Easier said than done....I wish I could say I'm already perfect with these two items.
Tonight I was lucky enough to attend the 1st part of a 2 day women's retreat at a local church. The speaker is Ann Voskamp who is the author of One Thousand Gifts. If you have never heard of her or heard of the book, you are missing out! The book is a must read and in some ways may change your life. I've been looking forward to hearing her for months - she has an amazing story and an even more impressive outlook on life. You can find out more about her book here or you can follow her blog by clicking here.
I won't get into too many details now but there are a few things that she said tonight that I don't want to forget...and why not share them with you while they are fresh on my mind!
The first point - made extra clear with a short video presentation - is the be "fully awake." In the hustle and bustle of our crazy, every day hectic lives...full of schedules and deadlines and calendars and appointments and cell phones and computers and kids and meals and laundry and housework and committees and commitments....remember to have your eyes WIDE OPEN and take in all of the details. If you aren't careful you may miss those details that mean the most to you.
........Side note: She is married to a farmer. Many of the pictures in the video were of fields with crops. One shot was a table FULL of green beans...waiting for someone to string them...I had a quick flash back to my childhood...and the message seemed so clear.....when I was a child, things didn't seem so crazy and especially being raised in the country helped disguise all of the hustle and bustle of the world. Sometimes, the most important thing was to gather the beans and sit and string them. Or gather the apples and peel them. Or gather the pecans and crack them. Or split the wood to build a fire in the wood stove. Or gather the sloop to feed the animals. Or kill the hogs to divide the meat and have sausage and liver mush. Or cut the hay, bail the hay, load the hay onto the truck to feed the cows. Or hang the clothes on the line. Plant the cucumbers. Can (as in canning) the pickles. Make the cookies. Pull the taffy. They were such little things...but, seeing as how I can still CLEARLY see each of these items, tasks, memories so VIVIDLY in my head, even now, I must have had my EYES WIDE OPEN to FULLY take in each of these memories.
Do I still have my EYES WIDE OPEN ALL OF THE TIME? Do I do that now? Do I let the "other" things cloud my vision? Do I appreciate the little things in life? Yes and No. Today I did - I enjoyed my time on the beach with my boys...but just early this week I commented that I didn't know how to go to work each day without being so very stressed out. Are the things that cloud my vision really important???? Big questions....I'm not sure of my answers!
They were powerful questions and I'm thankful to be challenged to think about how I handle some of the little things in my life. I want to be more like her and to see everything that passes by in a day for what it is worth - each little part is truly pieced together to make a much larger, more meaningful picture.
The other thought of the night was to be thankful. How often do we take things for granted - even things that we acknowledge are "gifts" from God. We may receive a gift but forget to say thanks. The challenge is to be thankful...for everything...all of the time.
Part of her book is a challenge to recognize "gifts" throughout the day. Again, tonight, she "dared" us to literally pick up a pen and paper and start writing down things that we are thankful for. She gave statistics that people who are aware of these sorts of blessings are 25 % more happy overall....or, have 25 % more happiness. Well, guess what, I think I could use a little more happiness.....is there such a thing as too much happiness? I'm certainly not there yet. I think I will take her challenge.
For example, today I would have written that I'm thankful for:
Fridays with my boys
Jump Castles
Cool sand between our toes
Lighthouses
Sunshine
The sound of ocean waves
Lunch breaks with my hubby
Nap time
Good Christian friends
A husband who can handle our kids (better than me!!) while I'm out for the night
Hearing from my friend Anne's voice, for the 1st time since her Dad was rushed to the hospital
Basketball
Payton wearing basketball shorts that are way too big but way too cute!
My computer and an audience that seems to listen to my thoughts
See...so many things...to be thankful....and, while I am certain I have thanked God for my children, my friends, my husband and the beach before....I am also certain that I've never even considered thanking him for a jump castle...but today, one jump castle provided lots of fun, laughs and smiles!
I am especially thankful that God put me in the right place, right time tonight - I am really looking forward to hearing her speak again tomorrow and I look forward to seeing how her words may change my life.
In the meantime, go get her book....its great!
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