Tuesday, April 29, 2008

One Gift to Reflect On

In reading about a friend who has been battling infertility I feel movement in my womb. How strange and unexpectant life can be at times. And how quickly I can forget these "little" gifts from my Lord.

So, my one gift I'd like to write about this evening is simply...

76. the gift of pregnancy, of feeling a baby move inside my body. And it is all undeserved! I don't deserve to have children and I especially don't deserve to be able to carry my own in my womb. Thank You, Lord God, for this gift... which is all undeserved, all unearned, and all Your doing... I stand amazed. Please bless those who earnestly desire to have children. Bless those women. May You, in Your mercy, open their wombs. Remind them (and me!) that You are all we need!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Thank You, Lord, for...

75. a day with minimal sciatic pain

74. a weekend together as a family (even though many were sick!)

73. children that ask to pray

72. the ability to bake bread from scratch and the smell that fills the house

71. the rain which is watering Hubby's sod

Friday, April 25, 2008

This Ole House

Perhaps it's because I spend so much time at home but I just am in awe of God's provision and blessing to our family in providing us with this ole house. The two gifts that follow are those related to us using this gift.

70. We have our new backyard play climber up and ready to be enjoyed. Thank You, Lord, for this gift! The kiddos were so excited as Daddy was putting it together! I am so excited to invite 2 of our neighbors and their kids over to enjoy it with us! What a gift to be able to share Your kindness with others!

69. It rained as the kiddos were playing on the climber so we took our party into the garage to watch and listen to the rain and squeal at the lightning and thunder. What a gift watching the kids run into the rain and splash in the puddles and respond to the gift of rain!

I'll add some pics to this post tomorrow!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

The Little Things

Tonight I'm short on time but not too short on time to communicate thanks to God for...

68. bubbles and the effect they have on kids, esp. Kadin with his deep laugh

67. dinner with the hubby

66. not receiving a call from the dr. office in regards to my glucose test last week

65. finding a climber for the backyard $100 off!

Nite, nite!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Midweek gifts


Midweek gifts...

63. No more meetings for Hubby this week after tonight!

62. Received grace to tell the kids at dinner that I needed to pray to God. I closed my eyes and cried out to the Father in Jesus' name to give me wisdom to know how to handle Kadin (throwing a tantrum, shaking his fists, turning red, and refusing to eat his broccoli). Immediately I knew that the Lord would supply me (and was supplying me!) with just the tools and patience and love for Him that I needed to endure that "trial." Thank You, Lord!

61. Recognized my prone to wander heart desiring to fulfill the momentary pleasure of responding to a salesperson on the phone with sarcasm and disgust. Though I did get annoyed (aka angry!) with her, God granted me much grace to not continue on that path. Indeed I regret that my initial response to her was not pleasing to God.

60. Found (what seems to be) the playset we want for our backyard for the kiddos ON $ALE beginning tomorrow. Trusting God for wisdom.

59. Utilizing the tangible gifts God has granted us (i.e. our backyard, front porch).


58. Watching the kids play together in the dirt "cooking."

57. William & I hearing this during our quiet times this morning--
J: Saraina? Where are you? Sissy!!!! Where are you, Saraina? (repeat ~3 times)

S: (~ 5 minutes later) I just hiding Joshua. Yeah. I just hiding on the chair.

56. Having a game Joshua and Saraina can play together and alone! Thank you, Lord, for Auntie Sarah and for her willingness to pass along Barnyard Bingo! They had a blast playing it over and over and over and over. They were so precious saying things like, "All done. Your turn, Saraina." Or "Here you go, Joshua. Mommy, I just help Joshua. Yeah."

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Grace upon Grace

Ever end your day and marvel at the fact that Jesus suffered, bled, and died for you? Well, that's the kind of day I had.

But isn't that kind of the Lord to provide those days? Let's face it. We should feel that way EVERY day. Yet when things go smooth and calculated, we get things crossed off our lists and we can forget the truth that Jesus is the reason we've experienced ANYTHING good! As the Scripture our pastor preached this past Sunday says, "... pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it." (Hebrews 2:1)

And on to the gifts from the Giver...

