And more

3 gifts opened up:
~Lives
~Hearts
~and Wills in marriage.

3 gifts budding/blooming:
~ Fruit trees along the road.
~ Flowers in a vase from our landlady.
~ A car covered in blossoms (must have been sitting under a tree during the wild spring rain).

3 gifts worn:
~New maternity dress at wedding.
~Necklace from my in-laws.
~New summer burkenstocks.

3 gifts bright:
~Sun in the middle of a rainy week.
~My new journal.
~Bright blue sky after the rain.

3 gifts found looking up:
~Crazy cloud formations.
~Where my help comes from (the Lord).
~Hope in my Lord, not focusing on circumstances.

"Old" but good

Now that I am home (not working) I can truly catch up on my gifts :). I have quite a few saved on my phone, but I also need to get back on track.

3 gifts found in Christ:
~Our church family.
~Love from and for others.
~Peace in storms.

3 gifts nailed together:
~Our soon to be replaced pews.
~Our sanctuary in our church building.Yes, it is just a building but the refreshment and teaching found there each week is needed and appreciated.
~The communion table.

3 gifts waited for:
~A baby.
~Restful days off.
~Spring (told you these were old!).

3 gifts about your home:
~The begining of a new bead pattern.
~Markers-used to make the new pattern.
~Comfy lazy boy chair.

3 gifts found in a closet:
~New maternity clothes.
~Games.
~Summer shoes.

3 gifts found in the dark:
~Shelter from the storm.
~I am alive (re my pulmonary embolism 4 years ago).
~I am able to have a baby (see above).

A gift outside: Butterfly who seemed to be fighting for life.
A gift inside: Flowers from my love.
A gift upside down: nest on the side of the road that I saw during a walk.

3 gifts rising up:
~Finch flitting through the yard.
~The tempeture.
~ A prop plane seen during a walk.

A gift hiding: My lost tea mug (it was in the trunk!).
A gift held: Fresh fruit.
A gift heard: peppers singing around the lake at night.

And still more

3 hard gifts:
~ My husband being unable to eat normally and knowing we can rest in Him anyway.
~Daily sinus headaches and learning to trust in Him for minute by minute strength.
~Sore legs from pregnancy/circulation problems and being on my feet all day, and strength to make it through each shift.

3 gifts woven together:
~ The woven portions of a pair of shorts a friend has turned into a work of art!
~ Joy woven with pain.
~ My simple, lovely living room curtains.

3 gifts inherited:
~ Creativity from both my parents.
~ A love of reading.
~ An inheritance of those who fear the Lord.

3 gifts square:
~ Napkins to wipe up fingers :).
~ Quilt that warms and comforts each night.
~ Heating pad to eases my neck and head when it aches.

A gift stacked: books.
 A gift stashed: tea in the cupboard.
A gift stilled: the calm in my heart from the Lord even when things are not how I would have planned them.

3 gifts found in Christ:
~ Growth.
~ Confidence in Him.
~ Trust in His plans for us, for His plans are always good.

3 gifts closed:
The ending of different seasons;
~ Getting to be home and get ready for our little girl.
~ Five of my girls graduating from  high school.
~ Seeing friends move on to a new season in their lives and across the country.

3 gifts reflecting:
~The calm lake water as we were at camp.
~My heart
~And mind reflecting the Truths of God and His Word.

3 gifts fragile:
~A new mug from a friend.
~Pictures on my walls.
~Flower vase passed from generation to generation.

A gift cloth: Shorts that are comfortable on my growing belly.
A gift steel: My oven, stove used to make delicious food for my family.
A gift wood: My kitchen table, a place to prepare food, play games and sip tea with friends.

3 gifts moving:
~ The child growing inside me (man can she move!)
~ Tree tops moving in the wind.
~ Changing seasons.

Fuzzy brain

I really hope their is nothing goofy in this posting, but I need to keep doing this. My brain has been off all day long. I think it's just me getting used to not sleeping normally, which is a huge shift for me. I've always been a very sound sleeper. So, if there is something off, chalk it up to exhausted pregnancy brain ;). It's been a long, busy day!

3 gifts ugly beautiful:
~Legs swelling and veins starting to show (gift of our child).
~An exhausting week, full of His grace.
~Pain to bring healing to my husbands knee.

3 gifts in dirt:
~ Daisies growing up out of it.
~Strong noble trees.
~A twilight walk along some.

A gift in a sign:
An old sign still painted on the brick of a building.

A gift in a smile: Smiles of my co-workers.

A gift in a snack: Fresh out of the oven soft biscuits shared with my husband.

