“…let there be thankfulness to God.”  Ephesians 5:4 (NLT)

 

 Thank you, dear readers, for joining me as I count up one thousand gifts for which I am most thankful to God. 

388. joyful skipping in the spring weather as the shadows lengthen

389. how my daddy teaches them to march onward

390. 15 years of having and holding the best man I know

391. the busy, familiar hum of my mama’s old teal-blue Singer and four other hands working the fabric

392. wavy golden locks soaking up the sunlight

393. her scrunched-up nose smile

394. rays of golden sunshine tickling the fresh green grass

395. a goose rippling through the still waters

396. muskrats circling near the pond’s surface

397. thoughtful grandparents who love and listen and encourage

398. trees to embrace

399. deer peeking out of the woods

400. heartfelt good-bye hugs

401. bittersweet good-byes and tear-stained cheeks because we love them and we will miss them

402. seven tiny tadpoles adopted and brought home in borrowed jars with lids

403. the verdant weeping willow

404. hunting for duckweed in the pond — to feed our new tadpole friends

405. rubber boots that encourage me to venture farther and deeper and closer

406. the refreshing scent of May’s come-and-go raindrops

407. the cheery whistle of the red-winged blackbird perched a-top a metal post

408. a beaver rippling through the stillness as I travel the lonely path winding by the pond, through the woods, into the meadow

409. the glee chorus of frogs singing loudly as ducks glide smoothly into a watery landing

410. her sweet, warm, so-fresh-from-God feel as my arms cradle Dorothy Joy, just 12 hours old 

411. how quietly she folds her laundry on my bed

412. the not-for-prom, Mother’s-Day corsage that their sweet little voices mistakenly call a “crochet”

413. a pile of Mother’s Day surprises, four chocolate-smudged cheeks, and two rosy little girls in white lace to hold tight and call my own

414. swans gathering again in the silvery waters of evening

415. a picturesque trail nearby, nestled between the trees and the lake

416. strong little legs to pedal far

417. the dandelion picker

418. buds transforming into leaves

419. the bunny’s big, bouncy feet

420. ripples in the lake water

421. the whiteness of birch bark

422. seeds hidden deep in muddy fields of black

423. the less-traveled, winding dirt roads

424. the sun setting and reflecting gloriously, in stunning hues of pink, purple and gold