‘Thanks Living’ in Woodbury

I love books and regularly share what I’m reading on Facebook and Twitter.

I ask others, “What are you reading?” and receive many good suggestions for my wish list. A recent recommendation was One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. The cover is charming in that peaceful I want to comfort not confront you kind of way. But then the sub-title says, A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.

That struck me. Who doesn’t want to live fully? I do. Many of my friends do too.

I buy a stack of copies from to give as gifts, and then dive into a Kindle version. I’m pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it is. It’s not your typical power of positive thinking schmaltz. One Thousand Gifts is poetic, thought provoking and doesn’t shy away from the realities of life’s challenges, tragedies or sorrows.

It’s comfort and confrontation woven artfully together. The author asks the hard question of herself and of her readers, “How do you want to feel?”

She begins by illuminating tragedies from her own life in prose that is simultaneously heart wrenching and beautiful. Then this farmer’s wife, mother of six, advocate for Compassion International, delves into an authentic understanding of grace and joy expressed by philosophers, artists and the Bible.

She decides to journal 1,000 things she’s thankful for. Not just big things like home and health. She lists seemingly insignificant things like morning shadows on old floors, the cry of a blue jay high on a spruce, crackle in the fireplace and still-warm cookies.

Someone once asked me, “What if tomorrow you have only what you’re thankful for today?” That question keeps my mind alert to the little things in life that I might otherwise take for granted. It makes an Ann Voskamp-style list particularly noteworthy.

I’ve struggled to understand the best way to teach my children gratitude.

We’ve done the Thanksgiving Day round-robin of trying to list things we’re thankful for. People get stumped or self-conscious about sounding repetitive. Food, family and health are common themes. Those are important things to be thankful for.

But after reading Voskamp, I pose the question differently.

What are some things that you love? Well that’s easy. They love books and baseball, pizza and newspaper comics, summer, swimming, snowball fights and Christmas lights.

Aren’t these also things to be thankful for?

Then the author takes readers deeper. Can we be thankful in times of trial? Can we look at others through a lens of love rather than judgment?

Voskamp reminds me that “give” is a verb. Giving thanks is something we do. We are called to give thanks away. Count blessings and be a blessing. Be thankful in all things and in every circumstance. It’s called “Thanks Living."

I’m thankful for all of the book recommendations I receive. I’m especially thankful to have read One Thousand Gifts. You can find more encouragement from Ann Voskamp at her blog called A Holy Experience, where she daily fights. hard. for. joy.