Monday, December 6, 2010

1000 Gifts: December joy


When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

~Johnson Oatman, Jr.

It's funny~ how easy it is to focus on the minutia of the day...
on the momentary "insanity"of the household...
on the seemingly important but oh-so-very-far-from-eternal...
on self.

This past week was a doozy... a doozy, in many ways, of my own making.
How thankful I am now to be on the other side.
Rejoicing in His Light, His Hope, and His Grace.


0865
friends and family who love and encourage and remind me of Truth... who set me straight and wrap me in warmth... who care enough to drag me out of my pit-- to pray me out of my pit!-- and rejoice with me in His goodness on higher ground

0866
Isaiah 55

0867
His everlasting covenant with all who believe

0868
her pink tu tu


0869
his strong legs


0870
their tired little bodies~ they keep chugging for more

0871
until finally... rest

0872
letters written in a foreign hand... with messages of life and hope and love

0873
and return letters en route from our kitchen table to theirs... our simple offering... our chance to make a difference

0874
Compassion International and their willingness, their desire, their success in sharing the love of Jesus

0875
the Advent season


0876
the attic now empty~ its treasures, its goodies... the memories unpacked

0877
little hands and homemade decorations from years gone by

0878
grand smiles of recognition

0879
AND unbelief: "2002! I made this in 2002??!!!"


0880
joy!

0881
potty training success... and those precious 45 seconds she spends-- every single morning-- deciding which pair of panties she'll wear that day

0882
"Pray, Mommy... pray!" ~Lollipop

0883
the eyes of a child

0884
Ann's Jesse Tree devotions... and our time in His Word, first thing each morning~ our countdown to Christ's birth


0885
Christmas tree lights and candle-glow-warmth


0886
cinnamon scented pine cones

0887
homemade cookies

0888
hot apple cider

0889
chicken noodle soup

0890
enough


0891
a Santa hat with Goofy ears-- a souvenir from our Disneyworld vacation, seemingly so very long ago


0892
3 of my favorite little elves


0893
and God's generosity... His abundance... His grace

"I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever."

Psalm 86:12


and the list continues...



7 comments:

gretchen said...

Loved the list and the pictures. The quote was great - I may borrow it :). I so enjoyed chatting with you yesterday... way too short. And we are looking at calendars and work schedules to see what our New Year has planned... hopefully it's a trip North. :) Love you guys!

Kellie said...

So lovely.

And I'm glad to know that my son is not alone in keeping his feet anywhere but on the floor. : )

Oh, and I love your new header -- beautiful!

Christine said...

Heather,
Sometimes I forget that it's the little things that make this life matter. God almost always uses the the seemingly small and makes a great difference for His kingdom and for our good. Why do I forget this? Thanks for sharing your list today and encouraging me (once again!) to look for Him in the little things and press into His everlasting comfort and love.
May He bless you this week with peace and hope, and let us remember to "come to the waters" this week... and always.
Love and hugs to you, friend!
-Christine

livinginbetween said...

Yay to successful potty training! I hope to be doing that (again) after Christmas! But I've never attemtped it with a girl . . . :)

Your list is wonderful. I especially love 865, for those kinds of friends are treasures.

And 890 -- enough. That is something I take for granted far to often.

Anonymous said...

Lovely list and beautiful pictures!

This is my first visit to your blog. 'Nice to meet you.' :)

Linda said...

This was just what a needed at just this moment. For some reason the sweetness of it just makes tears fill my eyes. Thank you so much, Heather, for sharing the "wealth" of your blessings. Oh how it ministers.

Carrie said...

Blessed again, Miss Heather! Thanks for sharing! Your pictures are lovely, too ... and your new header - GORGEOUS!! So glad to hear Lolli's potty training is going well! ;)