My gratitude offering...

The past two weeks have been a wild ride on life's roller coaster. We have experienced the pain and grief of another family loss, a nephew, just three months after grieving the death of a niece. Only two days later we received the joyful news that our youngest daughter is expecting a baby girl. In the two weeks since my last gratitude post, we experienced some hurt and frustration that comes with ministry life and just a few days later some life giving encouragement. We worked and we played. We laughed and we cried. We gathered together and said goodbye. Life is full of both ugly and beautiful. Sometimes it comes all twisted up together and it's a choice to look for the beauty and the blessing. When you do, before you know it you've passed another milestone-eleven thousand things to be grateful for.

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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 journal.

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

#10,990-#11,038

7-9-18-

-Vacation Bible School

-seeing all six of my grandkids today

-reading Ramona Quimby aloud to my granddaughters

7-10-18-

-exploring Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge with my granddaughters

-my granddaughters' giggles

-the grand girlies talking Papa into taking us to our favorite restaurant for dinner

7-11-18-

-a successful V.B.S.

-a fun afternoon swimming at the lake

-our oldest grandson having fun with his younger cousins

7-12-18-

-meeting our new neighbors

-yellow butterflies dancing in flight

-prayer and worship

7-13-18-

-a bit of morning quiet time 

-our first time trying out our new kayaks

-being able to laugh when things didn't go quite as we had planned

7-14-18-

-watering the outside plants in the cool of the evening 

-discovering something new to me in my Bible reading

-a Saturday morning walk

-friendship

7-15-18-

-faces I had missed, back at church today

-seeing God answering my prayers

-the way my siblings and my children rallied together 

when we got the news of my nephew's death

7-16-18-

-God's provision

-talking to my sister 

-my husband's care for me as I processed the sad news

7-17-18-

-seeing God help my sister with the details she is having to take care of

-happy news! our baby girl is expecting a baby girl!

-God's help when we ask for His help and wisdom

-a sweet time with our "unofficially adopted granddaughter" 

who will be leaving for college soon

7-18-18-

-the comfort of baking one of Mama's recipes to share at our family reunion

-talking to my sister-all of us deciding that continuing with our reunion plans is the best plan-

we need to be together at this time of loss

-a wonderfully encouraging evening for our church leadership team

7-19-20-

-our four year old grandson riding to the reunion with us

-yummy clam chowder at a favorite Oregon coast restaurant

-getting to hug my hurting, grieving sister

-my brother-in-law who is taking good care of her at his time of deep loss

-my brothers coming to our little cabin at the campground for coffee and a visit

7-20-18-

-morning coffee made by my guy

-going on a bike ride to the beach with my daughter, son-in-law and three of the grandkids

-a stunningly beautiful day at the beach

-walking to the beach with my brother, brother-in-law and grandson

-playing Catch Phrase around the campfire

7-21-18-

-a long talk with my sisters

-two huge elk right by the walking path on the way to the beach

-holding hands with my guy

7-22-18-

-stopping at the Farmer's Market with my kids

-a good report on how amazing church was today

-a safe drive home

-texts with my siblings about how good it was to be together

still following,