I Choose Joy! Counting 1,000 Gifts (483-517)

483. Ponds 1st open water of the spring.

484. New piano books.

485. Snow melting low enough to swing again!

486. Whole foods.

487. Fresh made Strawberry Lime Sorbet.

488. New neighbors happily honking horns as they turn into the neighborhood.

489. Wind-stopper hats.

490. All the amazing colors splashed across the sky.

491. Smell of all natural tea seeping.

492. Juicy pears.

493. Spring showers.

494. Smell of warm cookies fresh out of the oven.

495. Warm woolen socks.

496. Teen Challenge and its positive impact in so many lives.

497. One on one time with the kids.

498. Fresh snow.

499. Long fruitful conversations with friends.

500. Kids playing board games in harmony.

501. Play-doh cookies.

502. Frost on the window panes.

503. Popsicle stick, dental floss, q-tip bow and arrow projects.

504. Photos and hand-prints from Ethiopia.

505. Knock/knock jokes.

506. Soft gentle hands folded in prayer.

507. Swings blowing in the breeze.

508. "Aha" moments.

509. Excitement over granola!

510. Steam rolling out of the mug inviting me in for a hot drink.

511. Glow in the dark stickers.

512. Popcorn made in coconut oil.

513. Trips to the island on the 4-wheeler.

514. Winter scuba divers.

515. Spring chicks.

516. A donkeys brays.

517. Palm branches waving in the air.

I Choose Joy! Counting 1,000 Gifts (451-482)

451. Counting by 8's.

452. Being covered by thousands of hand stitches done in love. Miss you grandma!

453. Days stranded at home.

454. Mentoring from an experienced trusted Godly friend.

455. Ice cold water.

456. Fresh paints "new look".

457. Mr. willing to run errands.

458. Waffles with a great deal of butter.

459. Treadmills (there is a foot of new snow outside).

460. Eagerness to do History lessons.

461. A fresh look with rearranging old furniture.

462. The twinkle in his eyes as he watches momma play the leg guitar.

463. Boys clapping along with praise music unashamed to praise Him.

464. Dished done when I return home.

465. Weekend with girlfriends.

466. His hug.

467. Amazing speakers (Ann Voskamp and Liz Curtis Higgs).

468. A dear friends very pregnant belly.

469. Fresh flossed teeth.

470. the sound of rushing water from melted snow down the street to the storm drain.

471. Starting the day with a song of praise for the mouth of my youngest.

472. Cordless hot pots! So excited!

473. The smell of gingerbread baking.

474. Salty hard boiled eggs.

475. Spring sunshine streaming through the windows first thing in the morning.

476. Imagination writing of a 7 year old.

477. Morning run in the undisturbed snow.

478. Peace of a new day.

479. Quiet home in the early morning hours before dawn.

480. Open days on the calendar.

481. Hot soothing tea.

482. His hands of love that wipe a child's tears one minute, then fix the car the next.

Joy and Thankfulness!

Thanks to Ann Voskamp's book 1,000 gifts and her amazing blog I have started seeking joy/thanks in everything that I do, everywhere I am, and in everything I see. "If you want to be happy - give thanks." Ann Voskamp.  I am blogging my gifts occasionally as I have time to transfer from my journal to the blog.

I attended an amazing conference with some Christian friends to see Ann Voskamp speak. I was so excited, I also got to meet her. What a joy and blessing this wonderful woman is! She speaks like she writes, smooth, heartfelt, joy filled and loving. What a gift!

Pretty sure I was in the middle of saying something when the photo was taken (I know hard to believe).

The other main speaker at the conference was Liz Curtis Higgs. What an amazing woman! One moment I was laughing so hard my side hurt the next weeping. She has a unique gift for speaking truth and teaching straight out of the bible. Praise God for her, Ann, and the many other speakers that allowed God to speak through them to the over 1,000 women that were there.