10,000+ reasons...

Youngest granddaughter is eighteen months old.

If she is cranky or upset, just turn on Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons, and she calms right down.

She likes to sing along and lift her hands and praise the Lord.

Let's face it, every day there are plenty of reasons to be cranky or upset.

Everything from serious issues like financial pressures, family or friends battling cancer or relationship challenges, to non-critical things like running out of coffee or traffic jams can get us upset and out of sorts.

But, when I choose to quit counting the 10,000 reasons I have to be cranky, upset, anxious, worried, or discouraged and start counting the 10,000+ reasons I have to praise and thank God,

life suddenly looks a whole lot better.

I realize that "His name is great and His heart is kind" is not just a lyric in Matt's song,

but is truth.

I realize that no matter the difficulties that come my way, 

God's grip on me is sure, firm, comforting and reassuring.

He will never let go of me.

I can trust Him, because He is altogether trustworthy.

It makes me want to sing along and lift my hands and praise the Lord.

****************

In 2012 I followed the prompts in Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare in counting my thanks.

In 2013 I'm going back to the way I did it in the beginning,

just noticing and recording the many extraordinary blessings in my ordinary life.

And so I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

(and capturing some of them via my camera or iPhone)

#3176-#3402

5-27-13-

-a big Memorial day breakfast with the three oldest grands made by Papa 

-a fun outing to Fort Vancouver with the grands

-Memorial Day family dinner 

5-28-13-

-hair appointment day

-a sunny evening

-the God Who provides

5-29-13-

-a friend power washing around the house for us

-forgetting to buy something I needed on my grocery list, 

then finding a new unopened jar of it in my pantry

-much needed prayer from a friend

-my grandson calling me to request if we can make homemade pizza together

5-30-13-

-our friends from Missouri here

-oldest granddaughter, who turns 10 this month, sounding so grown up on the phone

-how God provides just what we need, when we need it

5-31-13-

-making crepes for breakfast with our friends

-veterans honoring my friend's daddy at his funeral

-seeing old friends

6-1-13-

-the first day of June!

-muffins and frittata

-the Hubs taking four year old granddaughter to only grandson's baseball game,

so I had youngest granddaughter to myself for a couple of hours

-homemade pizza, (grandson's request fulfilled)

-the first fire in the fire pit this summer

6-2-13-

-friends and family and church family worshipping together

-the Hubs first message in our summer series on relationship

-a dear couple praying for me

-T so excited to see us at church this morning, and us so happy to see her, too

-Sunday night s'mores and ice cream with our family and friends from Missouri

gratefully yours,