Starting the list was pretty easy. Being brand new at it, I looked back at photographs I had taken to remind myself of good times, blessing. My first post on gifts was completely inspired by photos. When I got stuck, I went to listing more general things like people. In December, I started to get really stuck. Then, over Christmas, I found my eyes starting to open to everyday blessings and was inspired to start adding gifts to the ends of certain posts...like Christmas Eve!
And now? Now I feel like I'm on a roll. Starting the actually study with my BonBon Girls and digging back into the book has really helped me grow even further in this exercise. Being with them, learning with them, discussing with them has brought so much inspiration to this activity! It is amazing how much easier it is becoming to see gifts in my every day, very ordinary life. It is amazing to see what a change that is making inside of me, how it is changing how I see my life and the world! I love this dare!
Last night, the BonBon Girls met to discuss the In Between Session (as the study guide refers to it) work we had done over the week. One of the big things that was asked of us was to come up with a list of twenty gifts! It was so great to make the list, even better to share it with my ladies, and awesome to get to here them share their lists with me!
I was actually able to come up with twenty-three new gifts! On top of the five I had written down for homework the week before! Because I want to make this spot on my blog my official "gratitude journal," I'm bringing them here today to share. I love the way sharing my gifts helps me see the beauty in each one all over again. It's a reminder. More importantly, I've seen how sharing my list of gifts has blessed my BonBon ladies, and I'd like to use this blog as an opportunity to do a little more of that. I really do hope that sharing my gifts will help inspire others to start seeing the gifts in their every day lives. Maybe even inspire someone to start keeping their own gratitude journal!
So, anyway, here's my new gifts! I'm hoping to add pictures for some of them very soon!
167. Sweet taste of milk chocolate on my tongue
168. Sharing a chocolate bar on the couch with Logan
169. Playing "action figures" with Gavin
170. FaceTime between me, Logan, Gavin, and Mom/Grandma
171. Being asked out on a date by my husband
172. The chill of winter air on my bare skin
173. Cubed bread piled high on the communion plate
174. Logan's small hand clutched around dollar bills and then opening, releasing the bill into the offering basket
175. Lunches made up only of appetizers
176. Crock pot lasagna ready to feed us dinner when we walk through the door
177. Tiny hands sprinkling parmesan on lasagna
178. Monday afternoon counseling to bring perspective
179. A conflict resolved
180. Friendly conversation after an emotionally draining argument
181. Justin's good morning hugs just 'cuz
182. Morning sunrise shinning through fog
183. Standing in front of the stove cooking with my boys
184. Slippers fuzzy and warm on my feet
185. Satisfaction of grading finished, recorded, and filed away
186. Soft, sweet good-bye kisses
187. Hearing that I look pretty
188. A little boy who kisses my "owies"
189. The quiet dark of the house at five in the morning
190. The burn in my muscles after a good work out
191. Euphoria after completing a run
192. Evening P90X workouts with Justin
193. Setting the table for dinner with Gavin's help
194. Sweet boy who insists on setting a place at the table for Daddy even though he gets home from work too late to eat dinner with us
195. Gavin and Justin at the bathroom sink together getting ready in the morning
196. Ignoring the alarm clock to lay in bed and pet my cat
197. FRIDAYS!
I've been meaning to do the 1000 gifts study! It looks great!
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