In the midst of a busy week and too many stories of brokenness and pain and loss, I still found many many gifts to count today.

204. Reconnecting with old friends

205. The unexpected encouragement heard at the memorial service

206. Examples of clinging to God’s faithfulness in the face of the ugliness of sin

207. Chatter of children playing outside

208. Fingers in the dirt

209. “Can we plant these, mommy?” in the seed section of the home improvement store

210. Cosmos and snapdragons and larkspur seeds sown with my Little Girl

211. “Look at this worm! Can I keep it?” from the little boy holding the black-dirt-covered trowel

212. Ice cream cones eaten outside

213. Hugs and tears with another mom who knows

214. Asparagus

215. Summer clothes in drawers and winter clothes in bins

216. Finally getting a glimpse of what God might be doing in all of this

217. The secret is in God’s definition of love — whatever it takes to help an individual see and value God himself as infinitely precious

218. This secret is what sets following Jesus apart from anything else — it’s about him. If everything is ultimately about and for me, I’m no more altruistic or good or loving than anyone else in any other faith.

Do you want to join in? Start counting, on your computer or in a journal or on random scraps of paper. It’s like seeing for the first time.

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