"Since I began to love, love has never forsaken me. It has grown to its own fullness within my innermost heart." -St Catherine of Genoa
The story of my life - being late! I know that this post is my "Multitudes on Mondays" post and it was started on Monday continued on Tuesday, but won't officially be posted until Wednesday (as it is almost 20 minutes away from the new day). Forgive me Father, for I am late, for I have kids to teach, to love, to cook for, to snuggle, to sing to, to dance with, to clean up after, and on and on. It truly is a blessing, a vocation, a calling and I am thankful for every minute of it!!
We made it....
We began our counting this year on March 6th, and reached #1000 on October 24th. Each one of these numbers is God reaching out His loving hand to me, to Neil and to our children. Ann's book, 1000 Gifts, opened our eyes to this need to be more aware of God's presence in our days. It was truly transforming! As you can see, we have already continued our counting and will for as long as we can. These numbers, these gifts, these acts of love, have touched the innermost of all these Young hearts and we are all fixed more fully on Him!
Thanks be to God for these and all graces received....
#881 - fuzzy caterpillars
#882 - orange ladybugs
#883 - Melody and Ariel loving their choir practice for church and all their new friends
#884 - picnics outisde in October
#885 - extra snuggles and playtime for Sophia and Goldie on the Feast of St. Francis
#886 - great sales on shirts for me and pants for Fone
#891 - pretty fall flowers
#890 - breakfast helpers
#893 - Moms who feed their kids breakfast (right prayer group girls?)
#894 - Moms who clothe their kids (chuckling now...)
#895 - 6 sweet, sleeping kids
#898 - an ever present God
#899 - my guardian angel for taking my place in adoring our Lord tonight
#900 - for Fulton J Sheen for teaching and guiding my husband
#901 - my dear husband who turns regularly to scripture, the Church and the saints for example and guidance
#903 - seeing Reba with my parents and sisters
#907 - Fone's love and talent for writing
#909 - TKD promotions
#911 - Melody comforting a sad Pookey who had a sore bottom
#913 - wonderful wiener roast with Neil, his parents, his brother's family, and Aunt June
#915 and #916 - kids playing in & burying each other in the leaves
#920 - sleepovers with cousins
#921 - Neil getting to spend a couple extra hours with our Lord in adoration when the next 2 people didn't show up for their time slots
#924 - Pookey nodding his head
#928 - Pookey really starting to jabber
#929 - Max's "lard" for yard
#930 - my 4 year old nephew's "splain" for explain
#931 - new ways of prayer
#934 - thankful I'm alive after a heart attack
#935 - our green dog
#937 - for little kids, giggles, happy screams and shoes!
#942 - friends who stick up for me and show me their love and support
#943 - kids who teach me and let Christ and His wisdom work through them
#947 - grandma helper at the mall who stood with my kids so that I could pull up Big Red in the pouring down rain
#948 - Max and his playdate at a new friend's house
#949 - messy marker hands and shirt, but a beautifully painted pumpkin and a ton of fun
#954 - Neil making mochas and lattes for me
#955 - good cousins
#956 - the good, good time playing with Mario and him winning
#957 - Ariel taking out her own splinter
#959 - horribly good Wetzels Pretzels
#961 - snuggle time with Neil on the couch
#963 - Melody reminding me to keep a good eye on Pookey while he runs free at the mall and she pushes his empty stroller- such a little mother to him!
#965 - Ariel reading to me
#966 - Max shouting "I love you, Mommy" halfway across the house
#969 - for a nice family
#971 - snuggies from daddy
#974 - for a mom who lets us have hot cocoa in the fall
#975 - for my little sister starting TKD
#976 - savor the flavor
#977 - an awesome math
#980 - Fone offering to vacuum his room, his brothers', and his sisters'
#981 - Pookey's praying hands
#984 - Melody's gift of cleaning and her willingness to always say "yes" when asked to do so
#985 - for being a big sister
#986 - a super, duper, awesome, fantastic, cool, terrific, fun-loving mom
#991 - my brother, Mario
#992 - my life
#993 - the Holy Catholic Church
#997 - meeting my cousins on the road
#1000 - the Lego Book of Ideas
#1002 - bare, baby, kissable, chewable piggies
#1005 - having Daddy back
#1006 - my little girls' devotion to their scapulars
#1007 - how my kids love to play with each other
.... and still counting!!!
Please join me in counting your way to the 1000 gifts that never end