A few weeks ago I caught myself. I was tired of my car and its squeakiness, and my mind was fixating on it. And then I realized--I have a car that runs and takes us where we need to go. It is paid for. I need to give thanks for everyday that it continues to work. So I did. And then on Monday evening, I climbed into the car to go to a meeting at church, and it wouldn't start. One of our neighbors pulled up in our shared driveway and took me to my meeting. It still wouldn't start the next morning, so I took my husband's car into the shop for the minor repair it needed and walked the block to work. A couple of days later, my friend's mechanic son stopped by to check the car and it started as soon as he touched it. Through these few days, I was so conscous of gratitude. Yes, my car didn't start, but it stopped working (briefly) while it was in my driveway not earlier in the day when we had been at the playground with Isaac's friend in tow. Yes, I had to get one car repaired, but the bill was much less than expected. And for now we have two cars working, one of which is super clean inside, and a new Dodge mechanic friend.
I also made another change. The lesson of gratitude had seeped out of mind despite reading Ann Voskamp's blog nearly everyday. I had even started joining in with her Joy Dare at the beginning of the year, when I realized I had stopped counting His gifts in October. I had hit 1000 and then slowly lost steam, finishing with 1271. So with 2012, I've started again. I first began using the Joy Dare sheet, using her list 3 suggestions each day. This week though I realized three is not enough. Not if it is going to let discontent creep in so easily. They are my starters, but then I must keep going. I read on one of the blog posts (which I can't find now) of a 75 year old lady who sat down and wrote out her list of 1000 gifts in 3 days, and I remembered my questions while reading One Thousand Gifts, wondering if her challenge to us was to write down 1000 each day. Right now, I aim for ten. And occasional pictures to go with them.
101. gift outside: daffodils already growing in my front yard
102. gift outside: warm sunshine after a dismal, cold weekend
103. gift outside: full moon at dusk
104. new mentor trained today
105. husband willing to spend the afternoon with his son
106. and let both kids "doctor" him with the toolbox
107. chances to help others at work today
108. a car that runs--two of them
109. leftover pad thai for lunch
110. lunch plans with a friend for tomorrow
I also made another change. The lesson of gratitude had seeped out of mind despite reading Ann Voskamp's blog nearly everyday. I had even started joining in with her Joy Dare at the beginning of the year, when I realized I had stopped counting His gifts in October. I had hit 1000 and then slowly lost steam, finishing with 1271. So with 2012, I've started again. I first began using the Joy Dare sheet, using her list 3 suggestions each day. This week though I realized three is not enough. Not if it is going to let discontent creep in so easily. They are my starters, but then I must keep going. I read on one of the blog posts (which I can't find now) of a 75 year old lady who sat down and wrote out her list of 1000 gifts in 3 days, and I remembered my questions while reading One Thousand Gifts, wondering if her challenge to us was to write down 1000 each day. Right now, I aim for ten. And occasional pictures to go with them.
101. gift outside: daffodils already growing in my front yard
103. gift outside: full moon at dusk
104. new mentor trained today
105. husband willing to spend the afternoon with his son
106. and let both kids "doctor" him with the toolbox
107. chances to help others at work today
108. a car that runs--two of them
109. leftover pad thai for lunch
110. lunch plans with a friend for tomorrow
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