When Being a Gift is a Gift (Joy Dare Monday)

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succulent @ Mission Santa Barbara
As I write down these gifts, I've come across ones that I want to write down, but (mostly) haven't because they're not gifts to me, but gifts I've given to someone else.

I'll have to check what Ann Voskamp says about this in her book, but it's striking me more and more that the ability to give and choosing to give are also God-given gifts to us.

It can be as simple as giving two quarters to someone who is short bus fare, and as complex and delightful as an almost two-hour long conversation with a trusted friend, where much is given and received.

So I've decided to include these, not to brag (and I'm not going to mark them in any way to suggest that it was me doing the giving), but to recognize that gifts aren't just sweet and beautiful, or difficult and ugly, but are given as well.

Here are this past week's gifts:

672. tomatoes ripening
673. vet bill
674. lovely chat with friend
675. humming the tune to "Jerusalem"
676. gravy fries
677. sweat in hair
678. a long bath
679. seeing the work I've done as part of "Inner Excavation"
680. [3 gifts white] boxer short bloomers on a hot day
681. the hard work of letting go
682. sitting in the shade
683. trying to let go healthily
684. nap
685. full  moon through trees
686. caught up on art journals
687. sleeping dog
688. hubby figuring out how the cherry pitter worked before I pitched it across the room
689. chills while singing "I am the Bread of Life"
690. afternoon with a friend
691. dog draped over me, snoozing

Am linking this up to Ann Voskamp's "multitudes on Mondays" (or will as soon as it goes up!)

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