1000 Gifts, 821 - 840

821) Flowers for my birthday from Dad

822) Birthday wishes

823) A cake at work

824) Birthday hugs

825) A grove of huge trees with twisty branches

826) Daffodil sprouts

827) Duke home safe from travel

828) Family dinner

829) People who care when you are hurting

830) Strength

831) Laughing during oil painting class

832) My art teacher's beautiful French accent

833) Color mixing

834) Caleb home sick two days

835) The golden sun at 7:35AM setting the dew aglow

836) Rain

837) Kind words 

838) Listening to my kids tell me what they remember about their childhood

839) A pink envelope in the mail box 

840) Encouragement putting the wind back in my sails

1000 Gifts - 801 to 820

801) Guessing riddles
802) A day spent at home just with my son
803) Kiwis
804) A cleaned off desk
805) Listening to some of the wisest women I have ever met discussing the subject of prayer
806) My mom once prayed to become pregnant for 20 years and I was the answer that God gave her.  She was over 40 when she bore her first child. I was her gift.
807) My daughter once prayed for 20 seconds that her brother would win his soccer game and her prayer was answered in 20 minutes.  It was the only game his team won all season, and my son made the goal. Seeing her mustard seed size faith grow, was my gift.
808) My mom learned patience and long suffering
809) My daughter learned that God really is there and that He listens to every care upon our hearts, no matter how small.
810) Knowing that there is nothing too small or too big for God to care about.
811) My husband's servant heart
812) My oil painting lessons.
813) Playing with our cute puppy on my lunch break
814) Medicine making my ear aches go away
815) A beautiful January day
816) I like actually seeing the whole shape of the trees this time of year.
817) Sharing my thoughts and art with you
818) Birthdays
819) How happy my dog is to see us
820) A voice mail from my sister

1000 Gifts 781-800

781) Saturday Evening Worship Service 
782) Learning new song
783) Working on a collage with my daughter
784) A rainy Monday after a great weekend 
785) A chat with a close friend I rarely get to see 
786) Family dinner
787) Hot tacos in crunch shells
788) Hearing Courtney sing
789) Caleb's love for Titus
790) Inspiration for Summer Tree
791) Encouragement about my art
792) Finishing painting 3 of 4 
793) Endings and Beginnings
794) Car chats
795) A home
796) A car
797) A job
798) A beautiful January day
799) Being home for lunch
800) A new painting for the blog tomorrow!

1000 Gifts 761-780

761) The changing seasons
762) Things that grow
763) The bright white blooming paper white narcissus blooming in my kitchen
764) Pink winter roses on the rose bushes by my door
765) Rythems of nature
766) Bulbs sleeping in the earth 
767) Getting ready for school to begin again
768) New dishes
769) Finding one last christmas gift that had been forgotten under the tree
770) Playing games and laughing with friends on new years eve 
771) Everybody home sick, but at least we are together
772) Rest
773) Hot bean soup
774) Last visit with Dad before he flew home to Minnesota
775) My kids playing with their cousins
776) My son holding his puppy 
777) My daughter making her own brave decisions
778) Words cut out of magazines
779) Inspiration for Spring Tree
780) My second painting of four almost ready

1000 Gifts 741-760

741) Christmas Eve service next to my Dad
742) Squeezing his 86 year old hand when Isack sang O Holy Night
743) Silent tears
744) Singing hearts
745) Laughing while stuffing stockings
746) Another wonderful Rockwall Christmas
747) Barbara's birthday lunch at PFChang's with all our family
748) Watching people receive gifts 
749) Watching my nephews play legos and mousetrap
750) New Pajamas
751) Seeing my kids play dominoes with their grandparents
752) Peace in my home and my family
753) When Ian said, "An angel would kind of be like seeing a dinosaur, but with light shining all out of it."
754) Titus and Libby playing
755) Caleb and Titus bonding
756) A four day work week
757) Inspiration for second season painting
758) Time to work on it
759) Light
760) Music

1000 Gifts 721 - 740

721) The inspiration for Winter Tree
722) Glue
723) Magazines
724) Bold colors
725) Being connected to others
726) Time passing
727) Raising teenagers
728) patience
729) waiting
730) slow, but steady growth

