3 Gifts Sweet

599. Peppernuts

600. Sugar Cookies

601. Apples

3 Gifts after Christmas

596. I am so very thankful for my family.

597. I am thankful my son came through surgery today in good shape.

598. I am thankful that I have been able to cook up a storm the last couple of weeks. I love to cook! It has been F.U.N. - not so good for my weight but great fun.

3 Gifts Only in Christ

593. Through Jesus Christ I will receive the gift of eternal life.

594. Jesus has forgiven all my sins. Every ugly thing inside of me - He forgives. 

595. Jesus promises me abundant* ** life. 


*abundant: existing or available in large quantities; plentiful.

**synonyms: plentiful, copious, ample, profuse, rich, lavish, abounding, liberal, generous, bountiful, large, huge, great, bumper, overflowing, prolific

3 Gifts of Gifts

590. Years ago, I took a spiritual gift assessment. I learned that my primary spiritual gift is teaching. A few years ago, my life was in turmoil and I stopped teaching for a season. After all, if I couldn't keep my home in order - how could I presume to teach others?

Well, being in a "new" relationship I am learning more and more about myself. The husband is encouraging, he builds me up and helps me to see the person that God created and that I need to be using my spiritual gifts. So out of my curiosity, we both took spiritual assessments again. My spiritual gift is still teaching. I'm so thankful for this gift. Now, it's my responsibility to use it again.

591. I'm so thankful for my husband's spiritual gifts. - and the fact that he uses them.

592. God's blessing to each person with their own gifts blesses me because I reap the rewards in our church family.

3 Random Gifts

587. Every time I take a bath, I thank God for hot water. In Jamaica we didn't have a hot water heater but it wasn't so bad taking "cool" showers there. When I first moved back to Ringwood, we didn't have any water for the first nine months in that house - then once we got water into the house it was another four months before we got "HOT" water. So hot water is not something I take for granted. I truly appreciate having hot water for my bath.

588. Today the wind is blowing... well, not just blowing but it's BLOWING. My friend Debra, from Oklahoma, calls it TBW. (The Big Wind.) Today, I'm thankful for a warm house. It's so nice to have a roof over me and heat in my house. 

589. As I'm here in my warm house, I'm so very thankful for the companionship I share with the Husband. We enjoy doing the same things (except for that football thing!) and we enjoy one another's company. That is indeed a gift and I pray I never take it for granted.

3 Gifts Hard Eucharisto

584. My son has been sick. I live here. He lives in Southern Oklahoma. He's my youngest. This is hard for me. I want to drive to Oklahoma and "take care" of him. He says I don't need to. So, I'm sitting here at home, praying and hoping he gets well quickly.

585. I know that holidays are often hard for people. For years I didn't understand. Then my kids all grew up and they have their own lives. I've found that holidays can be complicated. Family. Drama. Loneliness.  The only way to make holidays what they are meant to be is Jesus Christ. Then and only then can we have peace and joy during the holiday season. Everything else is just decorations.

586. Do you ever see something you really really want but can't justify it? We live in a country of abundance. However, the husband and I work hard to live within our retirement income. I've never had an overabundance of "things" so it's usually pretty easy for me to see things I like and move on. But a few weeks ago I had an episode of want-i-tis. I saw a Coach Bag that I really really wanted. Now, I realize that this isn't hard eucharisto. - and no, I don't think it's wrong for one to own an expensive bag.  But what this whole episode pointed out to me is the importance I often put on fleeting items. Thing's of this world. The hard eucharisto is often just living IN this world but not OF this world. That's what gets hard. - unless, we turn our lives completely over to God. Serving Him. One of my favorite people, Elizabeth Eliott often says," Being a living sacrifice wouldn't be too hard, if we would just stop crawling off the alter." This is so true.

3 Gifts Golden

581. I'm a farm girl. So I have to say one of the best golden gifts is the wheat in June - July. The golden waves of grain. What a gift!

582. The Golden fall leaves. This fall has been particularly beautiful.

583. The Golden Years! The years after retirement. I am so gifted. I love my life!

3 Gifts Silent

578. The husband is an early riser. Once he leaves the bedroom, the door is closed and the silence is so peaceful and relaxing. I love this time in the mornings. I usually sleep for awhile longer but am so thankful for this time in the mornings.

