Sunday, July 28, 2013

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-



-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,

     

14 comments:

  1. So many good things to be grateful for - and I love your beginning words too.

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  2. So many favorites for me this week! I love the picture with the BBQ aprons. I also love everything from the 23rd and the amplified passage from Ephesians. It's a very favorite verse as it is.

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    1. I was kind of happily surprised that the Hubs went along with it when I got him a matching apron!

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  3. I loved sharing your week with you! What a blessing to know God continues to bless as we grow older - He's never finished with us! Our summer is going so quickly and the best is still to come. You and I will both celebrate birthdays this week, dear friend. We MUST get together sometime to celebrate!
    ~Adrienne~

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  4. Beautiful!!! (That Crisp looks yummy! It's not the recipe from Bread and Wine, is it? I've made that one a few times over the summer... what's more summer than fresh berries?)

    Linking up with Ann, counting gifts today too!
    ~K~

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Karrilee. The crisp recipe is on my sidebar under Yummy Berry Crisp.

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  5. Great pics. Yummy food. Loving family. Wonderful friends. Your life is full. :)

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    1. Yes it is! I'm rich in all the ways that matter most.

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  6. Beautiful! I began writing down blessings in 2012 also. It's fun to see the similar things that bring a smile to another person's heart -- Ephesians 3:20, bike rides, YUMMY COBBLER, :) Blessings!!

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  7. Hi Elizabeth, you visited my blog from Ann's yesterday and I'm over here to visit today. I love your pictures and you have a beautiful yard and home (I guess the home pics are in today's post). And I love that verse from Ephesians. Like you said, God has a great purpose for us as long as we have breath. Finally, my daughter has the same swimsuit as yours. I'm pretty sure we got it from Target! :) Anyway, glad to meet you. Blessings.

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