian weather

-good shoes to protect my feet, (though not exactly fashionable!)

3 gifts bright-

-my granddaughter’s smile

-the Ghanaian children

-the Ghanaian sun

3 gifts found looking-

-enormous mahogany trees

-the same blue sky as at home

-Father God, My Abba

a gift in a bag-

-Fan Ice (ice cream in a bag)

a gift in a box-

-Hob Nobs, a cookie from England found in stores in Ghana

a gift in a book-

-Ephesians, God seems to be taking me deeper and deeper in this book

3 hard eucharisteos-

-poverty

-little feet with no shoes

-saying goodbye to my daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and grandson

3 gifts woven together-

-my Ghanaian market basket

-colorful Ghanaian clothes

-the family of God, all of us woven together from every tribe and tongue

3 gifts inherited-

-my brown eyes

-every spiritual blessing through Jesus (Ephesians 1:3)

-I am God’s portion and He gives me an inheritance through Jesus (Ephesians 1:11)

3 gifts square-

-delicious milk chocolate with hazelnuts bought at the airport in Amsterdam

-turkey, avocado, tomato sandwich on my favorite multigrain bread-so good after two weeks of unfamiliar food

-post-its with favorite verses written on them

a gift stacked-

-clean white dishes

a gift stashed-

-more than enough food in our freezer and pantry

a gift stilled-

-home alone, the house all quiet except for my favorite worship music playing

3 gifts found in Christ-

-help to pray when I don’t have the right words

-“friendship with Jesus, fellowship divine, oh what blessed sweet communion, Jesus is a friend of mine”

-unshakeable Love

3 gifts close-

-Jesus

-my husband

-my oldest daughter, son-in-law and and two granddaughters that live nearby

 

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth

 

 

 

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