579. When I drive to Oklahoma I sometimes travel with no noise.- no radio, nothing. Often during this time I pray. Sometimes I am just quiet and enjoy the silence. (I think I like this so much because for years I traveled with kids in the car!!)

580. I'm not an arguer. I'm not one to confront. So sometimes if someone I'm talking with says something I disagree with, I'm just silent. It's easier for me. Depending on the subject - I know you will not change my mind and I doubt I'll change yours, so I choose silence. - usually with a smile.

3 Gifts Behind a Door

575. Every time I go into our inventory room I am amazed that we have been blessed with this fun retirement job and that we have been able to build up our inventory as much as we have. It is a true gift to step inside that room.

576. My grands in the playhouse. 

577. On Tuesday evenings when we hear a knock and our Life Group comes in the door for an evening of fellowship and Bible Study.

3 Gifts At Noon

Today at noon we were at Target. There were 3 things I needed to get. I consider them all gifts because one helps to keep me organized. One helps to keep track of prayer requests and one keeps my hair fairly tamed.....

572. We needed these:

 For these piles of paper......

573. I needed this red notebook:

For Life Group meeting.

574. and when we go sale-ing, I often wear a hat because of curly hair and wind...  I needed a winter one.

3 Gifts of Remembrance

569. Photos. I am so thankful for pictures of my kids as children and as they grew. I'm also very thankful for pictures of my grands. I love looking and remembering.  

570. All memories aren't good. We always try to remember the good things but those bad memories have a tendency to sneak in, too. This is when I'm REALLY thankful for the good memories because I just make a point to switch my thoughts to the good times!! God has created such a miracle in our thought  patterns.

571. I love the gifts given to me by my Grandma's. When I look at them I am always reminded of them and the sweet memories that they bring.

3 Gifts Found in Bible Reading

566. When I study my Bible, God reveals something new to me. He reminds me of something I need to apply to my life. He encourages me. He convicts me. He teaches me. 

567. I taught a session on worship last weekend at a small group conference. The verse given to me was:

Hebrews 12:28b (NLT)

“... let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe.”

This. 

I was convicted just reading this verse. Worship very seldom just happens... I need to work at it. I need to feel fear and awe. I'm going to admit, I am often too blase' in my worship. 

This gift will make changes in my life.

568. I am amazed at the journey God's Word has made. From the beginning and continuing until Jesus returns. I have been so very very blessed to have been taught the words from this book from a very young age. I reading God's Word.

3 Gifts Harvest

563. Being raised as a farm girl, I was involved in harvest every year. As a teen, I got tired of it. But once I became an adult I realized how important our farmers are. They have been the backbone of our country for so many years. So very thankful for our farmers.

564. When the first pilgrims survived their first horrible winter and their first harvest was a success, they celebrated with a feast. President Lincoln later named it "Thanksgiving." That first harvest was proof that our pilgrims would survive. And we've been surviving "harvest" ever since. 

565. Fall is here. Winter is around the corner. Fresh vegetables that really taste WONDERFUL are soon to be scarce. BUT, we can still purchase fresh vegetables at grocery stores. - They don't taste as good, but they are fresh.

A Gift Sweet, Salty, Sipped

560. One of my favorite things to do is to go to NuWay and enjoy their root beer. They make it fresh daily and it is honestly the best root beer I have ever had. If you are staying there, you get to enjoy it in a frosty mug! Doesn't get any better than that. When I get it to go, I always get it with out ice. Don't want to dilute that delicious taste! I've been sick and my sweet husband has gotten me 2 root beers this week!!!

The original NuWay on Douglas in Wichita, Kansas.
Photo from Wikipedia

561. When I'm not feeling well, it seems I'm either not hungry for some things but hungry for something else. I was hungry for something salty this week and my sweet husband made me some popcorn! It tasted so good to me.

562. HOT TEA! I have had my weight in hot tea these last few weeks. We found some Mint Tea Bags at "The Spice Merchant" and that has been delicious.

I'm so very thankful for the opportunity to rest and drink plenty of liquids over the last couple of weeks. God has blessed me.

