The Gift That Keeps On Giving

I've hit a really bad patch with my chronic illness.

The fatigue is drowning me. The pain is pushing me to my limits. And don't ask me about my ability to think, concentrate or spell. What once was easy is now a marathon of limitation and difficulty.

I limp to bed discouraged. I'm crying. Again. A rotating calendar on my nightstand catches my eye. It's the God in the Moment Inspirational DayBrightener by DaySpring. Its daily quotes are taken from one of my favorite books, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.

The quote says:

YES! Not "I'm worried." Not "I'm stressed out."
Not "I'm anxious." Not "I'm too afraid." Hear me say thank you.
Hear me say YES! Watch me live a life of yes. 

A few days later it says this: "God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us." Martin Luther's words hit me right where I am, feeling emptied of all strength and ability. I am weak and He says that in my weakness, His strength is made perfect. How does that work?

I've been wanting to reread Ann's book, but I can't concentrate long enough. DaySpring sends me two things to review and the other, the little gift book of Ann's words and photography, is just right. Beautiful pictures that remind me to breathe. Beautiful words in bite-sized chunks I can handle.

In this very hard time, in a time of waiting and hanging on to hope, Ann's reminders buoy me. Oh yes, I think, this does help. I'll say thank you for what is good. I'll say thank you for what I can still do. I'll be grateful for the supportive people in my life. I'll try focusing on the good because it will be amplified.

Chronic illness presses hard, crushing the breath out of me. My chest hurts, my hips hurt, my ribs feel broken.

Chronic gratitude infuses life, a whiff of grace. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

So tonight, after a particularly hard pain day, I type this post not just to review these beautiful products, but to say Thank you to God, Thank you to Ann, and Thank you to DaySpring, for reminding me of what and Whose I am, all I have to be grateful for, and how to make thanksgiving a lifestyle.

*DaySpring sent these products at no expense to me, in exchange for my honest review.*God in the Moment DayBrightener can be ordered here; One Thousand Gifts Photo Gift Book can be found here. 

Giving Thanks: The Good and The Bad

{Savoring the Sweet Moments with my Youngest}

Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays because it is a day to focus on all we have for which to be grateful.

One of the reasons I love Ann Voskamp and her book One Thousand Gifts and her blog A Holy Experience, is her emphasis on giving thanks for all we have. But this is not just a fluffy, cotton-candy-and-rainbows giving thanks. Oh no... this is the learning how to give thanks for every specific little gift, and for all of the hard things too, so that my life becomes a form of worship back to God, every breath a prayer.

If you are reading and you are thinking, You have no idea what I'm struggling with right now. You must have it good, you are right. I have no idea what you're struggling with, my friend. And I do have it good. I have all I need and more. I am truly blessed.

And there are hard things too...

pain
stress
worries
illness
exhaustion
loss
and the most recent, a terrible diagnosis for someone I love very much {please pray}

So because of the hard, I must keep counting the good. I must keep noticing it and taking stock of it, propping it on the shelves in my heart and pulling it to the forefront so it doesn't escape my sight.

Today, I keep taking stock of my Monday Mercies.

her blonde cornsilk hair and peaches & cream complexion
her long legs and Mama-like brown hair & another year of her life to celebrate
another day to notice and to worship
opportunities to speak love and encouragement
a second cup of coffee
clean sheets
colored Christmas lights strung across our little house
sunshine, God streaming across wooden floors
two hands, despite the swelling and aching
two legs, despite the occasional limping
a washer and a dryer, for recycling dirty into clean
music
a new prayer journal
spiral bindings to gather and hold, a pen to note and remember
the man that married me

Will you join me? Just start today. Start on a Post-it, if you like...

Monday Mercies: 10.17.11 {No Greater Mercy}

“There is no greater mercy that I know of on earth than good health except it be sickness; and that has often been a greater mercy to me than health…

It is a good thing to be without a trouble; but it is a better thing to have a trouble, and know how to get grace enough to bear it.” {C.H. Spurgeon}

Pondering this quote today and recognizing Truth. Thanks to Ann Voskamp for including this quote in her post.

My Monday Mercies...

sunlight spilling in on wooden floors
little girl legs in aqua tights, tucked into pink furry slippers
the learning, even when it's hard
the teaching, even when it's hard
jobs in this economy
flour for bread-making
washing machine to spin linens clean
pillow & heating pads to help combat pain
stacks of warm sweet laundry
sweet little faces
hands that hurt less today
marriage and partnership
autumn-hued leaves

What are your mercies today?

One Thousand Gifts: My Review

Received and started reading Ann Voskamp's new book One Thousand Gifts today. Now, 100 pages in, I laugh from spontaneous joy, I gulp down the lump in my throat forming from the reminders of hard times, and I feel my eyes being opened in a new way. A way that is so clear I wonder how I have missed it all along.

Ann Voskamp's book is a series of revelations. If you have ever struggled over God's plan in loss and pain, wondered how to find happiness in the mundane, or searched for the keys to slow down amidst schedules and stress, this book is for you.

Don't miss it!

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Don't know Ann? Ann writes the blog A Holy Experience, is a regular contributor on DaySpring's site, (in)courage, is wife to a farmer and homeschooling mother of 6. You'll love her heart and this gift of a book!