My "Gift" List!

One of my favorite movies growing up was Pollyanna starring Haley Mills.  I loved watching the transformation that took place in the movie.  When she first arrived at her aunt’s house no one was glad to see her and they treated her as though she was a burden.  But by the end of the movie every person she had come in contact with was different – better, because they knew her.  She seemed to be unaffected by her aunt’s harsh and cold behavior and I was amazed that instead of being hurt or offended she looked for the best in people and for things to be “glad” about; she called it the “Glad Game.”  

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have been reading a book called, “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp.  It is a book that has not been an easy read for me, as the author’s writing style is different.  But it has a challenging and compelling message.  She shares how her search for “gifts” or things to be glad about has transformed her life and she encourages others to look for the “gifts” in their life.   So I have started a “gift” list and I play my own version of the “glad” game and today I am going to share a few of those “gifts” with you!

1.     Sunshine – if you live in New York state or Ohio you know what I mean!!

2.     Hope

3.     My first cup of coffee in the morning.

4.     Music – Yesterday it was Nickelback and Five For Fighting

5.     Watching the squirrels scamper up the pole that holds the bird feeder to dump more birdseed on the ground.  

6.     New Beginnings

7.     Laughing with my daughter while watching one of our favorite movies.

8.     A new hairstyle.

9.     Dinner…when made by someone else.

10. An apartment full of college students - shared laughter and lively discussion!

11. Dreaming – about the future, about possibilities, about things that may never happen!!

12. Answers to prayer

13. Forgiveness…feels so wonderful!

14. The flowers on my entertainment center.

It is hard to be gloomy and depressed when you are looking for little pieces of beauty throughout your day and it changes your perspective to look for good things instead of bad.  By the end of 2012 I hope to have at 1000 things on my “gift” list.  But even more, I hope that my looking for the good, in people and in life, will be a habit that forever changes me.