3 Gifts From My Window

I call this window, "My Happy Place." It's peaceful and beautiful in all seasons.

558. I see the deck from this window and I love our deck.
559. I see the trees from this window.
560. I watch the weather from from this window!

3 Gifts Government

Oh my. This one gave me pause for much thought. So much to be thankful for yet so much to be praying for.

555. So very thankful to live in a country that still allows freedom in religion. 

556. Our country, founded on Christian principles. 

557. Our military. I am so very very thankful for these men and women that fight for the freedom I appreciate.

3 Gifts Acorn Small

552. My wedding ring. It is so much more than jewelry. This ring represents a lifetime of love and commitment. Even when marriages hit rough ground, this ring represents a covenant made before God. Therefore, it binds two people together under the umbrella of God's protection. All one needs to do is let God be the center of this union.

553. Actual acorns. From the mighty Oak tree. God's creation always amaze me.

554. I've been suffering from allergies. Today, the Doctor gave me some medicine that I hope has me better by tomorrow!! So thankful for Doctors and for meds!

A Gift Gathered, Given, Good

549. A Gift Gathered: I enjoy Sundays when my church family gathers to learn, to fellowship and to worship my God.

550. A Gift Given: On these Sunday mornings I love the gift of God's Word presented to us as a church family. His Word is sufficient for me.

551. A Gift Good: a good gift? The very best gift ever was God's gift to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, The Messiah. He is the true gift to each of us. All that is needed is for us to accept this gift.

3 Gifts That Start With N

546. I'm thankful for Alice. She is my Neighbor. She has always made me feel welcome in our neighborhood and she always makes me smile. When grands visit she always wants them to see her fish and feed them. She cares for her ailing husband, volunteers with the Historical Museum, attends her sorority regularly and decorates for Christmas like you wouldn't believe! She loves to show off her Christmas Village, which has gotten so large it now has a year round permanent place in her family room - in a specially built wall unit that takes up the whole wall! She decorates her 13 trees with ornaments that she has collected from all over the world. She is a very special lady and I am so very thankful she is in my life!

My neighbor letting my grands feed her fish.

547.  New friends. Moving to Wichita and going to a new church home has brought many new friends for me. I enjoy getting acquainted with these ladies and beginning new relationships. I am thankful for new friends to bond with.

548. November. I like November because it seems to turn many minds to Thanksgiving. Even people who are not always prone to seek the positive often think of what they are thankful for during this month. I really enjoy reading all the thanks giving posts on Face Book during this time of year. I'm thankful to hear of others positive thanks giving.

3 Gifts Worn

543. My daughter, Heather, told me about a brand of shoes that are comfortable and I needed some comfortable shoes. I love them. They really are comfy. I was on my feet, on concrete, for 6 hours one day and 8 hours another. The shoes were great. I'm so very thankful for the comfort of the Skechers Go Women.

544. Last week I switched out my summer clothes with my winter clothes. I'm so very thankful that I have clothes to wear. 

545. On these chilly days, I'm very thankful for my sweaters.

3 Gifts Eaten

This is the time of year that eating can become a problem. Big family meals - lots of desserts or even snack foods that we may not usually have around. I've been trying to eat healthier so I'm determined to be careful.

540. I'm thankful that I've never been hungry. Not really. I've always had food or food available. 

541. We've enjoyed banana bread several times in the last few weeks. I've tried a couple of recipes. I don't like really sweet things and banana bread seems to hit the spot.

542. I've had allergy problems for a month. I'm at the point now where nothing tastes good. Even when I'm hungry I can't think of anything to eat because nothing sounds good to me. Last evening, for some reason, I told the husband that a Sonic Chili Cheese Dog sounded good! So that sweet man got one for me for my dinner! - and it was good. I'm thankful that even when nothing tastes good, I can usually find something that will do.

3 Gifts Said

537. My Grandgirl saying "I don't do nothing, Daddy." She always brings a smile to my face.

538. "I think the reason I have so much common sense is because I live with old people." A.  :)

539. Reading to each other. - Precious.

3 Gifts Read

534. Last week I blogged about some books I read as a young girl. You can read that blog H.E.R.E.  When I wrote the blog, I pulled out the books I was going to write about to take their pictures. As I was looking through this one:

to find the name of the main character - I got "involved" in the story and wound up reading the book again. Not only was it a gift to get reacquainted with the characters, it also brought back many memories.

