Count 1000 Gifts

SEPTEMBER

1. 3 GIFTS SUMMER

• Rest
• Writing
• Gardening

2. 3 GIFTS CUT

• Basil
• Roses
• Tags off of clothes for new school year. 

3. THREE GIFTS YELLOW

• Sunflowers
• School buses
• Corn on the cob

4. A GIFT COOL, WARMED, SUN-SOAKED

• Iced tea, cools the sweat of the day.
• Cinnamon swirl toast!
• My orange tree preparing for its next harvest

5. THREE GIFTS AUTUMN

• Timmy Weekend!
• Football!
• Pumpkin Spice Lattes!  

6. THREE GIFTS GROWING

• My faith
• My strength
• My knowledge, keep learning something new every day! 

7. THREE GIFTS GIVEN

• A tangible acknowledgment of appreciation
• Forgiveness and grace
• A word of encouragement 

8. A GIFT MADE, MASKED, MARVELLED

• A thank you card, hand-made with purpose and words of truth.
• More tomatoes hidden under all the leaves.
• Butterfly wings appearing in the grass after a post the day before refering to "butterfly wings." 

9. THREE GIFTS FRAMED

• Timmy's golf picture.
• A new picture of Christina and myself at her son's Academy graduation.
• A teal butterfly from a co-worker found at a thrift store. 

10. THREE GIFTS MOVING

• An American flag in the wind.
• Summer into Fall.
• God's eternal plan, although we sometimes don't see it, we must trust in it. 

11. HARD EUCHARISTEO

• Prodicals
• Memorials
• Autism

12. GIFTS IN HIS WORD

• Forgiveness
• Inspiration
• Eternity

13. A GIFT SCENTED, SCRAWLED, STARTED

• Pumpkin Spice
• Notes from Sunday Service
• A new group of writer friends to learn from and encourage me. 

14. GIFTS DRAWN

• A butterfly on a card
• A star or heart next to a verse
• A pattern of grace

15. GIFTS PAIRED

• apples and caramel
• Linda Boutin and myself
• Twin girls

16. THREE GIFTS SHARED

• The prayers of a mother's heart
• Hope and encouragement
• Transportation

17. THREE GIFTS UGLY-BEAUTIFUL

• Toes
• Wrinkles
• Fallen leaves

18. A GIFT FIXED, FOLDED, FRECKLED

• An edit
• A golf shirt
• Hands that are folded in prayer for many years. (some call them age spots). 

19. THREE GIFTS IN CONVERSATION

• Grace
• Love
• Understanding

20. THREE GIFTS IN SALVATION

• Forgiveness
• Purpose
• Eternity

21. THREE GIFTS IN INFORMATION

• Who to pray for
• How to pray
• What to pray for

22. A GIFT RATTLING, RECEDING, RECLAIMING

• Change in my pocket
• Debt
• An oak chest, mission style, my husband found discarded on the job. 

23. THREE GIFTS QUIET

• An arising sunflower, a surprise when I thought that time was through
• Packing a suitcase for another Timmy weekend. 
• The setting sun over Mt. San Gorgonio

24. THREE GIFTS FUNNY

• Warthogs at a zoo. (I'll bet nobody writes that one).
• A billboard that says: "Use Your Outside Voice!" 
• Socks my son bought for himself that are for a 6 year old...really Corey?  That's why I do the shopping. 

25. THREE GIFTS FINISHED

• Happy Birthday in Heaven Timmy
• The Sacrifice of Christ
• Arnold Palmer and Vince Scully

26. THREE GIFTS FLOURSHING

• My butterfly garden
• My friendships
• My ministiries

27.  A GIFT UNEXPECTED, UNEVEN, UNPOPULAR

• Joshua Tree National Park
• A mattress that has served its time
• Scripture that is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

28. THREE GIFTS SHY

• Rain clouds over So. Calif. 
• Students learning to interact with our special need students
• That person you know you should say Hi to at church or work. 

29. THREE GIFTS SHELVED

• My son's ashes
• Favorite books
• Pictures framed of forever friends and family

30. THREE GIFTS SHINING

• A new, clean tablecoth for fall
• A new sermon series
• The Holy Spirit in my life. 

AUGUST A Journal

13. 3 GIFTS IN GREEN

• A soccer field in town bringing together community and service and one in Rio where countries unite and celebrate sport.
• The greenery protruding from a gift, a candle holder from my east coast besty buddy, Diane. 
• Fresh basil growing in my windowsill and in my garden. 

