"...I may feel disappointment and the despair may flood high, but to give thanks is an action and rejoice is a verb and these are not mere pulsing emotions. While I may not always feel joy, God asks me to give thanks in all things, because He knows that the feeling of joy begins in the action of thanksgiving." Ann Voskamp in One Thousand Gifts (p. 176)
I feel in many ways that I haven't been doing much besides reading, visiting, reading, resting, reading, watching television, and a little bit of walking and sewing these last few weeks. But then again, when I think of giving thanks as an action, maybe I have been doing more than I thought. This time of rest is, for me, a time of reflection and time to pause from the racetrack of my life. And, while the impetus for this all wasn't my first choice, I really feel that I have been able to participate in the action of thanksgiving. I have been able to see LOTS of positive things about this time. I have been able to experience LOADS of expressions of love that I can give thanks for. My mind has been freed of the minutiae of day-to-day living and the constant mental lists of things that need to be done. I have been freed to see the gifts God gives us every day. And so I will follow the call to action and practice daily thanksgiving in order to develop and strengthen that habit of the mind and soul. (And I will take my daily walks outside to strengthen my body, lengthening those as I am able.)
Coming soon: the beginnings of my list of 1000 Gifts - a work in progress
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Love this, Karen. Thanks for the reminder. You help me remember that God can see things we don't see and gives us what we NEED, not what we want. I sure miss seeing you every day - but I also encourage you (from personal experience ;-) ) to take your time and not to hurry back.
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