535. We are reading and studying "The Story" in our Life Group. This whole study has been a blessing for me. 

536. I enjoy reading the blogs. I have several favorites and read them each time they write a new post. Some of my favorite are:

Bob Russell

A Holy Experience by Ann Voskamp

Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Prairie Songs by Debra Blakley  

Debra is a Book Club friend from Oklahoma and I love keeping up with her on her blog - and the added benefit is that she is a terrific writer.

I have become a member of Kansas Women Bloggers and of Faithful Bloggers. 
In joining these sites I have found some new friends! I have found some more great blogs. 

Delta Moxie

Girl Returns Home

Scissortail SILK

vomitingchicken.com

I continue to watch for great blogs and these writers are an encouragement to me. I really count each of them a gift!

3 Gifts Hard Eucharisteo

531. I am so very thankful for small health problems. Because of these small things, I have taken the time to re-access my habits. The way I eat, the way I move. I am now in my 60th year taking better care of myself.

532. It is hard for me to be too busy. I am a home body and don't like to be going, going, going. But in the past few weeks I have been way more busy than I like. But I'm busy with the youth group at church and our small group. What a blessing being "too busy" has been for me.

533. Wichita is number one on the list for horrible allergies. I have suffered greatly in the last few days - but in doing so, I've slowed down from the busy-ness. (see above) So it has been a blessing to me.

3 Gifts Praised For

528. I praise God for a husband that doesn't let retirement become a boring time for him. He stays busy and happy. 

529. I praise God for birthday celebrations!

10-06-1978

10-07-1930

10-08-1973

10-17-1993

And I praise Him for an anniversary celebration:

10-22-2001

530. I praise God for my life and the wonderful opportunity of living for Him.

3 Gifts of Story

525. As I've grown older, I appreciate the gift of story from my Mom. She is a gift. A living miracle and I am thankful for her story. If you haven't read my Mom's story you can read it H.E.R.E.  and H.E.R.E.

526. I'm an avid reader, my Dad calls books "story books." I'm very thankful for "story books" because reading is one of my true passions.

527. We are doing a study in our Life Group called "The Story." It covers the complete Bible in chronological order. I have loved our study, our discussions and our prayer times.

3 Gifts Found in Light

522. "Weeping lasts for the night but joy comes in the morning." Each day the light comes and a new day gives us new opportunities. 

523. Because of the light in the summer we can have wonderful vegetables and beautiful flowers.

524. I've gone without electric power before. I've read by a lantern. But yet I can not imagine a life without this wonderful luxury. Flip a switch - have light. What a miracle it is. One that we take for granted.

3 Gifts Found in Little People

519. Their words. I love to hear them learning new words and using them - sometimes correctly, sometimes not. But you can just see their minds growing and learning. I. Love. This.

520. Their energy. Wow. I love to watch them run and play. Turn cartwheels and somersaults. 

520. Their purity of heart. That is a beautiful gift. 

A Gift Light, Dark, In the Shadow

516. A Gift Light: On days with the grands, it's always nice to wake up to sunshiny skies. Knowing we can spend a fun day outdoors. 

517. A Gift Dark: On days with the grands I  always look forward to bedtime! They wear me out!

518. A Gift in the shadow: When we are outside with the grands and it is summer hot, I always look for a shadow to stand in!

A Gift Bent, Beautiful, Loved

513. A Gift Bent: My Mom is losing inches. You know, when they reach an age where they begin getting shorter. This doesn't happen to everyone but to many it does. My Mom, even in her bent condition is a gift to me.

514. A Gift Beautiful: I am truly blessed by the beautiful older people in our church. I love to watch them praise and love on everyone at church. Beauty has NOTHING to do with the way you look, true beauty has to do with who you are - in the inside.

515. A Gift Loved: My husband, my children, my grands, my parents, my extended family, my church family, my friends, etc.

A Gift Sweet, Sour, Salty

510. A Gift Sweet: My favorite cookie is my homemade sugar cookie. I won a Blue Ribbon at the Major County Fair in 1968(?) I think, I mean that's been a few years ago. - Anyway, these are my favorites.

