My post today is from Day 2 – Write a List. The task is to compose a list – of anything and any length – and post it.
I’m reading a book, “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. It’s about living fully right where you are. It is the story of her journey to record one thousand gifts from her daily life for which she is thankful. At some point in her life, she realized that she may not get to all the items on her bucket list and that she wanted to live fully in spite of that. She questioned the importance of checking off her bucket list versus living in the moment and recognizing the daily blessings and gifts from God that encompassed her life.
It got me to thinking about my bucket list. It’s quite impressive. And up until a couple of years ago, I was making pretty good progress on it. However, by February 2014, my life changed in ways that forced me to question whether I would get to do everything on the list. I got sad and felt a sense of hopelessness and regret. Then I read the book. What was the greater gift? Seeing Victoria Falls or being grateful to God for all the gifts of daily living? Do I want to squander my time on earth dreaming about tomorrow or do I want to thank God for every beautiful gift I have today? Wasn’t there joy to be had by giving God the glory for everything today?
I started my list of one thousand gifts. It took Ann Voskamp about a year to put her list together. Here are the fist ten items on my list:
1. My full hydrangea bushes in blown
2. The first red rose to bloom on my patio
3. The smell of peanut butter cookies baking in the oven
4. The laughter of children playing soccer in the green area
5. The smell of chicken baking in the oven
6. The cool air that fills my room at 2 am in the morning
7. The fog rolling into the San Francisco Bay
8. The rolling green hills of Sonoma County dotted with grazing cattle
9. The greening of the vineyards
10. The first sip of a hot cup of coffee in the morning
Everything we have, big and small, is a gift from God. It’s not just the blue beach off the coast of some tropical retreat; there is beauty in all of God’s creation. I certainly don’ want to waste my days thinking about some place and time far away, when I can live fully today, right here at home.
I have notebooks spread around my house so that I can record these encounters as they happen. It is not a project I intend to rush; I want to enjoy every day, every moment, every gift from God.
Teri McClanahan 