I guess all those who know me will know that I am into 'Eucharisteo' the art of giving thanks.jA while back  I started writing a list of all that I was thankful for.

This idea came from the amazing book '1000 gifts' by this wonderful woman called Ann Voskamp. If you haven't read it get it on your Christmas list! 
I realised that daily I had so much to be thankful for or on the days when it was a struggle if I thought about my day I still found at least one thing to be thankful for. 
This last month I have got out of the habit and guess what? I am not as joyful!
Gratitude therefore must plant joy and constantly finding things to be thankful for then must water the joy and make it grow.
I don't know if any of you my friends journal but I have been doing it for years and I often look back to last year's journal and realise I was in the same place as I was then as I am now! God is soooo patient with me!
So I want to start planting joy in my joyless self so am going back to writing my thankful list
These are a few from a week where I have been really struggling with a painful mouth and not wanted to look for things to be thankful for!!

1. Lovely friends surprise parcel that made me laugh outloud!
2. Gorgeous smelling roses from my hubby
3. My oldest making tea
4. My youngest constantly looking after me and giving me hugs

There I have started again!! I read this quote this week " Grattitude opens the gates of heaven!"

Anyone going to join me in a Thankful List?

Seasons of the soul!

 I once heard it said that our souls go through seasons and I am starting to think that it is so!
I love living in England where we get all four seasons I can't really pick my favourite but I love the colours in Autumn.

I was blessed to have a days retreat in a lovely quaint house that had a beautiful garden the Autumn colours mesmerised me and I spent most of my day looking out the window and reflecting at what I saw.

I was watching leaves fall from a huge strong tree and on one branch remained a stubborn bright orange leaf, it would not let go!! It made me think what do I stubbonly keep hold of? I wrote a few down to remind me to work on letting go!! Unforgiveness, selfishness, these two is what I battle with I know all I need to do is just let go and I would free fall into God's arms of grace.

I then watched a lovely lady try and rake a huge lawn of leaves I asked myself Why? She would have been there all day and what for just to do it all over again the next day as that tree certainly had a lot of leaves to fall off!!
I realised that a pile of leaves blocks what is underneath just like this path the wet leaves would be treacherous for anyone to walk on them but look how clear and safe it looks when all the leaves have gone!


Thats just like my life I can easily ignore the pile up of stuff that
is blocking my walk with God or I can rake them up and ask
God to work with me on cleaning up my soul so that I can
walk through the seasons of life not bogged down by mulch of dead leaves. I want to grow so things need to be got rid of for that to happen.

Happy Autumn Everyone