
This is no ordinary gift list. It's not about the things I want or a list of gifts I need to buy. It is about daily joy-filled gifts. Gifts of wonder and delight that are missing the price tags because they can’t be bought. Money is a man-made system. These are gifts I've received from God. They are there all the time, every day and they’re everywhere. It’s like a treasure hunt where the gift is hiding in plain sight.
A little history on how this came to be…
In January 2019, at the first of the last year of the decade. I was in a situation that made many of my days at work feel like I was working in Hell. I knew it wouldn’t be much longer though, as God had given me a new opportunity that I was only two short weeks away from. I was grateful beyond words.
Before I left that position, though, one of my direct reports shared with me how instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, she chooses a “word for the year.” She explained that she had chosen the word LESS to focus on throughout 2019 – less drama, less weight, less debt, less… whatever. I was outwardly gracious as I listened to her, but I was inwardly critical. What a stupid idea!!
Well, shame on me!!! That criticism would eventually change. I began to hear the gentle God-whisper... “Gratitude – choose the word gratitude.” I would argue that I am always grateful for everything I have in life, that I take nothing for granted, that I know I am blessed with being more fortunate than those that suffer in this world every day of their lives, that I know I have it better than I probably deserve. For every argument or period of ignoring what I “heard,” I would hear it again – “Gratitude – choose the word gratitude.” But that’s stupid, I would think, choosing a word of the year (insert eyeroll), and I AM gratefu!.”
Or… was I? Was I really? Did I really even know what he meant?
It took a while and several connected and confirming circumstances, but he finally got through to me when he led me to a book by Ann Voskamp titled, One Thousand Gifts. Through this book, he began to teach me the difference between being grateful, and having a heart of gratitude. I sometimes – often times – forget, but he keeps reminding me in his sweet, gentle way.
This Heart of Gratitude he has taught me about has made a HUGE difference in my spiritual life and the way I view and experience my earthly life. It has brought me to an understanding of what joy – real, honest-to-goodness joy - truly is. I thought I knew. I thought I had it. I did not – on either count – but I do now.
I get so excited about this journey of gratitude, of thanksgiving, and ultimately of joy in living fully as God has designed. It is a journey I’m still making new discoveries in, a journey I sometimes get distracted from, but one that has such a positive impact that I want to share.
That’s where my Gift List comes in. At some point I will share in greater detail, but basically, this is a list of daily gifts that I began recording even before I started reading the book - half-heartedly listening to him telling me to choose the word gratitude. These are gifts that I have come to notice in the every day activities of life. They’re there regardless of how I happen to be feeling on a given day, but even in the worst of times they’re there and if I step outside of SELF long enough to look, it is in those moments that they have the most profound effect of gratitude, of glory to the Giver of the greatest gifts in life.
Here are a few of those I’ve been recording. There are more I've recorded that aren't here (yet). If you really pay attention while reading the list, you may discover where my list became one of full recognition of what a Heart of Gratitude is and one that was simply grateful. I challenge you to do that and let me know where you think it begins. I will keep adding, so please come back and see what new things I’ve discovered, things that bring joy to my heart, and my heart to gratitude.
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Beautiful work spaces
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New job
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New co-workers
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Sunny winter days
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Majestic Mt. Rainier views
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Peace-filled home
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Beautiful sunsets
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Jonah's music
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That exhillarating post-workout feeling
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Ten-thousand steps
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Cheerful bus drivers
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Singing, dancing-while-she-works Barista Deborah
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Comfortable home to relax in after painful days
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Sweet, wonderful husband in desktop photos
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Reminders of dream-come-true wedding
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A new shelf for my desk
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Warm, melty, gooey brownie yumminess
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Learning about Eucharisteo
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Book of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
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Sun shining through blinds casting striped shadows on lace curtains
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Room filled with treasured memories
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Photographs of loved ones past and present
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Collected porcelain bells, dolls and teddy bears
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Cross-stitched hearts
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The quiet calm of a peaceful home away from home that allows for needed rest
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Distant sounds of small private planes that bring imagined beauty that they must see from the air on this brightly lit early spring day
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A Heart of Gratitude God is creating in me
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Bare feet
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Wind chimes singing with the breeze
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Warm, lightly moving air dancing across cheeks and arms as I stand briefly with my face to the sun
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Comforting warmth of my dog lying next to me
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Silky soft doggie ears sliding thru fingers and palm
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My husband's hand in mine as we sit side by side, reading
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Two year old grandson hugs, "I love you" and blown kisses.
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The same grandson who, when asked his age, says, "I'm do!" (2)
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My 90 year old father-in-law admiring our jigsaw puzzle work
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Watching my husband honor his elderly parents by trying to fix, then calling and paying for someone to fix, their thermostat without being asked or expected
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An honorable man to share life with
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Steam rising in swirls from morning coffee cup
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My husband's "latent heat of vaporization" remark in response to my mention of #39. "Thanks," I say. "You're welcome," stated seriously, yet humorously.
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A husband who makes me smile... every day he makes me smile - even when I'm in pain.
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Eagles soaring in spirals over barely green Wenatchee hills
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Glassy stillness of the Columbia River with mirrored clouds from airy heights
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Rivered valleys with snow-draped, tree-sprinkled mountainous backdrops
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Cross-steepled churches
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Barren fruit trees lined up in rows, waiting patiently for new Spring life to emerge
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The dimples Eric brings out in my cheeks when he points to a row of tractors next to an orchard and states, "I want one of THOSE!" :)
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Travelling with my best friend, listening to music in the background that pulls youthful times and bygone eras from memory banks.
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Hearing Eric's almost 30-year old daughter say, "Hi Daddy!" (It's only a good dad who gets called daddy when his children are grown.)
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Puffy, sunlit clouds on an expansive blue background
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American flags pitched high and billowing
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Cargo ships in the bay, piled high with containers
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The warmth my heart feels when my husband holds my hand.
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Morning husband kisses
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Warm, soft and sleepy doggy head to pet as I awaken
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Clouds illuminated with magenta and gold-kissed horizon skies upon sunrise
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Cool breaths of Spring deep in my lungs
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Twin tugboats dressed in hues of blue and gold, accented in black on the Duwamish
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Music in my ears, reminding me of the power of God's love and how His mercies are new over and over, even when I'm not well
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Buildings that have displayed beauty over decades and decades of time
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New hanging flower baskets on the sides of Pioneer Square buildings
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Sun on my face during bus-commute mornings
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Spiraled evergreen plants at work's doorway
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Work days that end at 2:30, even if it is for a dentist appointment!
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Dark quiet before the dawn
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Witnessing the city come to life on a sleepy Saturday
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Misty gray skies and watered ground
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Rain splattered windows
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Tears of joy
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The adorable-ness of doggie-tail-chasing
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First morning coffee sips
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Soft textured blanket beneath fingers
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Quiet moments spent with God
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Pitter patter of puppy paws
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Tears of gratitude
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Xavier kisses to the cheek
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Sunrises with backlit mountain sillhouetes
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Quiet moments with God (as I copy this from my list I see that I already listed that on a previous day, but I guess that just shows how much of a gift it is).
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Coconut flakes and mango
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Notes received, recognizing my work last week when last week was soooo difficult! :)
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Darkened skies transitioning to sunrise of orange, purple and grey
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Late afternoon breaks at work
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EVERYTHING! - when everything feels happy and good and "right."