Wednesday, December 16, 2009

December Thankfulness of the Heart

"Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road." ~John Henry Jowett

How I miss the mark and limp some Decembers. The upheaval in the calendar is a challenge to me, but I want to walk the best I can and not put a damper on everyone else's time. I long to cherish Christmas oh so quietly in my heart all year long. But my children with their twinkling eyes and joy of expectancy remind me that the 25th is one of those days as well. And so it is, and I join in and continue the count if you will put up with me again. My prayer is that the holiday is more in the heart and in the being, rather than all the doing; that it's about love and this awesome Jesus of my every day.








Gratitude swells up in my heart for:

healthy children in the winter
daughters who help make cookies
star gazing
silence
buds ready to bloom
people of prayer
candles in the evening
making the Centurion laugh at the live nativity
the mitten tree near the stove
holly and evergreens
love, light and life
Jesus come as baby to this earth....

"Thanks be to God for this unspeakable gift." 2 Cor 9:15


9 comments:

Ganeida said...

When things are darkest it is most important to cultivate gratitude & a positive outlook. Being miserable & griping helps nobody & often makes a bad situation worse but it is the heart that has been disciplined to gratitude that finds it easiest when things get tough. It is an important lesson to learn. The earlier the better.

Renee said...

This is such a beautiful reminder of how lost we can get at thist ime of year. Lost in the busyness of it all, the excitement, the gatherings of family and friends...all important, but not at the same time.
Thank you for cultivating in me today a sense of gratitude. the peace of felt in reading this post soothed my anxious soul this day. A word needed...a sermon given by a friend who wanted to share her thoughts ....bless you Jan Lyn.
Merry CHRISTmas!

Ganeida said...

Dropping by to wish you & yours a blessed & happy Christmas.

Anonymous said...

So beautiful Jan. J

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