Monday, April 1, 2013

Lenten Gratefulness

For Lent, instead of giving something up, I decided to add something to my daily routine.  This 'something' was the daily discipline of posting something I was grateful for on Facebook.  I tried to be more intentional about paying attention to what I was grateful for.  Some days this was harder to do than others.  I wanted to save the entire list so I wrote it in my journal, and am also posting it here.
One thing that surprised me is the number of comments that I got from other people - in person and with Facebook comments - about how much they appreciated the daily posts.  I was doing it more for myself but it was interesting to see how it impacted other people as well.
  • safe travels and good travel companions
  • those who volunteer their time to serve on board of non-profit organizations
  • sunshine after rain
  • airplanes and pilots who fly them
  • my mom (on her birthday)
  • lunch and good conversation with a friend
  • my winter coat, gloves, and hat
  • my small group
  • home cooked meals
  • snow shovels and people who shovel and plow sidewalks
  • Ten Thousand Villages and their commitment to fair trade
  • opportunity to see good theater
  • Goshen College's Rec-Fitness Center
  • Jim H (my boss, on his birthday)
  • health insurance
  • Goshen and the people who live here
  • feeling of accomplishment from crossing things off my to-do list
  • that I have enough money to buy the food I need to bake, cook & eat
  • my church
  • phone calls from friends
  • the beauty of fresh snow, and that I don't have to drive in it.
  • the students who were in my SST unit
  • public libraries
  • vacation days
  • my friend Penny
  • The Hermitage
  • an evening with no meetings or obligations
  • my extended family - aunts, uncles, cousins
  • peanut butter pie
  • drinking fountains, and clean drinking water
  • Camp Friedenswald, and the long-lasting friendships I formed there.
  • board and staff of Ten Thousand Villages Goshen
  • quilts and blankets
  • music
  • that I am not afraid to speak in front of large groups
  • Bethany Christian Schools
  • March Madness
  • time spent with family
  • a job I enjoy (most days) and that continues to challenge me
  • chocolate
  • my friend Susie
  • signs of spring
  • another year of life
  • signs of hope, words of hope, and places of hope.  Christ is risen!
 

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