Thank you Lord for the color green, it is my favorite. What a great way to start this joy journal (Ann Voskamp) then on a day when the prompt is this, gifts of green. My birthstone is an emerald, and green colors my walls of a rented home I am most grateful for. Hear my prayers Lord, keep us humble and thankful for your amazing blessings all around us.

14. A GIFT IN A RING, CURVE, SPHERE

• Although it needs some repair, my wedding ring. It will be 40 years come January! He had a hard week, and today was a hard day for him. You know my tears this morning in my prayers were for the deep love I have for my hard-working man, through sickness or health, for better, for worse. Amen. 
• A Curve, hmmmm. Sometimes in life, many times, one has to make a complete U-Turn. I ask Lord and give thanks for the U-turns I made back into Your will and always I receive Your grace. You are amazing! 
• Sphere: Above my TV cabinet, I have a world globe, kinda vintage, that belonged to my mom. The world map has changed. Yet, "For God so LOVED  the world...Never changes. Thank you Lord for Your Love circling around the globe in so many lights for You!  Amen. 

15. THREE GIFTS UGLY-BEAUTIFUL

• Overlooking the Jurupa Valley and the Santa Ana River from a hill in Riverside, it was well over 100 degrees today. I attended a memorial service for a 90 year old father of a friend. The valley below was dry and hard, the green cemetary behind me, looked down from above, like the gentleman I honored today. 
• The hard-working man staggered in from the first day of going back to work after 6 grueling days off do to his knee pain and gout. 
• A weed, springing from a pile of dirt--I thought might be a flower...flowered today, yellow and wilted from the scourging day. 

16. THREE GIFTS OF FAMILY

• My husband and my sons.     
• My nephew just got a job, post graduate school. He'll be working at a highly prestigious Catholic High School in San Jose as their Campus Minister, Ballarmine College Preparatory. Wow!
• My Uncle Bruce just celebrated his 88th birthday! Wow.

17. THREE GIFTS IN THE MORNING

• The devotional that my faithful friend Debbie H. writes and sends out via text message every morning
• My morning DJ's, Brian and Brandi
• Coffee!!!!!  

18. A GIFT RED, READ, AND WRITTEN

• Cherry juice given in abundance to Ted for his gout.
• Psalm 91:1, a reminder that God is our shelter, the Almighty.
• A thank you note written from a mom of a very special friend. 

19. THREE GIFTS IN CHURCH

• The teaching of His Word.
• The opportunity to serve.
• The fellowship of the saints.

20. THREE GIFTS OF SERVING

• Inspiration
• Opportunity
• Humbleness

21. A GIFT STRAIGHT, CURVED, TURN

• An honest word, answer
• The petals of a flower
• The earth trowled to receive new seed. 

22. A GIFT IN THE LIGHT 

• You can see the obstacles
• You can remove the obstacles
• You can praise God for showing you and giving you the strength to walk over, through or physically, spiritually, mentally remove the obstacles. 

23. THREE GIFTS OLD

• My Bible, given to me in 1989 by the church Secretary.
• Candlesticks carved by my grandfather's half brother.
• The song, "Amazing Grace."

24. THREE GIFTS MOVING

• The white butterflys in my flower garden. 
• Students who cannot use words, sign or use hands and expression taught to them.
• The pen across a page writing script.

25. THREE GIFTS FRAGILE

• A mother's  heart who's lost a child.
• Butterfly wings.
• A silver chain around my neck.

26. A GIFT CUT, SEWN, BUTTONED

• Dead-heading my roses in August, knowing more are to bloom in fall. 
• Soon, pumpkin seeds.
• My jeans, especially when it is easier. 

27. THREE GIFTS NEW

• A school year
• A new idea or insight. 
• Morning, another day to sing His praises. 

28. THREE GIFTS LONG AWAITED 

• For Ted (My husband) to attend church with me...because he wants to. 
• Seeing two friends this summer I haven't seen in over 20 years. 
• The completion of my memoir. 

29. A GiFT ONE, TWO, THREE

• One husband
• Two sons
• Triune God

30. THREE GIFTS VERY SMALL

• A ladybug on a petal
• blueberries
• A sunflower seed

31. THREE MIRACLES

• Grace
• Love
• Joy