On this Thanksgiving Day, an update (which is sort of a confession). I started making my list way back in May…and I’m only #218 today.
Not that I don’t have much more to be grateful for than 218 reasons for being thankful…I do. I just haven’t been so disciplined about stopping myself long enough to pull out my list and write down whatever it is I am thankful for…
But today…I’m taking time (before company comes…before I set the table…before I dive into my favorite meal of the entire year…) to add a few items to my One Thousand Gifts list.
#219 The positive outcome of my friend’s surgery
#220 Having my son home for the weekend
#221 Enjoying conversations/food/fun with all my kids
#222 A warm house decorated for the holidays
#223 Time to reflect (not rush)
#224 Time to rest (not rush)
#225 Time to give thanks (not take for granted)
I could stop right here…but if I’m smart I won’t…I’ll keep giving thanks all weekend long. 
Life is dessert — too brief to hurry. Ann Voskamp
A very good friend gave me an early birthday present. A book. Its title was unknown to me when my friend recommended how rich and savory and flavorful every delicious page was…a vertiable feast for the heart and soul was how I interpreted her enthusiasm for this delightful find. My friend was right. I sat down and read One Thousand Gifts in a single setting (serving). And it was everything my friend promised it would be.
The premise of this book can be found in its title. Voskamp was offered a simple challenge by a friend to begin making a list of 1000 things (every day things, simple things) that she was grateful for…and so she did. This text is the culmination of her list-making and how it changed her life inside out.
Here’s just a brief excerpt of Voskamp’s work…
“The real problem of life is never a lack of time. The real problem of life – in my life – is lack of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving creates abundance and the miracle of multiplying happens when I give thanks - ”
Once I finished reading this text, I started my own list….using a brand new journal from another dear friend who also knows what I love best…anything to do with words.
So far, I’m on #11…. This entry reads – Belgian Milk Chocolate Gelato
Like the author, I’m focusing more on seeing the gifts and giving thanks for them. Also, like Voskamp, it’s changing my hours and days too. I think she says it best here…
“Wherever you are, be all there. I want to slow down and taste life, give thanks.”