511. A Gift Sour: I remember as a child loving to cut a lemon in half, adding a bit of salt and eating them! I loved to drink the pickle juice out of the dill pickle jar. I don't indulge to that extent anymore, now my "sour" love is a good Limeade from Sonic!!

512. A Gift Salty: I love going to a good movie and getting some popcorn and a soda! We don't go to many movies but when we do we always share a big box of this salty treat. Our latest was Despicable Me 2. 

3 Gifts Baked

507.  

Birthday Cake for our Life Group.

508.

My favorite Sugar Cookies.

(sent some to Jonathan)

509.

When I make a trip to Weatherford I always ask

Jonathan if he wants me to bring food.

He loves Bierocks and often asks for them.

They are easy to freeze.

3 Gifts You Became Today in Serving

My friend Audra taking donations at our

Youth Fundraiser.

504. A Server:

I served baked beans to the left of the husband.

505. A Photographer for the fun event:

Jordan always gives me a pose!

 

Twins?

and of course - The Preacher!!

(it was a gift in serving as the photographer - I didn't say I was good at it!!!)

506. A Gift in Cleaning up:

Many times, the true fellowship, happens in the kitchen!! 

3 Gifts From Childhood

501. My parents raised me in a small church in our small town. No other gift is as important to me as the foundation for my faith.

502. I lived on a farm. That alone was a gift for me. As a teen I didn't think this way! But as a child I did and as an adult looking back I realize how blessed I truly was.

503. I was a reader. One of my fondest memories is reading books, then acting them. We had a concrete square over our septic tank and this was a perfect "stage" for acting out books.  It became a house, a church,  a school, a business, a courtroom, a boat - anything my mind could imagine was played out on this piece of concrete. A true gift for a child.

3 Gifts Musical

498. I was a young Christian adult when the Christian music scene exploded. The 70's - 80's - with the Gaither's, Sandi Patty, and on and on. It was an exciting time and I have watched God's people continue to stretch our spiritual lives with music that truly blesses us and worships Him.

499. I listen to spotify on my computer and I love being able to enjoy the same music at my desk as I do on Sunday mornings.

500. I have a grandgirl that is very musically talented. I pray that she uses this gift for the rest of her life!

3 Gifts From Your Heavenly Father

495. I have lived where the seasons don't change. It's basically the same day after day. It is a true gift for me to be able to watch as plants go dormant and then come alive again after a few months. I LOVE watching God change the seasons.

496. His Son, His Word.

497. Realizing that if I look to God, He will always answer. Maybe not the way I want but the best way - His way.

3 Gifts Unexpected

492. My step-granddaughter, Lauren, is a beautiful Christian girl. This summer she had an opportunity to go to Kingston, Jamaica on a missions trip. I was so very excited to find out that her group worked at the same church we worked with while we lived in Jamaica! What a small world. She got to meet some of the amazing people I worked with while there!!

493. Every day I am amazed at the unexpected wonderful gift I found in my husband. God has truly blessed me.

494. I am a home body. I love being at home. It has been a wonderful gift being able to work from home and spend so much time in my favorite place!

3 Gifts Learned

489. "In hard times I've learned 3 things: I am stronger than I ever imagined, Jesus was closer than I ever realized, and I am loved more than I ever knew."  I read this one day on a devotional flip calendar and knew it was written for me. I hope to never forget these 3 things.

490. I've learned that the joys, hurts, aches and pains of being a Mom - never go away no matter how old your kids are.

491. I've learned that I feel better when I exercise.

3 Gifts in Your Dad

486. I realize that our world is made up of "step" families. It's very common. My sister-in-law, Minda, told me of a 5th grade class she had a few years ago with every student in a situation where they lived with only one biological parent or no biological parent. EVERY student.

But in 1957, being in a step family wasn't that common. My Dad accepted me as his and I never felt left out or mistreated because of this "step" situation. He took me in as his own.

487. My Dad has always had a wonderful work ethic. Being a wheat farmer - he also has shown a perfect example of being a hard worker.

488. As my parent's have aged I realize what a gift it is for my Dad to be so willing to care for my Mom. I know its not always easy for either of them.