3 gifts found in Christ:
~ The steadfast love of the Lord.
~His unending faithfulness.
~His strength in my weakness.

Relaxing weekend

Well, life, as normal right now has been very tiring. I have been keeping track of gifts on and off and I will need to catch up with them on here.
A couple of weeks ago I went away with my teen girls to a family of the church's camp. I wrote down a few gifts:
~Birds singing early in the morning.
~Peaceful lake.
~Sunshine.
~That I could come (work schedule).
~The warmth of summer!
~Cinnamon buns one of the girls made while I read God's Word.
~Laughter and cheers to a game of dutch blitz as I fall asleep.
~ "Your baby is the size of an avocado right? I love avocados. Not that I want to eat your baby."
~Rest for my feet and legs.
~My head feeling mostly normal after a week of headaches.
~The generosity of friends to share their camp so we can have this weekend.
~ Fresh buds blooming.
~ French pressed coffee.

Busy, relaxing Saturday

3 gifts before 9 am:
~Cozy blankets.
~Comfortable bed.
~Warm house.
(Yes, getting to sleep in. I'm still getting used to the amount of rest I need)

3 gifts in His Word:
~ 1 John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."
~ 1 John 4:11 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 
~ 1 John 4:16 "  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."

3 gifts 
at 11 am: The local mother's market, I found some maternity clothes!
at 2 pm: A birthday party for a favorite little girl.
at 6 pm: Coming home to relax with my husband.


A gift in a sign: The sign on the community centre where the mother's market was (we were not sure where we were going).
A gift in a smile: Big sister in her new tent.

 
















A gift in a snack: birthday cake. Celebrating a year of life given from God.

So much grace

3 gifts tasted:
~Coffee! I can only have a bit each day and it makes it all that more of a treat!
~Raspberry thumbprint scone.
~Chicken nuggets.

3 gifts found in difficult people:
~ Grace to realize it's not all about me.
~ Grace to realize my hormones were dictating a really bad attitude in myself.
~ Learning to turn an unhappy customer into a satisfied one by going outside of myself and above and beyond for them.

3 gifts round:
~My breakfast bowl of granola and fresh raspberries.

~Crackers in my soup at lunch.

~A plate full of dinner made by my mother-in-law after a very long day at work.

3 gifts white:
~The clouds chasing each other across the sky.
~ Hot creamy milk being poured from a pitcher into a mug.
~ Soup suds from my body wash in my hot shower at the end of my long day.

3 gifts surprisingly found:
~ To really enjoy my "boring soup" for lunch.

 ~ Getting to spend the evening with my in-laws.
~ Seeing a ground hog right up close to the front door.

3 lines overheard that were graces:
~ A cheer and "we were having a moment!" from the kitchen at our youth retreat at march (yes, it has taken me a while to remember to watch for this one).
~ "Rain, rain, go away, come again another day." Sung by a little customer in line today.
~ "I'm good" sung by my husband this evening (Trip Lee). It's a comfort to know he knows and believes this truth that we are good no matter what happens because we are in God's perfect will.

I was so comforted last night to be reminded of the Lord of a truth He has continually reminded me of in the past:
"Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:16
What a comfort!

At three, flat and green.

It's been a rough day for us. We are working at resting.
My husband found out today that his knee cannot be fixed until, well, maybe twenty years from now.
He has been in a lot of pain in both of his legs as one leg is compensating for the other's sore knee. But, the condition is just too poor to do anything for it. The knee cap is in very bad condition.

So then fear tries to sneak in and ask how our lives will be if he cannot do the job he is at now.
Not to even mention how hard it is to see him in even more pain than I have seen him deal with over the last five months with his jaw.
Yes, we've been through a lot.
But, I feel as if the other things had a light at the end of the tunnel even if barely seen.

What, oh what oh Lord are you preparing us for?

Psalm 71:14 " But I will hope continually
                     and will praise you yet more and more."

3 Gifts at 3:
~Laughing at how silly the baby is making me (goofy things come out of my mouth all the time).
~The pleasantness and joyfulness of my co-workers.
~Warm air. It feels like summer is coming!

3 gifts flat:
~The water on our lake this morning, dimpled with light rain.
~The lid of my new cup.

~A little bug scuttling across our flat windshield (another sign of summer).


3 gifts green:
~The smell of fresh cut evergreens.
~ The grass turning green.
 ~My camera strap.

Oh So many

Well, I know it's been way too long. But I've been collecting my gifts on my phone and here I am at last.
I now find that even when I'm not writing gifts down I'm thanking Him for all the gifts around me. It's a great change.

