10

A couple of months ago I took some clothes to the thrift shop. When I got home, there was a pair of pants on the floor that must have fallen out of the box. Frustrated by the thought of making a trip back with just one item, I tried them on again to see what it was I didn't like. To my surprise, there wasn't anything. They felt comfortable, fit well, and have since become one of my favorites. Every time I wear them, my mind is filled with gratitude that they "accidentally" got left behind.

9

Unbeknownst to me, the Christmas parade that got rained out last weekend was rescheduled for today. I went down to my car to run some errands, and saw the floats lining up at the high school across the road (which is usually where parades in our town end--not start). Had I not gone down when I did, I would have missed it. Perfect timing.

8

Back in November, I received an e-mail from TaxAct announcing a special Black Friday discount, good for one day only. If I renewed that day I could save 25%. Not wanting to miss out, I did--or thought I had. Apparently something went wrong though, because my purchase did not go through. When I clicked on the link several days later to download the update, there was nothing there.

By grace, this turned out to be a fortunate blunder, because when I called TaxAct to tell them what happened, they made me an even better offer--30% off if I renewed before the end of the year.

7

Called AAA to see if I could pay my bill over the phone and still get the discount, since I seemed to have misplaced my renewal notice. Found out I didn't owe anything. The bill has been paid through June.

6

I took extra stamps to the post office with me, expecting to have to add them to my Christmas cards with newsletters. However, in the words of the clerk (who weighed them twice to make sure they didn't exceed an ounce), they were "fat, but not overweight."

5

A 50% off sale, plus a take an additional 25% off coupon, plus Kohls cash, enabled me to get these two gifts for free.

4

Two of my children's picture books have been moved to a more visible location in our library--right behind the shelves where people pick up their holds.

3

Not a need. Just a want. This cute winter hat I saw at Kohls. Then a big surprise at the checkout counter when I discovered it was free, thanks to Kohls cash.

2

How easy it is to take blessings for granted. Like this bowl of cottage cheese and blackberries. 

Last Sunday our church assembled 155,000 meals to be shipped to an orphanage in Zambia. Enough to feed 400 children for a year. A scoop of rice, a scoop of lentils, and some dried vegetable flakes packed into a bag barely larger than an oversized Sandwich Baggie. This will be their same meal every day of the year, and each bag will feed six people. 

The image of those bags has left a lasting imprint in my mind. I see a glimpse of God's grace in the abundance and variety of foods I have access to, as well as in how much more is on my plate even when I think I've just served myself a small portion.

1

Not long after the death of my husband, I was mugged in an elevator of our apartment complex. Although I managed to escape unharmed, I started having serious concerns about my mortality, and was consumed with fear that I would not live to see my children grow up.

Posing with these two great-grandsons--one about to turn 13--was an extra blessing to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving day.  It was a reminder that by the grace of God, not only did I see my own two children grow up, get married, and have families of their own, but I've also been blessed with seven grandchildren, and four great-grands.

STARTING OVER?

On October 20th, 2013, I set up this blog to help raise me out of the doldrums. "Whether I post daily or not," I wrote, "my intention is to find 365 positive things to write about as I look for glimpses of God's grace throughout my day." 

There were so many of those glimpses, I could easily have written a post a day and completed what I set out to do in a year. Instead, it took me two-and-a-half years to even make it to 84.  After that I stopped writing about them, and I can't remember why.

As I read through the 84, I questioned whether I should just delete the blog, pick up where I left off, or start all over again. Not wanting to do anything in haste that I might later regret, I've decided to sleep on it.