One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where you Are

I've been dying to write this, yet simultaneously dreading it.  How can I possibly, in my limited words, do justice to this book and what it taught me?

But try I must, because I want everyone to know about it!





"You have to read One Thousand Gifts," my friend Lindi urged me.  She told me a bit about it and about the blog that author Ann Voskamp writes.  Now, I've not known Lindi long, but the moment I met her, something clicked.  I knew right away that she was genuine and trustworthy, and, since then, time has revealed that we think very much alike and have similar goals in life.  If Lindi recommends a book, I will probably read it!  Well, eventually . . . it takes me awhile to read an entire book. ;)

I haven't even had a chance yet to talk with Lindi about how this book affected me, but I am so very thankful to her for telling me about it.  And now I must share it with you all, or burst!  I do wish I could buy a bunch of copies and send one to each of you.  Unfortunately, that won't be happening anytime soon.  If you'd like to read it for free, do what I did and check it out at the library.  I had to wait a few months on the waiting list, but it was well worth the wait.  Had I known how it would impact me, I might have gone ahead and bought it, or asked Lindi if I could borrow her copy when she was done with it.  In any case, if you live in my area, I will be returning it to the library by Wednesday. ;)

There is no book as inspiring as the Bible itself because it is inspired by God Himself!  So I hesitate to say things like "This book is life-changing" about books that aren't the Bible.  I won't say that about One Thousand Gifts (subtitle: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where you Are), but what I can say is that Ann Voskamp's experience with digging into Scripture and sharing what she learned with the readers of her book is deeply profound and moving.  She uses God's Word (and a host of other poetic words) to describe how God changed her life in her obedience to what she learned.  She brings a perspective I hadn't thought of in such a way before.

Do you want to experience true joy?  Do you want to truly understand the antidote to fear?  This book is for you!

The message of the book is enough to make it worthwhile.

But then your senses are treated to the author's amazing use of words!  I've never read anything like this!  It's like reading a poem, but it's not a poem.  You feel, hear, smell, see and taste what she is talking about.  You cry with her in her darkness and wonder if she'll ever come out of it, and delight with her as she discovers the answers.  You experience her childhood, eat dinner with her now husband and kids, live chaotic moments in her shoes as a homeschooling mom of six, and feel her emotions and reactions, raw and honest.

It is some of the crazy-best reading I've ever done!

I don't want to give anything away for those who want to read it, but I need to tell you this:  It's all about gratitude.  It's so weird that I can tell you the main point of the book without taking away from your experience in reading it.  You simply have to read it to see how it all fits together, but her main encouragement in the book is to be thankful.  For everything!

I'm telling you, it's gut-wrenching and true and right and difficult and obedient and . . . blessed.  To be grateful for the good and bad, beautiful and ugly, easy and difficult.  It's what I'm determined to do because someone took the time to explain to me, in this book, what she learned and how she learned it and how vital it is.  It's not something you'd likely ever see on Oprah.  It's true gratitude, which is not always pretty, but always freeing in the ways that matter.  In ways that make a difference.

I have begun my own list of 1,000 things I'm grateful for.  I keep a notebook on a kitchen counter to write things as they come to me, and then transfer them to my blog from time to time.  I wonder how long it will take me to reach 1,000.  Ann Voskamp has a challenge on her blog to think of 3 things each day for a year, and you'll have reached 1,000!  Breaking it down like that makes it seem very manageable.

Will you take the dare?  At least read the book and find out what it's all about! :)

Summer Reading

My hometown library

 I LOVE the library's summer reading program!  I don't remember whether or not I participated in summer reading programs as a child, nor if there was even one offered.  There probably was, but I didn't need that kind of motivation to read.  I just loved to read!  All through the year, summer or winter, my friends from elementary school and I would walk to the public library regularly.  Yes, kids back then actually walked a couple miles each way to their destinations and not one of us died from it! ;)

Now, it wasn't all about the reading for us, of course.  There was the "Country Kitchen" deli, with penny candy (some of which actually cost a penny--think Swedish fish and Bazooka), to stop at on the way home (or the News Agency--more expensive candy, lol).  By the time Jr. High rolled around, the library was just one more place to see more people (a-hem), and during the high school years, I think most of us did our library business in our school libraries (the LRC at my school) and pretty much avoided the public library.

Our wonderful library :)

As an adult, I'm back to loving the public library.  The endless shelves of books . . . well, they remind me how much time I DON'T have to read.  But, still, just the hope of beginning and completing a great work of fiction (or non) makes those shelves of books look ever so appealing.

Having a child, though, makes it even better.  Because of him I get to read some of my childhood favorites again without being embarrassed!  I have the privilege of introducing him to the best of the best, and see him discover some new ones on his own.

During the school year, he doesn't have as many choices.  But during the summer, the sky's the limit.  Well, within reason, of course. :)  I love to see what he's interested in reading each week.  Last week it was George Washington and mysteries.  This week it's sharks and Little House books (he's reading Farmer Boy right now).

Little Mister doesn't love to read as much as I did at his age, but that's okay.  He enjoys it enough to be slightly enthusiastic.  Being as competitive as he is, even with himself, the summer reading program at the library is quite the incentive!  Reading is a nice way for him to spend some calm moments on summer days.  He's so active--it's nice to see him chill for awhile each day and open a book.

For a list of 101 best classic children's books, divided into age groups, click here. 
Disclaimer: I don't personally recommend every one of these books, but many of them are very good.  As parents, we need to be careful what we allow our children to read about/dwell on, so it's best to read unfamiliar books before allowing them to do so.  Also, I don't know anything about the rest of this site--just posting it for this list. :)