Counting Gifts again...for Thanksgiving

Last year we started the tradition of writing gifts/gratitudes on decorated squares of paper throughout the month of November and dropping them in a jar. At the end of the season, we hole-punched the papers and put them on a ring. We hung it from a hook on our mantle all year. We've got the jar back out this month again, and we're counting our gifts again.

Pastor Healy preached a sermon recently about keeping our oil lamps full...about paying attention to what fills the lamp so that, at a moment's notice, we are ready. We are never left dry and empty. We don't leave the house without it. We don't put it off until later. I was reminded of all the time I spent counting One Thousand Gifts over the past years. And this, I think, is how we receive oil for our lamps: through gratitude, which, in turn, brings joy. It fills our hearts. Our cups overflow with "the oil of joy."

Savoring

"Savoring is the capacity to notice and appreciate the little joys, the small pleasures, and the enjoyable moments in our everyday lives.

Walk around your home and savor what you love. It could be a painting someone gave you, a lamp you found at a flea market, or the smell of something cooking in your oven. Then write about it..."

I'm hanging out in my kitchen today making pumpkin pie for a benefit bake sale. I love the smell of pumpkin pie, and this is one of the few gluten free desserts I've perfected. AND, I can do it sugar free, which means that both Mane and Mango are happy!

Pumpkin pies make me think of autumn, too, and autumn has always been my favorite season - full of the color of changing leaves, visiting the apple orchard, hot cider, ginger snaps, pulling out the sweaters and wool socks. There's definitely something about it that reminds me that I'm German - loving the Scandinavian sweaters and quiet, dark evenings with candles.

And then, right here in my kitchen, there's the ceramic sun flower face that Vespera brought me from Mexico. It just makes me smile with all it's cheery smile-y-ness and long eyelashes. I love it that Vespera was thoughtful enough to bring us all gifts from her home country and that she thought of just what might fit where in our house. She knew this little smiling face would fit right where it hangs in the kitchen.

I love, love, LOVE this little country church painting that also hangs on our kitchen wall, under the lights that Mane picked out for our kitchen (with the help of Grandpa-Upstairs):

Mango always tells me of how this reminds him of a church he visited in Russia and what a powerful emotional and spiritual experience that was for him. To share in a spiritual experience with people you cannot even speak with because you do not share a common language is an amazing thing. To recognize in them something that you have in yourself is an experience that changes a person. 

I love my yellow kitchen walls, though I would never in a million years have painted a kitchen (or any room) yellow. It's so warm and cozy. When I'm in here in the morning with my cup of coffee and some candles, my wool socks and the radio, I'm so settled and happy. 

Who was kind to you this week?

I've had so many kindnesses bestowed upon me. So many. It's hard to choose.

My good friend kindly went with the spontaneous suggestion to go see the dandelion fountain...and then delivered my child back home for me so that I could get to work!

Mango cooked and cleaned while I was sick. And watched a marathon of Harry Potter movies with Mane & I over the weekend while we were recovering.

Vespera came to visit. And talked about theology with me!

A coworker put up photos of all our families at the front desk to help us all make it through the crazy, busy weeks of summer.

Another coworker offered to pick up lunch for me while she was out.

So many clients expressed gratitude this week!

The clerk at the store actually had a conversation with me, rather than just a "Hello, How are you? Did you find everything you were looking for? Do you want to sign up for a credit card? Have a nice day!"

********************

This blog prompt brings me back to 1000 Gifts. I think of how much joy small gifts of kindness can be, and how much kindness is like an offering of grace. Kindness is a gift in a world where we are often too busy to take time. Kindness slows the world down a little bit.

One Thousand Gifts...

