Always Grateful #joydare #1000gifts

I used to be an insatiable reader. After my daughter was born, my ability to concentrate disappeared. Don't get me wrong, I still read (Come to think of it, I can only think of three books I read quickly over the past ten years and two of them were EOTW fiction my hubby gave me. Hmm.), but these days I read slowly...just a page or two at a time. It actually works out quite well for me.

For about six months now I've been reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts. It's an amazing book about grace and finding joy. It's changed/changing my life. Even after years of reading Ann's blog, when I started actually reading her book I had to stop and savor each page--who am I kidding--each paragraph!


Joy may sound light-hearted and dainty like butterfly wings, but in reality it's thick like a humid night when you can't shake the heat out of your skin--joy is found in the endurance and the acceptance.


I'm not qualified to truly explain all these marvelous truths to you, I will let Ann tell you more about joy. (This precious book is a must-read), but I do want to show you how it's working out in our own little story.

So, to clarify, this post isn't about reading or mommy brain, it's about joy.

Joy isn't about where I am or what's happening around (or even to) me. Joy is about knowing Jesus. Not knowing WHO Jesus is, but knowing HIM. Loving Him. Understanding (or at least beginning to) what He did for me. Once you grasp this, you will know joy. Some moments I feel like I really know this...some moments I feel like I'm barely gripping at it from behind this veil of earth, but I know it, I see it, and I can't imagine losing it. Barely gripping is even enough.

This past weekend our well pump died. Oh, joy (that was a sarcastic joy!).

Since we moved to the castle it seems we're constantly hopping on one foot. There is always something amiss.  Well, my friends, that's called life. And it's not amiss; it's life. It's not an emergency, it's life.

I'm quite often saying to my precious child (about many things), "You don't have to like it, but I do need you to respond properly."

It is plumb amazing how many parenting moments can be applied to SELF.

I don't like that the well pump broke. Nope. But I can respond properly. I don't like that I feel  completely and utterly exhausted all the time, but I can respond properly. I don't have to throw a fit, curse the sky, rant on social media, throw a tantrum. All these bits and pieces that make up life are --drum roll -- LIFE.

I could have a pity party...or I could realize God has provided me with a chance to learn something.

No matter what is thrown our way, our joy is from Jesus. We love our farm. We love all the amazing gifts showered down on us from the Father above, but our true and lasting joy is in HIM, not in the fleeting gifts. Even the challenge of a week without water and reorganizing our lives to respond (fix it!) is an opportunity to learn.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10, ESV

I came across this blog post as I was writing this post this week. So apropos. http://www.thebettermom.com/blog/2014/11/16/verse-need-taped-refrigerator 

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." II Corinthians 4:17

So for today's gifts, I am thankful for: my wonderful parents taking care of Celia (and us!), being able to use their shower, water barrels and plenty of buckets (thanks to my amazing husband), my hubby's know-how, a meager emergency fund so we can replace the pump, and patience patience patience :)

And so the saga continues...we'll hopefully get the well fixed this weekend and I'll be blogging next week about how wonderful it is to use the water hose to water the garden instead of buckets!