My cup runneth over.
#352 This wee Panda...
Who grew....
and grew...
and grew...
and GREW, despite my motherly pesterings NOT to.
He is FOUR!!! #353.....a blissfully quiet sewing machine, resting after an Easter week of insanity
#354..... a family matching. Outfits that fit.
#355.....creek babbles, bird chatters, cows bawling and chicken clucks. All of nature DELIGHTS.
#356.....a husband who thanks me for the sewing...and who gushes just a bit. Just for me. :-)
#357..... walking barefoot again
#358.....first Smooch ticklings from within
#359.....a washing machine whose belt is broken, but is still dutifully chugging away despite its' handicap.
#360......a husband whose scratched cornea, stabbing sensations and swollen lid didn't deter him from driving six hours for work in the bright sunshine with an eye that could hardly stay open DESPITE his wife's pleas to stay home. For the safe arrival of that truly insufferable man who is loved so much.
#361.....sweet potatoes and asparagus spears on an Easter buffet
#362...... outdoor picnics, with 20 guests
#363......an almost-green yard. It's trying!
#364..... cute baby rumps
#365....an empty tomb
#366.....a folded face cloth
#367.....breezes blowing through the windows.
#368....a new calf named Dudley
#369....kissing chubby legs and dimpled elbows. It has been TOO long since I got to see them every day!
#370..... Winter "CAMPFIRES". Children fresh and ready for bed, snuggled down deep in blankets with kisses given. Lights out. Then Mama comes in, sits in the middle of the floor surrounded by babes and beds and reads chapters by flicker or flashlight.
#371.... The cries of "Oh NOooooooooo!! I don't LIKE this part!" or the "Oh good! I love this chapter!!" that ring out at the start of each chapter. Then Mama closes book. Shuts off light. Kisses again, tucks in again, and strokes each head of hair one last time, for good measure, and Mama and children part ways fully satiated with stories in heads and love in hearts.#372.....a room with four beds and three children that is finally tidy and the two hours it took two very diligent children to get it that way. It's easy to be proud of them.
#373.....flowers and shrubs in bloom just for Easter. Utter gorgeousness.
#374...deviled eggs, devoured
#375.....smudged faces from a day of play
#376.....and the big one. Been contemplating a lot how defeated the Church must have felt that awful day so long ago, how utterly desperate and empty. How mockers laughed and boasted. And how, though it seemed a defeat to the church and a victory to the wicked, it was in FACT, the other way around. Death was conquered. Life was given Victory.
I think how defeated this world seems to be, how utterly wrong everything is going, and I think: It is not as it seems. We have ALREADY conquered. We already have the VICTORY. Let the mockers laugh and the scorners boast... we already have the prize. We are not conquered. There IS Hope! And this truth has rocked me to my core far more than any bullet on any gratitude list could ever convey. He is RISEN.
Gifts numbered 352 to 376 blessedly accounted for.
What are YOU thankful for????
4 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing with us the gifts and blessings God has showered upon you. It is so encouraging and inspiring to read your list!
A year ago about this time I wasn't so sure there was much to be thankful for (except my precious family and my strong faith). My world had been deeply shaken. Little did I know it was only the beginning. A few short months later my world was turned completely upside down and I wasn't sure how I was going to hold on. Looking back I can see the amazing faithfulness and compassion of our loving Lord. I can truly say that I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams and vivid imaginations! I'm sure there will always be times that I wish my family were closer but there's really nothing I would change about where the Lord has brought us. I do miss you (and your family) and Abby (and her family) and many other people from that area but I can see how God has used this time to stretch me and grow me into a better Christian, wife and mother! To God be the glory!
I remember thinking the same thing FOR you and fervently praying for you at that time. Thanks be to God for not only helping you through that time, but rewarding your faith with abundant blessings and comfort!
I feel very similarly now as you did then~ desperate about our future, pining for a home that can't be ours. Still am completely blind about the whole thing and being led entirely by faith. It is for this reason that I find this list of gratitude so heart-warming. It makes me realize the little bits of happiness all around me, so the looming threat of darkness can not grab hold of my soul.
I have been walking in the same places that you and Leah have been walking. They are hard and stoney ways, but Jesus has graciously grown some beautiful flowers along the roadside that I can gather there. They are flowers that only grow in rough terrain. My Savior has mercifully accompanied me on this journey that I may not be alone. He holds my hand. He lights my way.
How grateful I am for the family that He has gathered around me. But above all, how grateful I am for "Gift #376". There is no hope without it. Thank you for the gentle reminder.
GACK! How did I miss this! Wonderful post...my list has been MIA also...thanks for the inspiration and gorgeous photos!
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