The blessings of growing older...

This week we'll turn the page on our calendars and another month of summer will have come and gone.

Me, I'll be celebrating my birthday the very next day after the month changes.

Zoom!  Another month gone and summer days will turn to autumn before we know it.

Zip!  Another year of my life has passed, lightning quick.

If I wasn't noticing, watching, counting, writing down my blessings,

it would be easy to mourn the swiftly passing days, weeks, months, seasons, years.

But in the counting, comes the realization that each season brings with it its own unique blessings.

I'm planning on savoring these last weeks of summer 2013 

and I'm planning to savor my days as I grow older.

As long as I'm living and breathing, God still has a good plan and purpose for me.

As long as I'm living and breathing, His goodness and mercy will be with me.

I plan to notice, to savor, to treasure each and every one of His gifts, His blessings.

And so I count...

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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)

#3589-#3610-

7-22-13-

-a morning to catch up on things after being gone to our family reunion

-a visit from a blog friend

-skyping with our two youngest grand babies, 

(though they live only 20 minutes away they were on vacation

so we hadn't seen them in over a week)

-the Hubs and I going grocery shopping together after he got home from the office

7-23-13-

-God's faithful provision 

-texts that say "I love you"

-a good book to read and my favorite tea to drink

-a phone call from a prodigal spiritual daughter in the Lord saying she's ready to come home!

7-24-13-

-thrifty finds

-walking around a local fitness trail with the grand babies

-taking them for a swim afterwards

7-25-13-

-waking up with the words of Ephesians 3:20 on my mind

-errands to buy supplies for a bbq we're having on Sunday done

-a really great prayer time at church

7-26-13-

-brunch at a new to us french cafe with the Hubs on our Friday date day

-going to oldest daughter's house for dinner

7-27-13-

-starting a very full day by taking time for devotions,

(I wish I could say I do this every time I have a very busy day!)

-help from my friend to get some deep cleaning done

-ending our work with a fun bike ride

7/28/13-

-a great time at church today, God is working in us and through us

-a Sunday afternoon BBQ at our house

-relaxing after all the company went home

gratefully yours,