731) kindred spirits
732) empathy
733) understanding
734) memories
735) being grounded and rooted
736) deep roots
737) clean air
738) sleep
739) short days
740) long lasting relationships

1000 Gifts 701-720

701) Breath prayers
702) Nourishment
703) Sparrows 
704) Christmas shopping with Duke
705) Our family having game night
706) Spending all day painting on Saturday
707) I can't wait to share it soon
708) Being inspired
709) Time
710) Candlelight
711) Seeing my kids wrapping presents
712) Caramel flavored coffee
713) Giving
714) Hugs
715) Puppy paw prints on the floor
716) Seasons
718) Change
719) Growth
720) Wet leaves on the sidewalk

1000 Gifts 681-700

681) Hearing Fifty voices harmonizing while belting Christmas Carols...
682) and being one of them
683) Dan's Christmas Devotional
684) Sharing a meal with friends I've known since we lived in Lubbock
685) Knowing that there is a Courtney shaped void in the world and that it is up to God to help her find it.  

686) Watching Caleb pitch
687) Seeing his smile when he walked off the mound
688) An amazing day watching boys play baseball sitting among friends...
689) A perfectly crisp blue sky
690) Catching up with old friends 

691) 13 year old boys who love playing baseball
692)  A 16 year old girl's confidence and strength
693)  Clarity after the fog
694)  Coffee in a thermos
695)  Everyone running around trying to figure out how the puppy keeps getting out

696) Bells on the doorknob
697) Scampering paws on the wood floor
698) Wrapping presents
699) Philip Yancy's book on Prayer
700) The sounds of  house waking up in the morning

1000 Gifts 661-680

661) Hearing Caleb laugh when he's playing with his puppy
662) Rain dripping down the window pane
663) Fresh roasted Coffee
664) Folded laundry
665) Christmas plates
666) Art in my home
667) Festive tissue paper
668) Gift wrapping
669) Perfect rolls hot from the oven
670) Warmth

671) Learning what it means to treasure someone
672) Catching up with friends rarely seen any longer
673) A note from my Aunt reminding me of my childhood
674) Joy
675) Wet golden leaves
676) Glowing candles
677) Less pain 
678) Energy
679) Efficiency
680) Inspiration

1000 Gifts 641-660

641)  Thanksgiving memories in Rockwall
642)  Kids helping set the table

643)  Visits from old friends
644)  Noticing how fast kids grow

645)  Talking about college with my daughter
646) Talking baseball with my son

647) A 4 day weekend
648)  Thanksgiving 

649)  Duke's amazing pecan pie
650) Crisp air smelling like wet leaves

651)  Staying home
652) Not shopping on Black Friday

653) The sound of our puppy running on the wood floor
654) My phone going through the washer and not having to answer it now

655) Making a Christmas ornament
656) Post lighting our pre-lit tree with Duke

657) Decorating for Christmas
658) Seeing my kids make wise and good choices

659) Liking my kid's choices in friends
660) Looking at my home and family and feeling my heart about to burst with thankfulness

1000 Gifts 621-640

621) Humility
622) Encouraging blogs that inspire me
623) Waking up
624) No back pain
625) Balance
626) Rhythm
627) Hearing thank you
628) Saying I love you
629) Paw Paw's Birthday dinner
630) Courtney's show
631) Being surprised by her
632) Having family there for support
633) Seeing them have fun
634) Hope
635) Patience
636) Wonder
637) Perseverance
638) Honesty
639) Endings
640) Beginnings

1000 Gifts 601-620

601) My Dad, a WWII Veteran who served on Iwo Jima, Sipan and Tinian.  Thank you Dad. I love you!
602) Freedom
603) A Future
604) A Legacy to pass on to our children
605) A Heritage
606) The death of pain
607) My family
608) Computers
609) New friends
610) Laughter
611) Joy
612) Hope
613) Washed dishes

614) A laundry machine
615) Warm clothes
616) Light shining out from the edge of a cloud today...
617) Getting to tell a woman at work this week that an anonymous cash donation of $1000.00 was applied to her electric bill.
618) Gratitude
619) Autumn
620) November

