Thank You with my whole heart...

Sometimes I wonder how much I missed before I started keeping my gratitude journal.

These past four years I know I've noticed only a portion of the multitude of things in my life

 to give God thanks for, but I've noticed!

How much of my life went by without me seeing, appreciating, and giving thanks to God for it?

Too much!

But, it's never too late to begin.

These past four years of counting my blessings, of giving God thanks for them, 

have been some of the richest and sweetest and most joy filled of my life.

Is it because all of my circumstances are perpetually hunky-dory?

No, life still has its usual ups and downs.

But, God has opened my eyes to the beauty of the life He has given me,

and so on the good days and the not so good days,

I choose to give Him thanks,

with my whole heart.

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

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

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

#5145-#5173

9-8-14-

-though the daytime temps are still summer-like, the mornings are cool and fall-like,

(I had to wear a light jacket on my morning run)

-finally remembering to-do a forgotten task

-finally getting to hug my daughter and youngest grandson 

after they were away back east for almost a month

-big hugs from the two oldest grands after school and hearing how their first day went

-getting taken out to dinner by our kids

-a beautiful sunset on the way home

9-9-14-

-my husband

-displays of fall mums in front of the stores

-coral colored squash

-making healthy spaghetti squash lasagna for dinner and the hubs actually eating it and saying it was pretty good

9-10-14-

-time with my friend

-quiet time to write while the hubs was at an evening meeting

9-11-14-

-remembering 9-11-01 and how God's hand was on us as we were in flight from Providence, Rhode Island to home

 when the towers were hit, then grounded in Chicago when the Pentagon was hit 

-selling some of my thrift store finds

-getting work done at the church

-holding my youngest grandson during our worship and prayer service

9-12-14-

-driving through the Hood River valley on our Friday date day

-our beautiful Mt. Hood

-orchards heavy with fruit

-stopping to buy some peaches and also buying a pumpkin and squash for fall decor

-having fresh peaches with a scoop of sugar free ice cream when we got home

9-13-14-

-riding with the Hubs, youngest daughter and her boyfriend to Seattle for the Huskies game

 -getting to walk by the lake and have my devotions there while they went to the game

-Jesus speaking something to my heart not only clearly, but kind of blunt and to the point,

during my devotions  :)

9-14-14-

-Jesus "in the house!" in such a sweet and evident way at church

-the hub's message today

-praying with a dear one at the altar

-lunch at a yummy middle eastern restaurant with friends

-a baby shower for our much loved Truelife Espanol pastors

gratefully yours-