picture his love

A picture is worth a thousand words...here are proofs of God's love for me - in the form of my most favourite people on earth. I bow my head in humble thanksgiving for His blessings.

 903.

 904.

 905.

 906.

 907.

 908.

909. His grace, His grace, His grace.

His light

I can feel it.

It creeps along the fringes of black and white, insidiously nesting in the grey areas, feeding its toxins into my heart. Everyday situations become tainted towards my own ism's of I, Self and Me. My soul's lens becomes muddied and instead of asking God to clear away the heavy, dark film - I fumble around blindly, becoming more and more frustrated.

When you've lost your vision, it becomes too easy to listen to the loudest voice. Familiar whispers of insecurity,  and her ugly sisters anxiety and fear, gain volume while speaking deliberate hurts into my heart. Their voices echo in the dark caverns - places that I thought were sealed and forgotten.

I hunch over angry.

And yet, and always, there is His grace. He knows me so very well. I realize it's been awhile since I've looked for Him.

Gratitude, my friends, is my lifeline. It may seem insignificant, but I have noticed my slips and slides have carried far too much power over the past two weeks. I didn't have time to write out my gratitude list last Monday, and I have felt the difference.

I have to be intentional with my thanks. I have to be intentional in seeing God in my life everyday. I have to intentional with my vision - to fixate my gaze on Him.

Then life becomes clear, my ism's melt away and there are no more shadows.

I bask in His light...

886. Celebrating Grandpa on his 91st birthday with delicious food and lots of laughter.

887. Watching my son put on a dance show for me - complete with his little bum wiggle.

888. Daughter's first day of preschool.

889. Women's fellowship.
890. Beginning a new bible study.
891. Visiting with my sister.
892. Homemade biscuits.
893. Husband and son building our garden container for next summer's harvest.

894. Fall leaves.
895. Puppet shows acted out by my kids.
896. Prayer.
897. Catching up with a good friend.
898. Flowers from my mama.
899. Opportunities for more income.
900. Duvet covers on a cool autumn evening.
901. Plans for a date night and kids' sleepover at grandparent's house (Thank you, Wanda!)
902. Dance class for me.

....continuing on with my 1000 gifts of thanks

according to His plan...

Some weeks pass with only a casual observance of the deliberate actions of God in my life, but this week God has poured extraordinary moments - both joyful and painful - into my heart and into the hearts of those I hold dear. Though I may not know His plan, I do know His love...

868. My brother who walked away from a car crash that sent his SUV skidding upside down.
869. Sisters to support each other.
870. Scrumptious brunches made by loved ones.
871. Husband who does a week's worth of chores in two short days.
872. Packing my son's first school lunch.
873. Daughter who giggles at her new tap shoes for dance class.
874. Grace, grace, grace.
875. Long overdue visit with my cousin while we craft together.
876. Chilly fall nights.
877. Sunflowers dropped off by a wonderful friend and her kids.

878. Healthy children and husband.
879. The deep belly laugh of my daughter.
880. Roadtrip visit to the zoo with my family and Uncle Rob and Auntie Kirsten.

881. Kindergarten parent meeting (our very first!)
882. Fall walks in the dog park.
883. Cuddling with my husband while watching Lord of the Rings. (another Fall tradition).
884. My children gathering and pasting fall leaves to frame.

885. Bills paid.


...continuing on with my 1000 gifts of thanks.