A Book and A Hope …
“How do I fully live when life is full of hurt?”
Are you down today? Perhaps grief and loss have derailed you and you are finding it hard to get back to a standing position, let alone getting any forward motion. Maybe some other disappointment has temporarily sucked the air out of you and you are trying to find some way to come back.
I can say with certainty “I have been there.” I am still right there some days. Having lost my soul mate and life partner 16 months ago, I still find I must make my way through my days often in dark places. This book has helped me more than any other, outside of scripture, to see the way to a better place, and yes, to find joy!
The book is the New York Times Bestseller: One Thousand Gifts by Anne Voskamp (click here to view her website). Anne had dealt with unresolved grief and pain since childhood. She vowed to try to come to healing and understanding, to find what was missing. What was missing was joy.
In simple terms, she discovered “eucharisteo“. What, pray tell is THAT?!? It is simply gratitude or giving thanks. The term came originally from the “Last Supper” when the Lord gave thanks, then blessed and served his disciples, knowing within hours what He was facing.
Over weeks and months, Ann committed, after a challenge from a friend, to find 1,000 gifts to be thankful for. Like what, you ask? …a butterfly that lights on the kitchen window sill, …the shimmering rainbow in a droplet of water on a washed glass in the drain board, …a son’s hand that still existed after a horrific accident and months of therapy.
The first words that grabbed my heart and made me pay attention were these: “Gratitude precedes the miracle.”
GRATITUDE PRECEDES THE MIRACLE … let that sink in.
Could it be so basic? Could it be that simply noticing the beautiful gifts around me could bring actual joy instead of this lingering sadness? Was I willing to challenge myself? I was inspired. What, really, did I have to lose, except this frozen ball of ice around me, which I hated, anyway?
I started. Walking across the parking lot at work I saw a red-tailed hawk swoop down in front of me, close to the roof. He was magnificent! He left, then soared back close to let me see his beauty before he climbed above the slope and dive-bombed to his prey somewhere above me. #1: Red Tailed Hawk show, just for me.
Email from a friend: “My long-term soul mate has cancer. I have decided to marry him and really walk this walk with him. Seeing your strength and courage with Lou, has given me the belief I too can do this. “ #2: Thank you God for Lou’s cancer and that my open sharing gave courage to my friend.
A new friend’s son is walking a dangerous path, self-destructive, heart-breaking, with some new pain every day. Gratitude precedes the miracle, I tell her, as we pray. She focuses on that one thing for two weeks. Good things begin to happen, tiny positive changes.
A good friend’s daughter has breast cancer. We visit and talk about gratitude. She shares how she finds 5 things to be thankful for every day. She thinks she must be the happiest person with cancer ever. Could it be a result of her gratitude?
At lunch with my boss and friend, he said carefully and with great purpose at the finish, “You are finally back! I have watched your sad journey and have waited for the day when I could say this: The spark of life is back in your eyes and in your voice and in your outlook.” #76: Someone has seen life in my eyes, hope in my heart.
Is it possibly true? Can simple gratitude change a life of sorrow back to a life of light and hope and sometimes even joy? Part of mine was needing to see some good purpose, even in the pain.
I am well on my way to my own 1,000 gifts. Actually, I don’t intend to stop there. If the first 1,000 can help this much, why would I ever stop?
|| what do you think?
Can you relate?
Can an attitude actually be the start of a miracle?
Please share your thoughts.
31 Comments
Joanna,
So much of what we have doesn’t cost much. I remember simple picnics with nothing more than sandwich supplies and chips from the market and a blanket in the park, or beach or mountains with our little April. What memories! What beauty! What laughter, as we watched the world through her little eyes. You have a lot, Joanna. You have your little one.
Love,
Anne
Thank you, Anne. What a great reminder this post is to count our blessings and be grateful for all the good things we have! I have been exploring the website for this book and found much inspiration there too. I really love the idea of discovering 1,000 gifts to be thankful for! And I know you will reach and well exceed your goal!
Rosemary,
I know you love to read. I think this book would be worth your time. My problem now is saying thank you, but not writing it all down. I know I have to get back to that. The beauty around us and that exudes from each of us to the other, when we stop and actually see it, is pretty cool.
Thanks for your comments,
Anne
Annie,
You are right…this post has blessed me….but then again, you always bless me. Conversations with you end with me feeling His love as well as yours.
I believe that our attitudes are absolutely crucial for being ready for miracles.
I am guilty of letting “busy” take over my mind and day. There are times I am called downstairs for a family and think – “I have this, this and this I am trying to finish!”
Once down with the family, a story is shared, a connection is made, I slow down and I am blessed. We know someone in common. They speak to my heart and leave me with a feeling of incredible joy.
Attitude is everything and I am a constant work in progress!
Love you,
Lori
Lori,
Thank you! That is a gift to me. You will find countless blessings in work as you have pointed out. May I also say, if you are quiet, relax and look, you will find even more in your off time. Stop, breathe, look around you, listen to the quiet, out of doors. It is all there, just for you!
Love,
Anne
Anne….Thank you for your reminder about having an “attitude of gratitude”…I am not sure about anyone else but I need to be constantly reminded about slowing down and being thankful…..the great old hymn encourages us to count your blessings and to name them one by one….Mark
Thanks, Mark. When we do that, we really can’t possibly be sad, can we?
I am glad you work here and are a friend. Here’s to December! It will be here before you know it!
Anne
Hi Anne –
Yes & Yes! Our attitude will either lift us up or pull us down. If we are up we are open to seeing the world as it really is, free, light and full of miracles. If we are down, we cannot see anything except our two feet dragging through this world. I can totally relate to all the little miracles that are in front of our faces, the butterflies that fly in the air, a smile when you least expect it. This world can be a very dark place and at times it is very dark, when we open our hearts & minds we can create miracles for others. I am proud of you for looking inward and transforming your self beyond the flesh and blood of this life. You too are a miracle never forget that you have been given this life for a reason and a greater purpose. I am thankful that we are friends, you have created many joyful days and miracles for me over the years. XOXO
Thank you, Neil. Having been both places many times, I know we belong in the positive and we can stay there far longer when we look for the beauty and miracles God provides. One of the greatest is in the gift of our children. Filled with such wonder and imagination, not much slips by them. Oh to be able to get the uncontrollable giggles like I did when I was 3 and 4. I remember chewing on long tender blades of grass and laying in meadows of 3 leafed clovers looking and looking for the one four leafed clover that just HAD to be there. Silly, wonderful things only children care about.
I am glad we have each other, too. I will never forget at the end of all the people at Lou’s visitation and you asked, “Shall I go or stay?” I said “Stay” and when I was done with my final visit at Lou’s casket, I said, “Hold me” and you did. I will never forget.
Love
Anne