Pages

Monday, September 12, 2011

A Life of Gratitude

When I decided to purposefully look for the things in my life that I am blessed with, I was astonished at all of the little things that I had been overlooking; all of the small but beautiful gifts in my life that make my heart sing.  These are the gifts that make up the stories of our lives and without them, my story would be nothing that you would want to read about.  Moments in time, smiles, stolen glances at loved ones, holding hands...these are where our stories begin.

41.  The way my husband makes me laugh.  Half the time I'm laughing just because he thinks he is so funny.  He won't let me go very long with a pout on my face.  He's such a tease.


42.  My husband's kisses...that's all I need to say about this gift!

43.  Rodney's adventurous spirit has made for countless of wonderful family times and especially "Father/Son" times.  Every year, he takes a couple of our sons to the mountains for a week of fun..they like to tease and say they are in search of Big Foot.  They come back with thrilling stories of how they heard him in the woods!

44.  The way he honors, respects and helps his mom is such a gift to me and to our children.  He is tender and generous with her.  He makes sure that our son always spends time with her and helps him with her house and yard.  He is teaching an invaluable lesson to our son.

45.  He knows that I love to be close to the land, so almost every Saturday morning, he gets up and says, "Where do you want to go today?".  He takes his whole Saturday to drive with me taking pictures, just letting me feel close to God.  Precious time spent together, talking, laughing, not saying anything.


46.  Holding hands makes me know my beloved is mine and I am his.

47.  The way he'll play along with me and get dressed up to go to a fundraiser for an organization I believe in.  My friends adore him for that.  He's always willing to "play" along with whatever theme we pick!


48.  The smell of his cigar.  When he's smoking his cigar, I know he's stealing a moment of peace, just for himself.  He will go outside and eventually, I'll catch the wonderful aroma from the cigar wafting through a window.  So I'll go outside just to sit quietly with him and enjoy the company.  Yes, the smell of his cigar tells me he's content and I love it!

What are you grateful for that tells the story of your life?  What small things can you take note of that would leave holes in your life if they weren't there?

If you'd like, you can hop on over to Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts to see what others are thankful for in their stories!   

35 comments:

  1. Such a wonderful list! Your love for each other is gift from God and a gift to those around you. It's not easy to find true love these days.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love that you had photos to accompany every point on your list--they made all your words that much more alive. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you, Beck. A good relationship takes a lot of work and it's a committment to make it, no matter what! I love and enjoy the journey!
    Thank you so much for stopping by!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you, Stacie! I just thought if maybe my readers could see him, they would know how wonderful he is!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm Thankful for you My Baby!!!
    I Love You Erin!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a wonderful list! I love that your husband doesn't let you go long with a pout on your face! Mine is the same way! ~Love & Hugs, M

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks, M!
    Yes, I tend to be a bit on the serious side and he tends to be a bit on the silly side, so there are many times I get tortured until I give up a smile! Hugs,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your husband looks so CHARMING in #47! he sounds like a fun man! I love it when wives truly love their husbands!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Well thanks, Becky Jane!
    We had to dress up like 80's rockers for a Street School fundraiser. We had so much fun! We are growing everyday.
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful pictures!! Wonderful list!!
    Connie

    ReplyDelete
  11. I appreciate this so much, Erin! I'm halfway done with Ann's book!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you, Connie. It was a special day!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  13. Saleslady,
    Don't you just love Ann's book?! I'm doing my best to live a life celebrating the blessings in my life!
    Hugs!
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wonderful list honoring and adoring your husband. I can tell your marriage is abundantly blessed :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you, Heidi. We are blessed, but what you can't see in the pictures is the commitment and hard work. I promise, it's there!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  16. erin, this was such a sweet post in honor of your husband. i loved all the pictures you shared. the one of the two of you dressed up is fantastic! how fun! you can see all your love for each other pouring out of the photos! i love how you see the joy in all that surrounds you. it made me smile what you said about his time smoking a cigar. you know, i feel the same way when steve has one. he quit smoking 5 yrs ago and hasn't touched a cigarette since. once or twice a month he will go out on the deck and have a cigar. i'm pretty sure he feels the same calmness your husband feels.
    have a beautiful wednesday! <3
    maria

    ReplyDelete
  17. I just love when you visit here, Maria. God has given you the sweetest spirit! I'm glad my post blessed you. Marriage is hard work but it's fun too!!! Don't you just love the smell of a cigar. I think it has something to do with watching my husband enjoy it so much!
    Blessings, sister!
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nishana,
    I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're having a wonderful week!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  19. Looks like you both are very happy together. I love how the pictures go hand in hand with your story. I am not a huge picture taker of myself. I always shy away from a camera.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Shannon,
    I think I was born with a camera in my hands. I'm hardly ever in any pics, cause I'm the one taking them. I'm so glad you came by and that my post blessed you!
    Have a great week!
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love this list and the photos. You and your husband have a beautiful love. Thank you for sharing it!

    Visiting from voiceBoks Members to Remember!

    Christina

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you for stopping by, Christina! I tried to let the pics tell the story in this one.
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  23. Gratitude - you nailed it. Love the photos of ROdney and you being together and giving each other JOY! Love it. Dianne

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dianne,
    You know the path we've traveled and it's had it's bumps and potholes. But we're more than making it! I love him so!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  25. Erin, I love these photos of you and your husband. Very sweet. My husband is a goofball too. I'm not sure he's ever in a bad mood. It's nice to have that surrounding you, isn't it? We're lucky.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Becky,
    Thank you so much for stopping by! Yes, I'm so glad my hubby is a goofball. I tend to be on the serious side, so he keeps me balanced!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  27. Where'd you find him again? You guys are lucky. I have to work to get some of that good stuff back over here in our house!
    Visiting from voiceboks.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Aw, thank you, Staci! He'd be the first to tell you that he's not perfect...but he does me just fine! ;0)
    Thank you so much for stopping by!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  29. Erin, as I move forward in my spiritual journey I find it so empowering to take a moment and thank God for all of the blessings he has given me and my family. The day to day can so easily steal the little blessings! I love how encouraging your blog is.

    Visiting from Voicebok

    Blessings
    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  30. Jen,
    You are so right about the day to day stealing our blessings if we aren't on the lookout for them. Thank you so much for stopping by!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you for your website. Will you share how you met your husband? I am struggling because my husband left me several times in the marriage, and then 3 years ago left me and then committed adultery, then divorced me. I thought He truly was seeking God every time. Now I am confused. I want to let Him go, if it is God's will. I don't want to disobey God. I so believe in faithfulness. I want my 3 boys to see their daddy and mother reconcile. But 99% people say, no way, after what he has done...
    I want faith for what God wants. I don't want to hinder His gifts and plan and ransom for me..

    ReplyDelete
  32. Carol, I met my husband many years ago on a job where we both worked. We have been through some serious tough times but we both have the desire to make it work, no matter what. God is not holding you to a marriage that your husband wants out of. I don't believe that a divorce happens when we sign the divorce papers. I believe it happens in our hearts long before that. And God knows our hearts. So your husband may have already divorced you in his heart. God wants us to do everything we know how to do, to save our marriages, but it takes 2 people. If you want to give me your email, I could talk a little more to you. I was set free from a horrible marriage many years ago. I will be praying for you and asking the Lord to give you wisdom, strength and peace.

    Blessings,
    ~Erin

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thank you Erin. carolmross@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for giving us a little nugget of truth from your heart!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...