Multitude Monday - a Faith Parable and #510-530

A sailor was telling a small boy about the sea. He mentioned the wind. “What’s wind?” asked the little boy. “I don’t know what wind is,” replied the sailor, “but I know what it does when I raise a sail.” We now know a lot about how to chart the wind’s course, but we still can’t see it; we can only see what it does. So it is with God’s Spirit. We can’t see it; we can only see what it does in the lives of those who put their trust in God. The winds of God’s grace are always blowing, but we must raise the sail of faith if we want them to propel us toward deeper peace and joy. Prayer is lifting our sails to the winds of God’s wisdom and power. We do not tell the wind which way to blow. We learn how to adjust our sail to the wind so it can propel us in the right direction. In prayer we do not tell God how to act. Instead, we lift our praise and concerns so God can fill us with a deeper sense of God’s presence and help us steer toward the answer God has in store for us.

A Faith Parable, taken from The Heart of Wisdom

#511. yet ANOTHER holiday today - one last gift of a day before it's back to
"normal"

#512. spending a Sunday afternoon with a friend

#513. empathy

#514. Martin Luther King, Jr, and what his life meant (and means) to so many

#515. sweet stories shared with my six year old... I thought he was getting too
"big" for these stories and he pulled them out last night and just loved them all over again!

#516. a good Sunday evening roast dinner with our family

#517. finding pictures on the computer that I didn't know we had (must have been taken by my nine year old with her camera -- love it!)

#518. stuffed animals! Our house is littered with them, but it seems each one holds a special memory.

#519. Coco Rice Krispie treats!

#520. our budgeting tool, Mint.com - It is really helping me to see what I am spending and how the budget looks. We are making such huge progress this way!

#521. pink, fuzzy bathrobes

#522. knit socks

#523. my brother and sisters, who I either text, email, or talk to on almost a daily basis. They are 18, 12 and 11 years apart in age from me, but we remain close.

#524. the "tickle gloves", and the way my son's face looks when he attacks us with them

#525. my SLOW COOKER!

#526. Netflix instant streaming - what an awesome resource for our homeschool!

#527. a homeschool mom who shared her faith story with me this week

#528. tickets to The Blue Man Group this week - can't wait!

#529. Free babysitting while my husband and I are at The Blue Man Group!

#530. spending the afternoon yesterday learning to knit.... now I know how hard it was for my nine year old!

Multitude Monday - already at 500!

I first started blogging about gratitude last summer... going back to read old lists of thankfulness is a blessing in itself. Head over to A Holy Experience to read other people's lists of gratitude.

500. an added vacation day, with beautiful snow on the ground

501. Winnie the Pooh waffles
502. Snuggies
503. Spiderman robes
504. free book downloads (I'm currently reading The Apothecary's Daughter for Kindle)
505. hand me downs
506. crockpots - and a new crockpot recipe for a cold day!
507. blogging friends
508. peppermint foot lotion
509. the blessing of warm clothes.... hats, scarves, mittens, sweatsuits. We have so much and others have so little.
510. hot chocolate!

Normally I like to list 20 things each week, but today I have to cut the list short.... I am the hot chocolate maker for the snowman makers, so I must get going!

Multitude Monday - Thankful for a New Year!

With the changing of the year comes the changing of goals, attitudes, and habits. What a blessing that we get a "fresh start". It's funny how the simple turning of a page on a calendar can spur us on to so many things. In thinking about fresh starts it also stands to reason that we think about the many blessings we already possess.... and in the past week of "vacation" there has been much time to reflect upon gratitude.

481. a peaceful few days, enjoying some colder weather sitting by the fireplace - admiring the stockings that were lovingly knit by my sister
482. pralines - made by my neighbor who is always making us treats!
483. friends, who listen and support you - even when you're griping about something trivial
484. music - even though it's the same song being played on the electronic keyboard - OVER AND OVER AGAIN!
485. several dinners, cooked by my husband and not me!
486. freshly shampooed carpets (again - done my husband, and not me!)
487. the lingering of the Christmas spirit - as we wait for Epiphany
488. a quiet morning alone, packing away all of the precious ornaments from our tree; each one holds beautiful memories
489. fun times playing "Guess Who?" with my son - what a great game!

490. lots of time spent reading out loud to my children, and them HAPPILY turning off the television when I say "let's read!"
491. my iPad - a great research tool
492. free book downloads
493. special relationships my daughter has with a few adults - what a blessing they are to her
494. a big decision made for our church today
495. time today to get ready for our study of The Ancients.... exciting for me!
496. my husband offering to take us out to dinner tonight -- again.... exciting for me!
497. text messaging - I keep in touch with so many people this way
498. flavored creamer in my coffee
499. reading through the book of John together with my children
500. a new year and a new start!