Tag Archives: gratitude

Indescribable gifts

Posted on by
5

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” – 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NKJV)

The Bible verse above is printed at the top of the page in my gratitude journal that I just finished filling in. Back in August, I challenged you to take a journey of gratitude with me and keep track of the blessings in your life for which you are grateful. Though today marks the official end of the challenge, I hope it won’t bring an end to your list keeping.

I’m up to #297 in my journal. Much of today’s list contains blessings from my adventure at Whole Foods a few hours ago. Yes, I braved a trip there the day before Thanksgiving. My favorite is #294: Whole Foods vegan pumpkin pie. Or maybe it’s #295: A quick parking space find at Whole Foods the day before Thanksgiving.  Continue reading →

God’s palette

Posted on by
2

“Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to be keeping a gratitude journal?” asked my dear friend on Sunday night. Yep, she was chiding me for a generally cranky attitude I had brought along for one of our rare and treasured coffee dates.

She was right to remind me that I needed to look for the positives in a situation that has me struggling. I’m not one who adapts quickly to change, and so when my husband’s work travel increased exponentially a few weeks ago, I began struggling to accept what will become the new reality of our life together. But instead of focusing on the positives, I was too busy pouting because I felt like someone pulled a rug out from under me.

So this week, I’ve dug deeper to add to my gratitude journal and to change my mindset, and I cannot help but see God’s blessings all around me. One of my favorite blessings is God’s palette in November. And so yesterday, I got out and took some pictures to share with you — pictures that may help explain why Autumn is my favorite season:

Yesterday’s lunchtime view

Continue reading →

Gratitude – not just for the fourth Thursday in November anymore

Posted on by
1

For the past few months, I’ve been challenging you to keep a gratitude journal, a list of everything – big, small and in between – that makes you stop and give thanks. In case you missed the challenge, you can read about it at the bottom of this post from August.

We are three weeks away from Thanksgiving (gulp) here in the United States. That little fact may stress you out more than spur thankful thoughts right at the moment, but I hope it will encourage you to spend some time thinking about all you have to be grateful for. Perhaps pondering those blessings in your life will lead to writing them down as a way of keeping a running tab of how rich your life is.

My gratitude journal and favorite pen

I don’t write in my gratitude journal every day, though I could if I had more discipline about it. So don’t worry if this isn’t yet a daily habit for you either. Just get started, and see where your journal takes you.  Continue reading →

Forgiving Walmart, cont.

Posted on by
2

Can you stick with me for one more story in the Walmart saga? I think this will likely be the last of them.

Yesterday, I gave up – at least for now – on getting a copy of my friend Jerel’s book Spirit Fighter from Walmart. But I made peace with the store after a surprisingly good customer service experience with them.  Continue reading →

Taken for granted or taken with gratitude

Posted on by
5

We’ve been having a conversation about Walmart and forgiveness the last few weeks, and I promise to come back to that topic when I have more to report.

But today, my thoughts are more occupied with the things I take for granted. My hands, for instance.

Yesterday while I was out running, I took a tumble on some loose gravel and ended up sliding along the asphalt for what seemed like an eternity – probably because it happened in slow motion. I sat up and saw the palm of my right hand covered in blood, asphalt crumbs and dirt, and felt pain along the left side of my body (shoulder, hand, hip, lower leg and foot).  Continue reading →