gratitude

gratitude.

It makes such a difference when we realize how richly God has blessed us.  It has been a joy to keep my gratitude journal this last year.  I've found that I'm not as consistent as I'd like to be, so my goal is to post each Monday, along with others, what I am grateful for...

It is an old tradition.  I remembered keeping a gratitude journal about 20 years ago and managed to dig it up in my box of childhood memories.  Poor spelling aside, it was a joy to reread after all those years.

6. enjoying Christmas traditions with my family.

7. wonderful Arizona winter weather

8. soft baby/toddler cheeks - both kinds ;)

9. early morning quiet.

10. conversations with God and soaking up His Words by candle and tree light in the early mornings...

11. reminders from others that I am ardently pursued by God.  I am His beloved.

12. morning baking with my early riser.

13. singing Christmas carols off-key with my kids (thankfully they join right in and don't seem to mind)

14. the smell of stew simmering on the stove

15. reconciliation after a sibling argument

16. the craziness that is my life right now

17. but hearing that Still Small Voice amidst the noise of life

18. savoring the season and the 'reason for the season'