Because I think she might be right. One Thousand Gifts
1. Chicken tracks in the snow
2. Perfect, delicate, lacy flakes on my arm, nearly missed
3. Calico stockings all hung in a row
4. Little girls waking up in new beds on Christmas morning
5. The first cup of hot coffee
6. The church all decorated for Christmas
7. Young love – Stephen and Michelle married 12-26-10
8. Thomas, nearly two, still falls asleep in my arms
9. Fat cheeks for kissing
10. Rubbing the smooth back of Davey’s fresh-shaved head
11. His rough stubble on my face when we kiss
12. Blue jeans stretched taught as my man bends to his work
13. Afternoon movies with my babies
14. Moonglow on pillows
15. Chocolate ice cream
16. The quiet of the barn
17. Lights glowing on the Christmas tree
18. Warm breath rising steamy from the black noses of cows
19. Snow falling through crisp, cold air
20. Warm laundry fresh from the dryer
21. Salty, green pistachios
22. Gingerbread scented candles (a gift!)
23. Homespun garland strung across a sunny window
24. Warm brown eggs
25. Babies in blue jeans
26. Blue plaid flannel sheets
27. The warm, comfortable scent of hay
28. Godiva chocolates
29. Midnight Garden bubble bath
30. Washing machines that use lots and lots of water
31. Talking to my sister on the phone
32. Having her tell me her wonderful news (baby #4!)
33. Tommy’s car seat, all clean and ready for his next road trip
34. Neighbors that let us borrow their trailer so we can take our cow to the processor
35. Pleasant tempers when we stopped on the side of the road with a cow in tow to fix the car with tools from a poorly stocked toolbox
36. Working together, husband and me, to figure out what’s wrong and fix it
37. Bonfires and children playing hide and seek in the dark
38. A little guest’s face, full of joy and wonder, as she holds her first sparkler
39. My neighbor, who I like very much, stopping in for a few minutes with her little one’s in tow
40. Unexpectedly warm and dry weather just when we most hoped for it
41. Unhurried time with friends
42. Laughing at mistakes
43. Celebrating sixteen years of marriage, when sometimes it didn’t seem we could hold on this long
44. Clean stockpots
45. The smell of fire in my hair
46.First bloom on the Christmas cactus…and it’s still Christmas!
47. Pizza night
48. Smiley faces covering me with kisses because they miss me, even if I was just taking a nap right in front of them
49. My sisters’ comments on my blog, because I seldom get to really talk to them
50. Coming home to locked doors
51. Kissing sleeping children good night and whispering my love into their ears, and hearing Penelope whisper back, “I love you, too.”
52. Time to tell our tales
53. The collective memory of the family
54. My feed guy
55. All the people I meet at the feed guy’s place
56. Seeing someone I know at Big O Tires last night
57. The company of my children
58. Standing in the bright winter sun watching my roosters perform their mating dance for disinterested hens
59. Christmas pyramid spinning joyfully in the heat and light of the candles
60. The world I see – all different – when I look through the camera lens
61. The friendship of my mother
62. Snow on the stubble of a wheat field
63. Ellie back home and in the freezer, all 209 pounds of her
64. Riding a pedal car in loops around the parking lot – what fun!
65. Eggs in abundance again
66. Cold wind blustering through the chimes
67. Quiet darkness of the house in the early morning
68. Falling asleep with husband’s arm wrapped around me
69. Sparing a bale of hay for a friend, even though I’m counting them
70. Homegrown dinners, like the lamb patties we’re having tonight
71. Feeling a little bit bad…tomorrow I’ll give thanks by taking a nap, ’cause I think that’s what He’s going for.
72. Snow melt and gentle rain
73. Resupply of Lemon Blossom Tea, delivered to the garage by the UPS man yesterday
74. A gray Mexican wool blanket I’ve been keeping warm under for 25 years
75. Pillows and movies and children that make for perfect afternoon nap times
76. Not losing my voice…though that would have been funny!