One Thousand Gifts

I've been reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp with the Bloom Book Club now since the beginning of February.  A friend recommended that I sign up and I was thrilled to do so.  I love to read and thought a book club would be a perfect "excuse" to buy and read something new.  Little did I know that this book would have an influence in my daily life. 
As I started the book, I have to admit I almost stopped at the first chapter.  It was a little dark and sad and this book isn't written in a style that I prefer.  I think I am a "tell it like it is" person and Ann Voskamp writes in a way that you feel like you have to come to the conclusion yourself.  She writes beautifully and descriptively and I've come to enjoy her style as I've continued to read.  The Bloom Book Club has helped me to enjoy the book more because videos of Ann Voskamp's comments on each chapter are posted twice a week.  They are currently up to Chapter six of eleven chapters if you want to check it out!
The purpose of the book is to search for joy in life's simplest moments, even in a ring of shredded cheese.  She challenges you to start a list of one thousand gifts that God gives you and to find a heart of thankfulness in even the hardest situations.  This is "a dare to live fully right where you are".  If you want to know more, you can go to the website OneThousandGifts.com
I started my list of 1000 things the other day and was amazed at how immediately my outlook changed.  Instead of being frustrated by the small irritations, I tried to find anything to be thankful and realized that I was no longer frustrated.  Maybe the process to a truly grateful heart and living in each of life's precious moments is in giving thanks for every minute detail of our life.  Even in the things that we would consider inconsequential, God has blessed us and longs to know that we recognize His gifts to us.  Here is the beginning of my list:

1.  Listening to my children lightly snoring.
2.  Talking around the dinner table.
3.  Trying new recipes.
4.  A husband who juggles (literally).
5.  Sweet giggles.
6.  Happy babies, even at 6:00 a.m.
7.  Being able to stay at home.
8.  Sweet baby babbles.
9.  How drinking from a Coke glass brings memories.
10. The smell of freshly brewed coffee.

I challenge you to find a copy of One Thousand Gifts and read what Ann Voskamp has to say and dive into creating your own list of thankfulness.  I have finished her book with a deeper understanding of what eucharisteo truly means.