Saturday 12 January 2013

One Small Step - Counting Your Blessings




I have a habit in the evening, when I'm closing the day with a little prayer:
I think about the little things,  that have made me smile during the day,
or that in some way have warmed my heart
- things that I'm thankful for.

I follow a lovely and encouraging blog by Ann Voskamp. 
Ann tells that she writes down daily 3 things, she is grateful for 
... ending up with 1000 things in a year! 


I'm attracted by the idea of keeping a simple diary on the things, I'm grateful for. 
Writing them down would probably help me to focus on the good and positive  
- the daily graces - even more. So I thought of writing them down in little notebook. 

As I was searching for the books on communication in Amazon, 
I stumbled upon a devotional book by Ann Voskamp - One Thousand Gifts - 
where the last pages are filled with 1000 empty lines to note down the three daily blessings.




I received The One Thousand Gifts- book yesterday, so now I'm "counting the blessings" in this book. The book contains also 60 short devotionals, where Ann writes about the blessings she's experienced when counting her daily graces. She has named the devotions as different types of graces - I look forward of reading about "urgent grace", "graffiti grace" and "anti-anxiety grace" :-)

Some of the blessings I've counted this weeks are...



... Our family. 
Our younger son had his 12th birthday this week! 
These pictures are from last summer and autumn.



... The moments knitting. 
I knitted 2 tube-scarfs and 2 long scarfs for Christmas presents, and now I'm knitting one to myself.
The yarn is a blend of 70 % merino wool and 30 % silk, so the scarf will be very soft and comfortable :)



... A message form a friend.
I received a nice text message from a friend of mine today, which made me happy!



... The promise in Psalm 91:4:
"With his feathers he will cover you, 
under his wings you will find safety. 
His truth is your shield and armor."




What are the things that have made you smile - that you've been thankful for this week?



I'm linking to:





20 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos. I love Ann's blog. I am counting gifts this year too.
    The yarn is beautiful. I am currently teaching my self to knit...it's going slowly.

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    1. Hi Mountaingrace, I find also Ann's blog really encouraging! Enjoy the moments with yarn and knitting - knitting is a handy hobby ... you can take it everywhere with you, and it gives always an end result ;)

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  2. Oh Nina, I had to smile at your post as yesterday I posted about the same book and how I have found a journal to start recording my 1000 gifts!!!! Great minds think alike! Have a Blessed day!

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    1. Hi Debbie - I smiled too when reading your post - and when reading "Great minds think alike"! Blessings to your week :-)

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  3. Dear Nina,

    Thank you for joinng us for Friendship Friday and sharing your amazing post! I am a huge Ann Voskamp fan and based on your share, I will be ordering Ann's new devotional! For some reason, prior to reading your post, I thought this was just a blank journal and not an actual book. I am SO looking forward to it - and I am also a gift counter!

    Create With Joy
    http://create-with-joy.com

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    1. Dear Joy, I´m happy to hear that my post was helpful in showing you that Ann's book actually is a devotional! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and thank you for hosting the wonderful blog hops, and spreading creativity through your blog!

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  4. I'm am thankful to be alive and able to love others on this beautiful planet! Love the photos! :)

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    1. Thank you Nancy, Yes, we´ve got lots to be thankful for!

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  5. I'm sure you will really enjoy the practice of finding the gifts in life. Good luck with the challenge. And thank you for linking up with Cozy Book Hop! Hope you'll join us again!

    Marissa
    http://forfunreadinglist.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you for hosting the Cozy Book Hop, Marissa!

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  6. I love counting the gifts as well. I am in my 3rd year and this time trying out the JOY DARE.. like a scavenger hunt each day. The book is amazing and will keep you focused on thanking God every minute of every day.
    Blessings,
    Janis www.janiscox.com

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    1. Hi Janis, I look forward of this year counting the gifts - it must be such a blessing! I haven't tried scavanger hunt yet ... I'll visit your blog to see your pictures - scavanger hunt-pictures are always so unique!

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  7. A lovely post Nina, I am thankful for good health at the moment.

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    1. Thank you Linley - health is surely something to be grateful for!

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  8. Beautiful post Nina! I'm thankful that everyone in the family is healthy!!

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    1. Thank you Kerri! It is great to appreciate health - often times we take it for granted.

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  9. I'm thankful for my loving, nurturing husband who has been ministering to me while I'm recovering from a bad cold. Love the scripture verse you shared. Thanks.

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    1. Hi Nancy, I'm happy for you - having a caring husband is surely a gift!

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  10. LOVE it! I try to be thankful for all things, even the hard stuff.... I'm so glad you came by to share on Weekly Top Shot #65!

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    1. Hi Madge, Yes, even the hard stuff is a part of life and living ... and usually we grow / learn something through the struggles as well. Thank you for hosting the Weekly Top Shot!

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Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment! I read and enjoy them all and I'll do my best to to hop on over to your blog for a visit.

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