My Joy Dare

The greatest self-help book in the world.  That is what I call the Bible.  The answers to any problem are all there and I love to turn to it searching out answers for life lessons. Books are life changing.  I will never forget the day my friend Laurie Yarosh handed me Stormie Omartians book The Power of the Praying Wife.  My life was forever changed that day as I knew God was using those words to speak directly to me.  That day was long ago, and really, no other book has touched me so much or changed my life so much...until now.

I have recommended it to the ladies in our general bible study.  I have shouted praises at the ladies devotion I go to once a week..and I have watched as the words on the pages have helped me to enjoy every single day even more.  The book is called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I won't go into all of the details of it, because I would really hope you would look into it yourself.

For over a month now I have been writing down three things a day that I am grateful for, just sort of willy-nilly, out of the blue things.  Each tiny phrase that I write, each gratitude that I thank Him for does an amazing thing...it eases my soul.  And with that easement of my soul comes something else...near disappointment that I am only listing three things...because once you start to list gratitude, gratitude floods.

This year, I have decided to start with Ann Voskamps Joy Dare.  Todays dare is to list "3 Gifts Heard"....and see my mind is already flooded...only three?  Please forgive me while I list more than that!

1)  The happy laughter ringing in my husbands voice on a choppy skype connection.  When I am unable to see the smiling face, the laughter assures me that all is well in his war filled world.

2)  Praise from a loving sister-in-law that the eulogy I presented last week at the funeral of my beloved mother-in-law was indeed something that would have made Memere extremely proud.  Only the best for a mother-in-law who always loved, always supported, never interfered, and ALWAYS was grateful.

3) Bellowing laughter of togetherness of my children, for when one laughs, they both laugh, like twins, two peas in a pod, enjoying their last day of Christmas vacation.

4)...see, who can stop at 3......the ringing of the one hundred year old doorbell...an Army friend of my own soldier shows up out of the blue to make sure we are doing ok...a true sign of the life changing friendships my soldier has made since we moved to WV.

5) The buzz-buzz-buzz of my cell phone as yet another of my soldiers friends calls to check on us...this time, one of his oldest friends from his Cali days...Uncle Frankie, he checks on us regularly, like a long lost brother keeping track of the home front, albeit from the West Coast.

The Joy Dare...can I list 1000 things I am grateful for in 2013?  With our busy life, I may not be able to whittle out the time to post them here every day, but you can bet I will be somewhere writing or praying or possibly even shouting out my gratitude to an Almighty God who blesses every day without fail!

Happy 2013 to all of my friends out there!  May your year be full of gratitude :)