“1. Lost Things Found . . . 1000.”

We started our own list of 1,000 gifts after beginning a great new read called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (www.aholyexperience.com). She like so many interpreters before her is giving words and meaning to my “peaceful wreck” mentality (phrase taken from a short story by Tillie Olsen)! I need help – deciphering my details, choosing my “big rocks,” and pursuing the work that survives! And Ann is becoming a new friend in the journey. As I am just beginning the read, I am not ready to offer a summary but I will say this: Ann believes there is value in Eucharist – a life of gratitude and thus this book is weaved with her own list of 1,000 things she celebrates. So, we began our own list this week one morning after breakfast before school all around that kitchen table! See the family board pic above, left hand bottom corner, smiley face paper. Written in Maya’s hand, the list begins:

1. lost things found

2. sleepy eyes and morning hugs

3. birds speaking outside my window

4. breakfast at Whole Foods sitting on the “high” table

5. our family

6. summer in Colorado

7. Daddy’s kisses

8. the family board

9. Maya and Ada’s “shake it up” dance moves created by their personal choreographer Sebrina

10. Momy and Dady

I too believe in the merit of perspective. “Eyes out” beyond myself to all that is going right. Our circumstances cannot control us, but they can inspire us and urge us on to greater discoveries. They mark the moment and create shared stories. This list of 1,000 gifts will be good for my family. It is a marker of what we value, what we experience and how we celebrate! It adds to our common language and tells the story of our days! I am inviting you to do the same – start your own list as a family and post it somewhere. Who of us can reach 1,000 first? As always, the joy will be in the journey not necessarily the arrival!

And I can’t wait to tell you about this family board soon! There is a great story in that picture above! More to write but I have deemed a shower to be a “big rock” for me today. So, off I go!

blessings, fellow pilgrim