A dare to live fully... Right where you are...

A friend suggested a great read... one that inspires gratitude. I'm barely into chapter 3 and already "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp causes me to stop and think. What makes me smile and fills me with gratitude? Sometimes you don't even notice the attitude of gratefulness... Then you stop and think. I am inspire by my friend Blair and now by author Ann Voskamp to take a few moments throughout my day to pause and think about the things that I am grateful for.

Voskamp refers to Luke 22:19 "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them..." The word EUCHARISTEO is "he gave thanks" in the original lanuage. "The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning 'grace.' Jesus took the bread and saw it as a grace and gave thanks... Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek work chara, meaning 'joy.'" So we have Charis, Grace. Eucharisteo, Thanksgiving. and Chara, Joy. The essence of gratitude.

Chapter 3 starts with a quote from Sarah Ben Breathnach, "Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter every day epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world." I had to read it several times for it to really sink it, and yet I still have to stop and think. I decided to break it down a bit more. Reverence, a feeling of profound respect for someone or something. Epiphany, a divine revelation. Transcendent, exceeding or surpassing usual limits. Breaking down the words really brings to light the depth of this statement. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but I really wanted to understand why Voskamp chose this quote for this chapter. Chapter 3 begins to break down "the list." The list is a Gift List. "Not of gift I want but gifts I already have."

I'm inspired as I read the beginnings of her list (eventually to reach 1000)... simple. God's gifts to us aren't necessarily complicated, not really. I love her second item. "2. Jam piled high on toast." What could get more simple than that? She writes this list to draw her back to deep communion with God. The thought of that... *sigh* Oh how I long to be there...

All this to say... I'm starting my list. I'm writing until I reach 1000.

Anybody?

Does anybody read me?

French Toast & Sausage, Yum (inspired by The Pioneer Woman)

Cooking sausage (Dad and Daniel butchered)...


Farm fresh eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, sugar... mixed.

Soaking bread...


Sausage cooking...

French Toast cooking...

Cooked...

Topped with powdered sugar and syrup :)

NOTE:: All photos were taken with the iphone. Quality not guaranteed. This is me playing around while cooking dinner. Idea directly from www.thepioneerwoman.com

3 months and counting...

So I'm turning the big 3-0 this year... in less than 3 months actually. I've been dreading it since I turned 27 and realized it wasn't far off. I've been thinking... what could I do to make the 30th year a good one, maybe a great one and not the dreaded one. I've come across a couple things that are inspiring and may just have an impact on what I do....

Julie & Julia... How fun would cooking through Julia's (or Martha's etc) cookbook be? I'd love it. BUT its been done. Found someone on facebook (via another friend) who is trying something new each week... then blogging about it (including pics). Very good idea... if you like trying new things. OR maybe a good idea if you don't.. get you moving out of your box and experiencing life???

Those two things in mind I'm working on my idea... It will start November 23 either way... Any ideas?

Not by me...

Well today was a good day. Spent the day with my best friend in the whole world. She is wonderful, funny, beautiful and perfect!! We taught VBS on the East Side tonight and I found out that many people share my name! But they pronounce it very differently. But enough about that...Back to more about my best friend. She constantly makes me laugh and I am just so lucky to have her in my life. She put the cheese on my tortilla, microwaved my burrito and picked out my shirt for the night. Wow! What a friend!

Crazy Love?

I'm reading Crazy Love with some girl friends... We're blogging about it because schedules dont really work out to get together.... www.callinghisname.blogspot.com Should be good if everyone posts!

Anyone ever read Crazy Love?

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