One Thousand Gifts

I found myself looking about on the very last morning of our girls spring break, wishing, wishing, that I had been able to take some time off with them...This is a challenging season we are in; if there were a proper parenting manual given at the birth of our children, you would find that the entire chapter on teenage girls would be blank. I believe there would be several blank pages there - and then the next chapter would be "on weddings"

So here we are. Gifts. Here's my weak attempt at defining gifts (without looking anything up...) Gifts are unexpected things given to us. (does that cover it, good or bad?)

I recently read the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp - and in all my reading over all my years of books, I haven't been challenged quite like when I read this one...

here is my short list of gifts to remember from the past couple days

• standing shoulder to shoulder (shoulder to SHOULDER!) with my daughter washing dishes
• a gaggle of geese flying overhead
• watching my girl walk confidently toward a bus full random students for an aspire field trip
• clapping "a sailor went to sea" with our youngest - the one growing up faster than the others
• babies consoled by bee's buzzing by outside the window on Easter
• bubbles
• the magic of artistic ability
• the power of wind

Our concept of good is a bit skewed; here are some other things on my short list

• Folding socks
• Clearing through the remnants of life out on the porch an in the yard
• Discovering secret stashes of candy and wrappers that have been forgotten behind and under furniture

Last week I was given the gift of raw honesty. It made me cry to hear the truth from someone I consider a close friend... Sometimes this kind of gift is the best kind of all ...

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

 James 1:2-4;16-17