3 things blue:
~My beading cloths, used on a regular basis.
~Comfy bright turquoise shirt I had on today.
~New comfy dress that fits the bump (for now) found on the clearance rack.

A gift before 9 am:
Getting to sleep in a bit.
A gift before noon:
A good job that I enjoy.
A gift after dark:
Fellowship with friends and their boys.

3 gifts that might never have been:
~The husband putting the satellite receiver up-time better spent.
~Evenings spent reading (because the receiver is away).
~A changed heart that sees this season as a gift (season of pain on the husbands part).

3 gifts found in your friends:
~The servant heart of T.
~Joy and laughter spent sharing stories.
~Shared joy in giving thanks for 1000 gifts and more.

A song heard:
"I'm singing" ~Kari Jobe

A soft word:
The husband telling me how he finds me more beautiful today than when we married.

Where you saw light:
Streaming through the living room window.

3 old things seen new:
~Old work shoes-still comfortable for running to the store.
~Rain.
~Pain-being reminded that everything is from our loving God for our good (Trip Lee, "for my good") 

A gift found on paper:
Quote on thankfulness and worry "It's impossible to give thanks and simultaneously feel fear." ~Ann Voskamp, 1000 gifts

A gift found in person:
A humble husband who truly loves me.

In a picture:
The husband being silly with two of my favorite girlies.

3 gifts spoken:
~"How long is intermission?" ~M
"Until they're done selling children."~N (yes it came out wrong ;). She was referring to sponsoring kids at the compassion international table at the concert we went to last weekend. Priceless!)

~"Why do all these pants have panels on them?" S asking me in a maternity store. Great memories!

~The privilege to sit under John Piper's preaching on Sunday.

A gift sung: The music at the Casting Crowns Concert. Matthew West's opening may have been my favorite part. Very refreshing.

A gift written:
A thank you note with the picture of a new blessing to put on my fridge. Love our church family.

A gift painted:\The sky painted pink first thing in the morning.

3 gifts almost gone:
~my nail : it protected my finger when I was clumsily shaving in the shower. It made me think about how something we take for granted does so much!
~ Trail mix: healthy snacking that helps me to get through my days at work with all this pregnancy hunger!

 ~My cup of coffee-a little treat in the middle of my day.

3 gifts redeemed:
~My heart.
~My future.
~My life.

3 gifts entwined:
~Time spent with the youth this past weekend.
~Girls singing silly in the van on the way home.
~Sweet white chocolate.
(all a part of our youth's road trip to see Casting Crowns).

3 gifts of His promises:
~1 Peter 5:7
 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
~2 Peter 1:3
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
~Psalm 62:8
 "Trust in him at all times, O people;
   pour out your hearts to him,
   for God is our refuge.
                         Selah"

3 gifts uncovered:
~A box opened to reveal a new mug.

~My first baby (and mama) gift from my sweet friend.
~My birthday gift from my husband: artwork made by an artist friend (he remembered!)

A gift heard:
~The sound of geese echoing.
A gift held:
~My new French Press for the perfect amount of coffee right now.

 A gift hoped for: Rest. Naps are a beautiful thing right now!

Abundant joy

A hard gift we received today: My husband had his phone consult with the specialist he saw in Toronto. In a nut shell some severe things are wrong, it's going to cost a lot of money and he's going to have to travel a lot. We are praying for wisdom. I'm also praying for provision and rest. I know He has been faithful in the past. I know He will continue to be so.
I'm struggling with it right now though. Thinking about having a baby and money. Silly I know, but where I am right now.

Really trying to get back into building my habit of thankfulness:

One grace wrinkled: my cardigan.
One grace smoothed: The covers on our comfy bed.
One grace unfolded: Table clothes on Easter tables.

A gift sweet: Treats made by a manager at work for the staff.

A gift salty: Sub at lunch (chicken teriyaki mmm!).
A gift just right: Coming home to dinner made-and it was a treat!

3 gifts found in His Word:
1 Peter 3:9 : Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

Psalm 57:2 :  I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

Psalm 56:8  You have kept count of my tossings;
     put my tears in your bottle.
     Are they not in your book?

3 gifts found in Women today:
A-- our assistant manager, always such a servant to both us and customers.
K-- such a hard worker and she helped a newer hire a LOT this afternoon. 
L--A supervisor, who was flexible with her work schedule in order to serve the store and help it run well. (I work with some good ones :) ) 


One grace borrowed:A book on how my baby is growing!
One grace found: My page in my books (getting back to reading).
One grace inherited: a heritage of faith.