One Thousand Gifts ...by Ann Voskamp

When Dear Old Friend came, she left behind this book for me. Books have always been one of the loves of her life. When I think back of our friendship, books have dotted and enriched our friendship too. There have always been books or talks about books for as long as I can remember. And poem, psalms.... those seem to excite her so.

One Thousand Gifts... in a way, this book is so her too.

A term that the author holds on throughout the book - Eucharisteo, which is a Greek word for the combination of grace, thanksgiving and joy. When we understand the grace of God, there will be gratitude. And in gratitude, one finds joy. A very simple formula but one that eludes us most of the time. Find and apply the Eucharisteo in our daily lives, and we'll find joy. I get what she means because of late too, I find that when I can let go of those things that tie me down, life somehow becomes happier. And though I sometimes still fail, I'm still convinced that the lenses provided by the Word of God helps me shape my perspective so that does not become too warped... but sesat-ness is a situation which I still sometimes find myself in.

Giving thanks, understanding the grace that has been extended to me and finding that elusive joy or happiness - Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving for the small and big, learning to wait (that's difficult for me)..... a real book to hold and to turn the pages; this I've not done for a while too.

It helps to list down the gifts that come our way, simple as they may seem sometimes but they add on to the little happiness in us and as time passes and moves on, the list grows, little happiness turns into joy; and is often times sustained because the sheer volume of joy there picks up its own momentum... and it becomes contagious sometimes too! That I can identify too cos as I kept this blog, as I wrote down my thoughts, it has changed me too... count your blessings, name them one by one.

Definitely one of the more inspirational read so far for the year!