A Gift Hung, Held, Heard

 Gifts Hung:

79. My beautiful Botanica pictures. 

80. My "hippie-chick-wall-decor"

(this is the first piece of "decorating" that Randy and I bought together! 

I fell in love with it in the store. We got home and the side of the 

box said "Hippie-Chick-Wall-Decor."  Who wouldn't love something named that?)

: )

 

 Gifts Held:

81. Jackson

82. Riley

83. Josie

84. Ava

85. Alyssa 

Gifts Heard:

86. "Grammy"

87. "Mammy" 

Gifts from my Savior

76. Eternal life

77. Peace that passes all understanding

78. Randy - my grace gift

3 Gifts Sweet

72. I mean really, have you ever seen/held anything as sweet as a baby??? There is absolutely no comparison to any other sweetness in the world! Love babies!

 


73. I was raised on a farm... So, there is nothing that tastes better to me than Southern Sweet Tea!!

When we would be working in the field, my Mom would bring us Iced Tea and cookies. That's when it tastes best - when your hot and thirsty!! 

3 Gifts in Community

46. My favorite place to visit in our community is the Botanica Gardens. I've blogged about these gardens H.E.R.E.

I love to visit these gardens and walk - looking at all the plants and flowers. God has given such a great gift with His creation.

48. Our Church supports several ministries in our community. One is the ARC. Learn more about them H.E.R.E. At Thanksgiving every year we serve their members and families a Thanksgiving meal and we have a dance for them. It was so fun serving food this year - my first year to help.

Getting ready to serve 800 people!

Unfortunately, I was too busy once it started to get any pictures...

A Gift Handmade, Held, Happy

I've already listed my gift made H.E.R.E.

44. A gift held. Sometimes, even when I'm not reading it or studying it or looking in it - I just like to hold my Bible. It's a blessing to me. To know that the actual word's spoken by God, spoken by Jesus are right here at my fingertips. Ready for me to explore, learn and be comforted!

70. Another Gift Held - I love holding the hands of my grandchildren. Walking through the zoo or just anytime.  I love to hold their faces in my hands and kiss their sweet noses. I love to hold them in sweet hugs. 

45. The gift of my dear husband makes me very happy.

A Gift Unexpected

75. Today, Randy and I went to our community Christian Bookstore to buy a couple of Christmas gifts. 

Randy was picking the gift he was wanting to buy for a friend.

I was looking for a book I want for Christmas. - you know, to show him so he won't forget!

: ) 

For some reason I couldn't seem to find it on the shelves. 

So I started looking for a sales clerk to help me. 

She wasn't dodging me, but was staying an aisle or two ahead of me. 

I finally chased her down!! 

I asked for the book I was looking for

 
and this beautiful sales clerk with the name "Tobi" on her name tag gave me such a gorgeous smile! and said:

"I love her books. Have you read 'One Thousand Gifts'?"

We had a wonderful conversation! 

Shared our blog information!

What a blessing an unexpected gift from God truly is!

3 Gifts Preparing

By now, you have probably realized that I am not publishing all of my "gifts." Only a few of  them. I'm also not following the prompts exactly as Ann Voskamp suggests. Just kind of being a free spirit in this "joy dare" that has become a way of living.

We live such a big part of our lives in preparation. Glorious preparation! The birth of our children. The birth of our grandchildren. Preparing for company. Preparing for weddings - all special occasions. But the most important preparation for each of us is my 43rd gift.

43. Preparing for Jesus Return!! 

"It will all happen so fast, in a blink, a mere flutter of the eye. The last trumpet will call, and the dead will be raised from their graves with a body that does not, cannot decay. All of us will be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52 The Voice

Come quickly, Lord Jesus 

  

 

3 Gifts Humble

37. When going through good times - I often hear "You deserve this."  This statement causes me to pause - my out loud response is "I'm not sure I deserve it, but I'm very thankful for it."

In truth, I don't "deserve." I am a sinful woman. I don't deserve that Jesus took all my sins to the cross with Him. All I really deserve is death. But because of Him I've been given so so much more.

 I'm so very very grateful. 

 I'm so very very thankful.

I'm so very very humbled.

38. I'm so humbled when watching others hurt, struggle, my life is so good. God has truly blessed me.

39.  Thinking I am doing so good spiritually. I'm so humbled when looking into the mirror of God's Word and realizing - Oh, Brenda, you have so much growing to do.

Gift Grateful

I've lived in so many strange ways. I am so grateful for:

29. Running water

30. Hot running water

31. Clean sheets