1000 Gifts 581-600

581) Creative motivation

582) Finishing a brand new painting
583) Something to celebrate
584) Joy
585) Welcoming our new family member...
586) Titus
587) Our new furry little puppy
588) Family moments
589) Bonding
590) Love
591) A change of season
592) Time
593) Rest
594) Comfort
595) Home
596) Kids doing their chores
597) A day without constant pain
598) The massage bed...aaaahhh
599) Finding an awesome chiropractor
600) A plan for wellness

1000 Gifts 561-580

561) A painting for my pumpkin pal from Cheryl! 
562) New friends at my new job
563) new hire training class 
564) Candy Corn
565) Finding joy in learning something new
566) Fall
567) Family at home
568) My daughter making dinner
569) Chilli weather
570) Sharing my art with people
571) Perfect timing
572) Carpooling

573) Baseball moms
574) 13U AAA Baseball! Go Vipers!
575) Middle school football games
576) Snuggling under a blanket
577) Warm toast
578) Duke surprising me with a frap when he picked me up from my work.
579) Back rubs
580) Hugs

1000 Gifts 541-560

541) Three generations of Ranger fans

542) A great weekend watching my son play baseball
543) Family
544) Refocusing
545) Online learning
546) Solitude
547) Friendships
548) Watching responsibility grow in my kids
549) My Dad

550) Help from my family after going back to work full time

551) Growth

552) Having enough

553) Challenges

554) Knowing there will be time to paint soon

555) Support and encouragement from others

556) Believing
557) Learning

558) Loving

559) Living

560) Dreams

1000 Gifts 521-540

521) Ice Tea
522) Liking where I work
523) A weekend to catch up on things
524) Fall
525) The changing weather

526) My nephews giggling
527) A visit from my dad
528) A visit from a cousin
529) Watching my son play middle school football
530) Poking bruises

531) Morning drives to work with my daughter
532) Telling my kids I am proud of them
533) The color pink
534) Old work friends
535) New work friends

536) Making people smile
537) Friday lunch with Duke
538) A family
539) Dinner with my Dad at Palazio's
540) Hearing my Dad's story

1000 Gifts 501 - 520

501) Physical pain
502) Empathy for others
503) Struggles
504) Endurance and strength in the midst of the next one
505) Annoyances
506) Persevering patience
507) Witnessing the mistrust planted by others indulging in gossip
508) Conviction and resolve to earn trust by avoiding it
509) Seeing a friend win
510) Watching my children succeed
511) Joy from investing in their lives
512) Independent kids
513) Laundry
514) A great Vipers Win this week
515) Trying your best
516) Seth Godin's blog
517) Appreciation for how Steve Jobs has changed our lives
518) Training at work
519) Online learning
520) A future

1000 Gifts 481-500

481) Starting work at CoServ
482) Making new friends
483) A 7 minute commute
484) Being worth waiting for
485) Being believed in
486) 6:30am football practice
487) Watching Caleb's football game
488) Fall
489) Kids bringing home good grades
490) Shopping with Courtney
491) Finding the perfect dress
492) Homecoming
493) Being able to trust my kids
494) My awesome husband
495) A cleaned kitchen
496) My sister
497) Family
498) Something to strive for
499) Time to read
500) Time to just be quiet

1000 Gifts 461-480

461) My last day at work
462) Well wishes from co workers 
463) Their smiles saying we are happy for you
464)  Me smiling back and knowing there are better things coming for them too
465) Motivating people (people who motivate me)
466) Motivating people (being able to motivate other people)
467) Laughing at jokes
468) Our kid's doctor 
369) Bronchitis
470) Folded laundry

471) Having just enough
472) Not more
473) Not less
474) A new book club
475) Women speaking beautiful thoughts
476) Insights shared 
477) Silence
478) Not even the sound of crickets
379) Liking the silence and not wanting it to end
480) Being still

1000 Gifts 441-460

441) Fountains
442) Watching kids eat ice cream cones
443) Making a tough decision, but knowing it is right
444) Finding home grown tomatoes 

445) Seeing a child's growing independence 

446) Watching father and son wrestling

447) Weekend

448) Courtney driving herself to Thoroughly Modern Millie
449) Ideas for painting
450) Duke's birthday
451) Nook friends to share books with
452) RAIN
453) Knowing what to do next
454) New e friends from Uruguay
455) Brunch with my dear friend

456) Celebrating long term relationships
457) Something beautiful
458) Something magical
459) A long suffering hope that will not die

460) Faith while waiting