Gratitude List...The Final Countdown (Count Up?) to 1000:

972. Beautiful day for a birthday party
973. Great community meeting
974. Talking with the neighbors
975. Possibilities for positive change in the neighborhood
976. Discovering a cute coffee shop
977. Listening to the local coffee shop lady be the community communication hub/therapist/social worker...
978. Seeing the gang of homeschool girls run around together outside
979. Time to work on the Bible study blog
980. Winning Peace Coffee in a raffle
981. The descriptions on Peace Coffee labels!
982. Slideshow of neighborhood photos
983. Knowing our state rep
984. Mane getting a letter (hand delivered) from our state rep in response to a letter that she wrote with her homeschool group
985. Tamales for breakfast
986. New windshield wipers
987. Having books delivered to the library where I can most easily pick them up
988. Finding birthday gifts at one of our Three Rivers Park District parks
989. Happy greetings from my coworkers when I stop in at work
990. Sara Groves music
991. Encouraging email from a Bible study group member
992. Rain in the morning
993. The birds still tweeting and the sun still out at 7pm! Summer is coming!
994. Watching a movie about the Bermuda Triangle with Mane & Mango...just because we all thought it was fun
995. Digging into Passover studies over Shabbat candles with Mane & Mango last night
996. The Passover Haggadah from Hebrew For Christians
997. Talking over the table with Vespera, Mane & Mango about all the things we're thankful for
998. That...finally...we can be thankful for time. Mango says that time is the one thing we don't have to work to keep it going. It just happen. And, for this, we are grateful.
999. I would add to Mango's gratitude for time, my own gratitude for a God that holds all of time and our lives in continued existence, in continuous creation, even.

One Thousand. It has been a few years in coming, but here I am. One Thousand Gifts. Like drops of water. Like grains of sand. Like the leaves on the trees, the rocks on the Lake Superior shore, and the wind that fills in all the empty spaces, the gifts are continuous. 

I have learned to slow down and notice. I have learned to list gratitudes when I am most anxious and afraid.

I want to learn how better to encourage a household of gratitude, an atmosphere of thanks, a legacy of thanksgiving. We are cynics in this house, prone to melancholy and criticism. Gratitude takes practice and...more practice. So, now I am mulling over projects...things I can do, things I can touch, things I can share with others. ...stay tuned...

Starting with 949

Gratitude List:

949. A cleared off table on the back porch
950. Bubble stuff
951. Mane reading in the cleared space on the back porch
952. Having the doors and windows open all afternoon
953. How light it is in the evening
954. The things I've learned about lashon hara this year
955. Getting excited for Passover
956. The Bible Study ladies talking about how it doesn't matter what we study. It's our group that MAKES the study.
957. Wind whistling around the car while we were stopped at a stoplight
958. Early morning phone conversation with my cousin
959. Sweet facebook message
960. Watching the little guy transfer books from one shelf to another in the sunroom
961. A quiet pool on a Tuesday afternoon
962. A green polka dot box with flowers scattered across the top - full of Mane's yarn
963. Mane making her own hashbrowns!
964. That they DID NOT start tree work in the boulevards at 7am, despite the signs saying that all cars had to be moved by then
965. Ideas for what to study in next year's homeschooling
966. Mane's love of quotes and poetry
967. Hardwood floors in this old house
968. T & J looking at the map hanging over my couch! Yay for finally hanging the map!
969. Mane working on a nature project
970. Vespera calling me for cold medicine the other night and sitting with her for a while in her little basement apartment
971. Choosing new Bible study materials

Starting with 929

Gratitude List:

929. Sitting in the sunroom every morning this week with a cup of coffee
930. The way the trees outside the window can look like I'm not in the city when I'm squished down into the couch... :)
931. The sun coming through the aforementioned trees
932. Word games with Mane
933. More energy with the warmer weather
934. Dark, dark chocolate
935. Lunch date with my mom's best friend
936. Watching the little boy be so excited to explore a new room in my house
937. The little people so happy to be swimming!
938. The racoons in the back yard treehouse
939. Painted mugs
940. Poetry in the kitchen...even if it is a little disorganized and chaotic
941. Lime tortilla chips
942. Seeing all the new babies on facebook
943. A walk to the new coffee shop by T's house
944. A baby in a sling
945. T's soup. WHY am I always thankful for her soup...because it's SO GOOD!
946. Passover plans with friends
947. Helping Mango see the light at the end of the tunnel
948. Mango's field trip today

Starting with 915

Gratitude List continued...

