1000 Gifts

For a couple of years now, I have been practicing the habit of a daily gratitude journal.  I just recently finished my second journal of 1000 gifts! This concept comes from a book I read a few years back by Ann Voskamp called One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.

Between 2011 and 2013, I lost my job, my mom died and I had a major back surgery.  All of these were completely unexexpected, but losing my mom by far was the most painful of all and made me feel like I no longer recognized my own life.  In the midst of all this, there were wonderful things too: I got a great new job that I loved, my sister had her youngest daughter, my brother and his wife welcomed triplet daughters and I finished graduate school.  Then, between 2014 and 2015, both of my grandmothers died. So many ups and downs, but way more downs than I had every experienced in my life before.

 During all of this, I had to make peace with the fact that my life was NOT going as I had planned. There was no changing it, and no going back to how things used to be. Intentionally counting the gifts God gave me each day was one way I could remember His goodness and kindness in the midst of sorrow and pain.  I realized I had to choose joy and choose gratitude each day. I truly believe that this practice has help keep me from letting seeds of bitterness take root in my heart.  The goal is to do it each day but I often fail in that.  Sometimes it is just a few times a week.  If I drop off for a week or so, I start to notice a difference in myself and I realize that I need to get back to it.  I hope to become more disciplined with each journal and keep this up for the rest of my life!

The best part about finishing a 1000 gifts journal is going back to read each gift.  There are always things I know I would have forgotten if I had not written it down.  I thought it would be fun to share the gifts from this past year that are specifically about God calling me to serve Him in Budapest.  I apologize for the messy cursive! :)

               

                                            

It is such a blessing to look back and see God's gracious gifts to me through this past year!  I count ALL of my friends and family among God's most abundant gifts for all of the love and support you have given me throughout this whole process!  

I hope you are able to look around and count some of God's gifts to you today as well! :) 

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