NOTE: While my list of one thousand gifts continues, this week I am taking a much-needed break from blogging. I’m busy spending time with family and taking pictures, and I will be back next week with additions to my list. In the meantime, please enjoy a little vacation flashback: a re-post of 23 blessings from last summer’s vacation to northern Minnesota. (This was before I read Ann’s book or started my official list counting to 1,000.)
Today I write in celebration of God’s divine goodness toward our family during our Boundary Waters vacation earlier this month.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.Psalm 23
Father in heaven, thank You for leading us to this captivating place where I count so many blessings.
1. Fresh, gentle breezes drifting through open windows.
2. Daisies showing You love me.
3. Raspberries ripening, wild and sweet.
4. Waters parting as canoes glide quietly.
5. Water lilies floating elegantly.
6. A strong man persevering.
7. Hikers exploring new boundaries.
8. Rocks welcoming young climbers.
9. Water falling like stair steps.
10. Little girls wading deep in clear water.
11. Pine trees scenting the air.
12. Wind rustling the leaves, which encourage it to slow down.
13. Hummingbirds darting to and fro while chickadees sing cheerfully.
14. Chipmunks bravely scurrying to play hide-and-seek.
15. Friends treasuring time together.
16. A sailboat whisking away in the wind.
17. A dog flying, fetching into the water.
18. Lupines growing tall but fading.
19. The moose evading the camera.
20. Popcorn promising to pile up like winter snow.
21. Tired little girls resting in snug bunk beds.
22. Loons crying lonesome in the night.
23. Your Love Lights, aurora borealis, brightening the dark night sky in the wee small hours.
Thank You, Father in heaven, for this peaceful place beside the water, this place where You give me rest and restore my soul. Your goodness and love follows me. My cup overflows.
“Gratitude is the culture of the sinners made saints.” –Ann Voskamp
Starlight Writer 