915. Braids
916. Mango's help with an avatar
917. Sunshine after a mountain of snow
918. Hanging up the wall map!
919. Pinterest idea for hanging the wall map

 920. Mango recognizing that we're playing The Secret Garden on StoryNory!
921. Olives and artichokes on pizza
922. Blankets strewn about the living room
923. Spring-colored hair binders
924. Licorice dolly sitting on the arm of the green chair
925. Cleaning out the desk drawers and finding all kinds of things!
926. Mane organizing and reorganizing beads and bands and jewelry containers
927. Taking the plastic off the windows
928. Good sleep

Joy Dare - No Promtps

Three months in, I think I'm done using prompts to post gifts. The prompts have done their job. They gave me a kick-start to revive my old gratitude list. They have gotten me into a regular habit of giving thanks. Now I'm finding that I want to skip over the prompts to get to my "real" gratitudes.

So...here's a continuation of the list, sans prompts:

907. Homeschool projects
908. StoryNory's The Secret Garden
909. Pickles
910. Gluten free biscuits with sausages
911. Evernote
912. Christmas lights in April
913. Hashbrowns in cartons
914. Winter storm in April...I've been whining, but, let's face it, the weather is interesting in MN and always something to brag about!

Joy Dare - April 2

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts White

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
877. Mane's eyore pajamas
878. Baby socks
879. Mannequins for photographing hats
880. Old friends at Bible Study
881. Chocolate at Bible Study!
882. Mane's 50 states book
883. Reading in the window at Nokomis library
884. Finding the book club book at exactly the library I happened to be at
885. Mane laughing over Garfield comics
886. Time to browse at the library
887. Time to workout at the Y
888. Mango puttering around with computer equipment spread out all over the house
889. Mango wearing my old headlamp
890. Facebook messages from K.
891. The way K. makes me happy for snow and living in MN
892. Turning the heat off for a while today
893. Opening the window
894. Warm almond milk
895. Funny emails
896. Mane's gratitude list
897. Lunch with friends
898. All the twins!
899, Tickets to the Guthrie
900. Salsa!
901. Dinner with the grandparents upstairs
902. Squash in the soup
903. Conversations with neighbors out on the street....which definitely means that it's spring!
904. A TV series that makes us think
905. Good theology talks with Mango
906. Audio books from the library

Joy Dare - Round Edition

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts Round

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
870.  Buttons!
871. The attic window
872. Enamel bowls with painted flowers
873. Balls of yarn
874. Hair binders all colorful and clipped to Mane's swimming bag
875. The green roller ball on Mango's mug
876. The dark brown of Mane's eyes

Joy Dare - March 29-31

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts of God's Promises
3 Gifts Uncovered
A Gift Heard, Held, Hoped For

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
845. That God never leaves us
846. That, in the end, God wins
847. That we are loved
848. Curbs and street corners when the snow melts
849. Bare arms after a winter in long sleeves
850. A nature center I never knew about
851. Birdsongs at the Nature Center
852. Little fingers
853. SPRING
854. Mane painting at the window
855. Mane identifying birds that I can't identify
856. Seeing a coyote walk across the ice
857. Huge windows letting in the natural light at the nature center
858. The peace that comes from getting away from city scenes for a while
859. A homeschool-y book club meeting
860. Feeling respected by other homeschoolers for how far we've come on this journey
861. Realizing how well so many things *are* working in our homeschool-y world :)
862. Feeling secure enough to read someone else's schooling/parenting philosophy and NOT feel like I've failed somehow
863. Seeing the Robettes win the robotics tournament!
864. Having the tradition of attending the robotics tournament
865. Laughing with the teenagers singing to Sweet Caroline at the Robotics tournament
866. Weather that's spring-y enough to park far away and not freeze!
867. Popcorn on a Saturday night in our little kitchen
868. That we STILL have an extra bedroom with enough space for a bed! Yay!
869. Pasta with chicken and artichokes!