55. hearing the back door open and anticipating seeing my Hubby

54. older bro cheering little sis on as she peddled alone on her trike for the first time

53. hearing Scripture recited by a 2-year old

52. hot showers

51. Grace, grace, grace

Monday, April 21, 2008

A New Week Begins

I love the godly pressure I feel in having to update this blog! It truly is forcing me to thank God for things I take for granted and causes me to stop, see, and sing praises to my King. That said, I have decided that I will NOT update on the weekend for I want to enjoy living, experiencing, enjoying these marvelous gifts without having to excuse myself from time with my man or with our kiddos. That said, I still find myself over the weekend thinking, "Lord, help me see all the things I need to thank You for!"

Speaking of our weekend, we had a full and fun weekend and a full and fun start to a new week. Here are some of the gifts God has lavished on our fam...

50. Watching and listening to the sounds of sleeping children.

49. Joshua, standing between Kadin and Saraina, puts his arm around them as they were looking out our window this morning. Then he kisses them one at a time and then lays his head on Kadin's and says, "You're my precious boy." I love seeing and hearing him as he imitates his Daddy!

48. The line, "And Your saints below join with Your saints above rejoicing in the Risen Lamb!" from "The Glories of Calvary." We sang that at church on Sunday and I immediately thought of Andrea and others.

47. How quick Saraina is to say, "Thank you, Mommy for my pony tails! I love my pony tails!"

46. Joshua attending his first Cubs game with his Daddy, Grandad, and Uncle Freeman (who's expecting a baby REAL soon!!!). It so tickles me hearing Joshua share with Saraina about his time "with just the boys" (as he told his Sissy) and then telling her and me, "Maybe next year Saraina can come to the ball game."

45. Building our friendship with our neighbor Joe by attending Mary Poppins with him and then having him join us for dinner afterward.

44. How the kiddos are a great excuse to meet our neighbors and exchange smiles and waves. It really is a blessing how they feel no awkwardness in staring, pointing, and talking about them right in front of them. We getting closer to inviting two of the families with little kiddos over to play. How sweet it is to work through fear of man revolving speaking different languages!

43. The pressure cooker and frozen lentils and pork chops leftovers! Lord, thank You for providing a meal that required little prep time thanks to the pressure cooker and the leftovers. What a difference it can make when we want to enjoy more time outside!

42. Honey. I ran out of strawberry jam but was able to substitute it with honey for our wannabee PBJ sandwiches. But, honestly, Lord, Sunflower Seed Butter is also a gift! Since the boys can't eat peanut butter it is such a gift giving them something similar but safe!

41. Our first tulips blossoming!

40. Eating lunch outside because it always allows for some contact with some neighbor. Today was the pastor of the church next door. And though we couldn't be on further sides of the spectrum in terms of our beliefs, the Lord keeps providing opportunity after opportunity to build our relationship.

39. Saraina singing as she played outside, "... of the darkness have no fear..." over and over and over. Then she switched to, "Blessed be Your name when the suns shining down me..."

38. The sound of Joshua excited playing basketball and saying, "Yes!"

37. Going to the zoo and then park today right after they opened and then running in to a friend from church.

36. Joshua saying, "How 'bout I can show you?" when I told him I wasn't any good at basketball.

35. Play clothes!

34. The look on my Hubby's face and our corny and predictable phrases we greet each other with when he gets home after a long day of work.

Friday, April 18, 2008

With Death in View

When we live with eternity in view, we tend to see things differently. My friend Andrea passed away this evening and in thinking about her death I see the following gifts...

33. Scripture

32. friends, both those near and far

31. time alone with my hubby in the quiet of our home

30. fresh flowers from my hubby

29. the ability to dig up weeds

28. and more... but I must sleep... which is another gift!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Financial Gifts from THE GIVER

The theme for tonight seems to be on God's gift of financial blessings. These gifts from God are ALL UNDESERVED and handsdown show me just how well He knows us, our needs, and our desires. Seriously, these gifts have nothing to do with how well we maintained our budget or how wise we are to make some of the choices we have made. NOPE. These blessings, like all gifts, have been given simply to allow us to point back to The Giver whom alone is worthy of all our adoration!

