Journey of a Thousand Gifts

Several days ago, I started reading a small book that a friend had said was very inspiring. The book is "One Thousand Gifts," written by Ann Voskamp. Ann is the mother of 6 children and runs a farm with her husband, in southwestern Ontario . Her early life was marred by tragedy, with the accidental death of her little sister. The book follows her spiritual journey from daily discouragement to grateful expectation simply by making a commitment to complete a simple challenge from a friend---i.e., to make a list of one thousand things in her life for which she is thankful. Whether you agree with her religious views or not, it is easy to see the transformation that occurred within her as she stopped her life long enough to see the myriad small things that were good.

I am looking back on the past year, beginning with a comment I made to Don that I did not see how we would ever be able to afford to buy another house, much less one with any land around it. Now, a year later,  we are about to close on a house that is almost twice the size of our current, rented one and is surrounded by over 4 acres and magnificent views of mountains. I am amazed at the hundreds (no--a thousand) little blessings that got us here. I thank God every day.