Count Your Blessings

I’ve been reading Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts and I cannot tell you how much I’m loving her. I love her voice. And I love her tough farm girl attitude. But mostly I’m loving her practice of counting blessings, of writing down every good thing, of thanking God, and in thanking Him, seizing the gifts, slowing life, trusting. 

My first night with Ann I read eighty pages, drove to Target and bought window markers. I walked straight to my kitchen upon arriving home and began a list of blessings on the french doors. I’ve been counting them ever since. 

Ann’s list is lovely, ethereal, so… pastoral. She thanks God for colors on soap bubbles and grated cheese in perfect light. Mine is less idyllic.

Today I’ve thanked God for:

The elliptical machine at the Y (soooo much better than a treadmill)

Space, arm-stretching, deep-breath space made possible by mother’s day out

Sandella’s with the reasonable calorie counts beside every tasty menu item

Ice

and

Adele (you know God must love Him some Adele)

I love making these lists because (1) I love making lists, (2) I get to re-live the thing I enjoy as I write it down and (3) I remember that every good gift, even Adele, is from God.

London made a list today, too, including 18 things for which she’s thankful. She made the list in two minutes, shooting blessings at me machine-gun style. She included Rat Flower (her pet rat), her sister, “regular horses that are not pretend,” goats, and her jewelry. To close out the list she said, “I am thankful for my God.”

After we made her list I added something to mine: “Making blessing lists with London.”