February 11, 2012: When Work Is a Gift

3 gifts found in working:
This being a Saturday, I didn't do much of what anyone might call actual work, but I did work on several projects that were indeed gifts.

• The gift of memories.  I had a needlework piece that my Grandma did for my Mom at least 30 years ago.  It no longer had a frame and I've been on the lookout for one. Found it yesterday and so today my husband and I worked on getting fitting it in the frame and hung on the wall.  I love it!
• The gift of creativity .  I worked on Valentine's cards yesterday and  then today to finish them up. I tried out several of the ideas I had pinned from Pinterest and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
• The gift of giving. Made some Valentine's treats for our Girls' Night Out tonight.  We sampled them for dessert and during the movie. Frosting on top of the cake!

January 31, 2012: A Late Night Gift

a gift found on a paper, in a person, in a picture:

• on a paper: full of middle of the night scribbles.  Last night I went to bed rather discouraged.  I had been trying to come up with ideas for a large group event for my Bible Study.  We usually schedule a couple of dates each year where all the groups come together for something special and that day is coming up quickly.  We've done some really neat things in the past, but I was coming up empty this time.  I thought maybe we'd have to repeat a past event or perhaps postpone or cancel it. My head barely hit the pillow when God began flooding my brain with ideas.  I jumped up and grabbed a pad of paper and began jotting them down.  I went to sleep happy but didn't remember it this morning until I saw the list on the counter in the bathroom. When I finally came to the end of my own resources, God stepped in with the gift he had for me all along.
• in a person: my husband.  He amazes me with his unfailing positive attitude.  He has a gift of being able to see good in everything.  Sometimes it used to irritate me that he was always cheerful, not it (mostly) just blesses me.
• in a picture: or a drawer full of pictures. My husband mentioned that he opened the desk drawer  and found a picture of us skiing in Colorado 25 years ago.  What makes that notable is that he just returned from a weekend skiing in Colorado with our 24 year old son.  I pulled open the same drawer tonight and came across an envelope of old black and white pictures taken when my mom and her siblings were children.  Pictures can be just images on paper, but they can also be gifts that bring back memories and tell stories of days gone by. 

January 16, 2012: Hapiness in Small Things

3 ways you witnessed happiness today:

• Two neighbor girls outside my window, attempting to knock icicles off their garage roof. The small joys of childhood.
•  My husband finding the ski gear he wanted for a bargain price.  The small joy of an unexpected good deal.
• My daughter reading some of her picture books from when she was a little girl, trying to choose a favorite to bring to her Children's Literature class.  The small joy of special memories.