Joy Dare - Entwined

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts Entwined

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
842. Colors in a double stranded hat
843. The rose and the thistle on my wedding band
844. All of us in a pile on the couch last night watching Once

Joy Dare - March 26-27

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts Almost Gone
3 Gifts Redeemed

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
836. Refried beans from yesterday
837. Homespun yarn from M. for Christmas over a year ago
838. The beautiful snowflakes of winter
839. Rough yarn, when mixed with fun fur, makes a soft hat
840. An old 50 states coloring book coming out of storage for a new homeschool project
841. The whole world when the snow melts

Joy Dare - March 25

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
A Gift Sung, Written, Painted

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
811. Dragonfire
812. Blogs!
813. The picture on my mantle that Niteo painted
814. The morning sun coming over my shoulder
815. There really is grass under there!
816. Laughter at seeing so many references to snow in the Morning Blend gratitude list!
817. Mane & J. working on a project together
818. Wind in the trees outside my window
819. Finding old music on youtube
820. The many possibilities for playing music in our house
821. Organized Harry Potter audio books
822. Clean laundry
823. The quilt I made for our bed
824. Reusable drink straws from Target
825. K.'s coffee photos on facebook...thinking of her always makes me think of my mom...in warm fuzzy ways
826. Chicken Soup With Rice - the book
827. Chicken Soup With Rice - the real thing
828. Snippets of poetry on the message board
829. Remembering how much I have loved poetry all my life
830. Remembering what it was like to find GUYS who enjoyed poetry - Mango & his brother...and, later, many others
831. An old friend coming to book club
832. Teddy looking in Mane's bedroom window (he's a dog, not a person)
833. How confused everyone was that I was laughing about someone looking in Mane's bedroom window (it was Teddy, NOT a person!!)
834. Critical Thinking warm-ups
835. Free online keyboarding lessons with student and teacher accounts

Joy Dare - Spoken Edition

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts Spoken

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
791. Conversations with Mane
792. Conversations with T.
793. Well...I really like good conversation...Saturday morning conversations with Mango...
795. This American Life podcasts
796. On Being podcasts
797. TED Talks podcasts
798. Harry Potter on audio for Mane
799. Anne of Green Gables on audio
800. Memories of Sandy N. reading Anne of Green Gables aloud to her 2 kids & I when I spent the night at their house many, many years ago
801. Mango reading a magazine article to Mane & I
802. Poetry readings at Bethel years and years ago
803. David Sadaris podcasts...how strange to finally hear his voice
804. Story Nory
805. Classics for Kids
806. My name, when Mango says it
807. A. trying to say some of his first words
808. My mom's voice inside my head
809. Vespera's laugh on the porch when she comes home late at night
810. Niteo's accent

Joy Dare - March 19-23

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts Eaten
3 Gifts that made you laugh
A gift salty, sweet, just right
3 Gifts found in God's word
3 Gifts found in women today

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
756. Reuben Sandwiches made by Mango after a long day of work
757. Donuts at the salon
758. Tacos! in all shapes and forms
759. Photos of babies with pets on facebook
760. Text message from J. telling me about a dog up for adoption
761. Niteo learning to crochet...and he's quite good, actually
762. Cashew nuts
763. Mane's pudding
764. Mexican cheese
765. The humanity of Paul's letters
766. The story of Jesus getting angry...so we know that anger isn't always bad
767. The layers that unfold the more you study
768. Nadia Bolz-Weber
769. Anne Lamott
770. Madeleine L'Engle
771. More than 1000 donations to TeamYarn!!
772. Box of buttons
773. The sunset over Lake Calhoun in my rearview mirror last night
774. That nobody honked at my when I stopped in the middle of the road to take a photo of my rearview mirror reflecting the sunset. Maybe they saw the same thing, too!
775. Time with G. in the salon
776. Photos of tall ships for my computer background
777. Being passed around by phone to all the members of a good friend's family!
778. Planning for Passover
779. Spring break is coming!
780. Crocheting again
783. Crochet flower patterns from the book T. gave me
784. Team Yarn boxes all over the house AGAIN!
785. A peaceful lunch with my dad and S.
786. Folks making friends at the Team Yarn meetings
787. Having so many thanks mixed up with T's thanks that I sometimes can't remember if I wrote it or if she did!
788. Tiger balm...I'm sure I've given thanks for that before
789. Footsteps upstairs
790. Hearing Teddy growl through the floor...makes me laugh

Joy Dare - March 16-18

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Hard Eucharisteos
A Gift Turned, Folded, Hung
3 Gifts Red

