Sunday, July 14, 2013

White barns and other blessings...



 I look at the journal with my gratitude list in it and I realize it's just the tip of the iceberg.
I miss so much.
 Either I forget to notice or I forget to write down the blessings all around me.
It's when I was adding photos to this post that I noticed this picture, and thought,
I should have thanked Him for the white barn.
The barn is on the way to the field where we picked blueberries on that heaven-kissed day we had this week.
I'm thankful that oldest daughter was the one driving so I could crank the shutter speed up on my camera and capture the barn as we drove by.
So, I'm thanking Him here and now for the old white barn in the grassy field against the cloudless blue sky and all the myriads of other blessings that I zoom right past without noticing.

***************
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)

#3532-3556
7-8-13-
-devotions out on the patio


-gathering lavender from our flowerbeds for drying 


-(the store was oh, so crowded and a bit frustrating), but thank You God for grocery stores, readily available food and Your provision to buy it
-a friend from church helping change our flat tire
-four year old granddaughter's Jesus chant that she made up
( I wish I could upload the video here, but I couldn't get it to work...
suffice it to say that it went something like this, 'He's strong, He's mighty, He's very, very brave.  We love Him, We love Him, We really, really love Him. " and ended with Cha!Cha!Cha!
I think Jesus liked it very much.)

7-9-13-
-waking up and seeing the first glimpse of the pinky-peach sunrise out the window
-picking blueberries with all four grandkids and my two oldest daughters


-followed by a swim


-Papa bringing the grands Wendy's frosties and salty french fries 
-a delicious spinach salad with chicken, pear, feta, and pine nuts for our dinner



7-10-13-
-being a listening ear for a friend going through some stress
-Papa and four year old granddaughter having a fun day together so her Mama could pack for vacation

7-11-13-
-only grandson asking to do chores for us so he can earn $10 to buy a fish



-a fun, (and delicious), wedding rehearsal and dinner
-the Stewart family reunion

7-12-13-
-taking the grandkids to breakfast to meet Papa's relatives


-a short, but much needed, nap
-a wonderful wedding for a young man we've known since he was a boy

7-13-13-
-the feeling after I've finished my housework and run
-a friend at church helping set up our fellowship hall for our family reunion dinner
-devotions out in the sun
-a great reunion dinner and visit with the Hub's aunties and cousins

7-14-13-
-having the Hub's family in church
-a great message on relationships
-texting with friends 

gratefully yours,


     

8 comments:

  1. I adore the richness and bounty of the blessings you notice in your life. I am constantly ashamed of the struggle I have to jot down a few when I blog. I know I am richly blessed. I just don't know how to say it.

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  2. So many things to be thankful for! You are so right....it's easy to drive past and not see the beauty we're passing. To take note and say thank you is so important! Joan

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  3. What a blessing to read this, this morning! Thanks for sharing this rich slice of your life and its gifts from Him. (I also noticed in the beautiful barn photo that the hay looked just-cut, and that evoked my thanks for the enjoyment of the hay cutting, raking, and baling to which I've just been audience over the last few days.) Love this.

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  4. You are so blessed and I love that you took time to write them down and acknowledge the Lord for each one of them !

    Gertrude from A Chosen Remnant

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  5. Just today I told my sweetheart that both he and I have SO blessed! We've been blessed since before our birth - both to families who loved and served God. We were 'kept' by God's grace from so much in our lives that others have to deal with. We were blessed when He brought us together and He continues to bless us. Even when the days seem filled with not-so-much-a-blessing kind of things. I love sharing your blessings each week.
    ~Adrienne~

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  6. Your post was like a 2x4 over my head this evening, Elizabeth. I've been flailing around in my faith walk lately. Feeling lost. Empty. Angry. Frustrated. Wondering why God wasn't answering the simplest of prayers that I lift up every time I drive to their house each week (like "Please, Lord, bless mom and dad with a bit of joy and happiness today", only to get there and everything is in shambles in their world.

    Your words made me remember Ann Voskamp's words that gratitude comes before the miracle. Eucharist. I need to start my own Gratitude List so that when prayers don't seem to be answered, I can look at my blessings for the day and know that some of them actually were.

    So thank you, my friend. Thank you for being you and for being a gentle reminder of God's never ending and constant love. ♥

    xoxo laurie

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  7. LOVE LOVE LOVE the cha, cha, cha...Oh, my goodness, yes!

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