27. Our house. Every day when I walk down our stairs I am AMAZED that we live in this house and are better off financially now than we were back in MD living in our 3rd floor condo.

26. Found a very special card from my Dad in the mail today which had a check to go towards a home project or fence for our backyard. The kiddos inquired at lunch why I was crying from opening up the mail and all I could think to tell them is, "... because God is so good to us... to me. He loves us so much that I can't help but cry happy tears."

25. Received a $20 refund from (what must-have-been) an overpayment on a medical bill!

24. Hubby went to Meijer at 6 AM to buy the picnic table we've wanted for awhile. We found out it was on sale at Meijer beginning 6 AM today for less $$ than any place else we'd seen it. Plus is came with a free umbrella! Oh- and he was able to use an additional $5 off coupon I had been holding "just in case." Only the Lord could orchestrate such a thing!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

From the Mouth of Babes

My hubby had meeting for work tonight so it was just me and the kiddos. I asked the kids to think about their day and tell me what they were thankful to God for. Here's what they shared with me...

23. "being outside" (SEW)

22. "a lot of trees and signs" (JCW)

21. (after a follow-up question he added) "signs tell the cars to stop and some signs tell you to go fast" (JCW)

20. "for you (Mommy) watching me [outside]" (JCW) (Note: he inquired whether or not I was going to do yard work and I replied I just wanted to enjoy watching them play.)

19. "and you let me drink out of your cup" (JCW) (Note: Joshua asked to drink out of my water bottle.)

18. "all the kids, Joshua, Kadin, and me Saraina going outside" (SEW)

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Day Two - Seeing His Gifts

As the evening closes I see more gifts from the Lord. Some of which are:

17. Having a friend come over during naptime/quiet play time and being spurred on in my walk with the Lord.

16. Going to the park with the kiddos and having all three of them play / have fun!

15. Friends who keep me posted on how a friend battling cancer is doing. It is a gift how they include me in the updates on her progress.

14. The gift of learning the librarian's name. It's so nice to be able to address people by name.

13. Going to the store because we unexpectantly ran out of milk (very rare for us!) and finding it on sale!

12. Being outside with the kiddos as Hubby came home from work.

11. Finding a nickel in the car to pay for parking at the library so I could drop off the almost overdue videos.

Now that I've jotted down some of them, I'm seeing the blessing of relationship today. Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Why Another Blog

Just what the world needs... another blog! But, this blog is truly for our family. It is named Hearts of Gratitude because that is just what I desire our family to cultivate, beginning with ME! The Scripture I'm basing this blog on is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says,

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (ESV)


The Message translation of the above Scripture reads,


Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.


That is my prayer for me. That is my prayer for my family. That is my prayer for God's people!

And this idea is NOT mine! I give complete credit to Ann at A Holy Experience for sharing this idea and inviting others to give thanks to God for His innumerable blessings. May He be honored and glorified as we seek to see Him in our every day lives...


Won't you join me?




Here's where I am beginning. These are some of the GIFTS I am giving Him thanks for today...

10. Thank you for evenings together, just me and my hubby.

9. Thank you for a husband that doesn't get angry when he opens his drawer and find no clean underwear.

8. Thank you dinner turned out well (a beef roast cooked in coffee) and everyone ate.

7. Thank you for drawing my attention to Proverbs 31:27 this morning.

6. Thank you for allowing me see Kadin apologize to Joshua by walking over to him and placing his head on Joshua's chest.


5. Thank you for a husband that shares his thoughts and daily experiences with me and blesses me by allowing me to know what he's thinking.

4. Thank you for allowing me to briefly speak with Ed, the mailman.

3. Thank you for the sun shining and allowing us to play outside in the backyard for a bit.

2. Thank you for the growth of the tomato plants.

1. Thank you for Joshua praying for the pain in my belly this morning before I even asked him to pray.