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
736. Growing up
737. More snow
738. Less work, more time
739. New book pages
740. The laundry on Fridays before Shabbat
741. Photos on the wall
742. My mom's ABC Construction jacket, which Mane has been wearing
743. Frozen strawberries
744. The birdfeeder on the clothesline outside the window
745. The Riverview Theater with $2 tickets
746. Seeing Frozen with Mane last night
747. A theater packed with happy kids and parents
748. T.'s homemade pudding! YUM!
749. Pie day last Friday
750. Reading The Hobbit with Mane at night
751. Finding the owner of the lost phone
752. Conversations with the grandparents in the hallway when we happen to be coming and going at the same time
753. Silly stories of Mane's cousin
754. Lots and lots of yarn!
755. I FINALLY made two hats...the first ones since the concussion in November...finally had the inspiration and energy

Joy Dare - March 14-15

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts Found in Silence
3 Gifts Given Away

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
720. Time to think my own thoughts
721. Time to pray
722. The ability to hear
723. Baby dresses for the twinsies birthday!
724. Seashell with the Lord's Prayer
725. Books to the little free library
726. The whole megillah
727. History curriculum at the homeschool book sale for $6!
728. Writing curriculum at the homeschool book sale for $5!
729. Only spending $11 at the homeschool book sale! ;~)
730. A borrowed sled
731. The children coming in SO WET from springtime snow
732. Hot drinks by the fire at Silverwood
733. The wind in my face
734. That sweet feeling of release, of the tight springs inside me uncoiling, with the coming of spring
735. The smell of rain in the air

Joy Dare - Round Edition

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts Round

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
705. The bellybutton song!
706. Bouncy ball at the computer
707. My uncle's photos of the moon on facebook
708. Lego graggers...with...um..round gears
709. Finger puppets for Purim...to go ROUND those little fingers
710. T's mosaic on the bathroom wall! Amazing!
711. Round, sparkly gemstones in the mosaic
712. J's tins for keeping her own treasure trove of gemstones and whatnot
713. 50 state postcards project...passing postcards 'round the U.S. and 'round the world
714. The way Mane is always ready to jump into a project!
715. Nearly 50 degrees today! Such a nice round number!
716. Mane talking about celsius and farenheit on the drive to the Y
717. Mane looking up current events and keeping a journal of them. I think of what an interesting read that might be for her when she's older.
718. Purim ideas on pinterest
719. Mango speaking tech-language I cannot possible understand. He's wicked smart.

Joy Dare - March 11-12

Today's Joy Dare Prompt:
3 Gifts Read
A Gift in Wind, in Water, in White

My list (picking up from the last list - and often adding more than just the prompt):
678. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy - like balm to my soul
679. Pastrix - my mother-in-law's copy, since I bought it for her for Christmas ;~)
680. Iditarod articles
681. The great swish of wind in my ears at Lake Superior
682. The song, I have known the Wind
683. The color "Pass White" that they can mix at the local hardware store
684. Sun coming in the window and pouring over the steam rising up from the artist-made coffee cup
685. Thick coconut milk pouring through the steam into the cup of afternoon coffee for Mango
686. Mango's voice
687. Mango noticing my hair in the sunlight and the steaming coffee cup and the thick coconut milk
688. Mane adding homemade, gluten free meatloaf to her gratitude list
689. Mane and Mango laughing together while he's saying goodnight
690. A. paddling around in his puddle jumper
691. J. accepting my snuggles as good enough while her mom takes care of her brother
692. Good, clean food
693. Time to read a 550 page book in 2 days
694. Hearing about the robins in a friend's yard just 60 miles or so south of here!
695. Twinsies, like little dumplings, smiling on the couch
696. A relatively easy trip to Rochester
697. Enough hats to donate to TWO places in Rochester this month
698. Clearing out the space that all those hats took up in my house...knowing it'll fill again
699. A visit with family at Ronald McDonald house. I never know what to say, but somehow it always goes ok.
700. A friend at Bible study asking how I'm doing with grieving my mom, these so many months later
701. So many people offering thanks at Bible Study this morning
702. Planning for Purim...planning is half the fun, you know
703. Just thinking about camping
704. T.'s listening ears in the car on the way home from Rochester