Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 17: Today, I am grateful for apricity. 

It has been awhile since we celebrated a new word... or a least one that is new to me. How have I missed it. It is a word for winter sun.

"Winter sun" has been in conversations lately and in my gratitude journal, but I did not know it had its own word. 

Apricity (n.) The warmth of the sun in winter.

And, it is a glorious word. One that we can add to our winter vocabulary if we use it often. I am delighted with this little find. 

Winter sun drives the gloom away. Apricity is a kiss of hope when everything seems cold and lifeless. 

Job experienced the worst of times. It is recorded in Job. This verse is perfect for today's gratitude post:

"I walk in gloom, without sunlight." -Job 30:28

But, then... sunshine breaks through and warms the winter day. It isn't every day, so do not forget to savor it. 

Celebrate that apricity as it reflects on every shiny place it lands. Let our parked cars absorb the warmth to welcome us on our arrival. 

Today, I am grateful for apricity. 

One Kind Word

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 16: Today, I am grateful for those who warm the world with kindness. 

"One kind word can warm three winter months." -Japanese Proverb

Kindness is a superpower. It can change someone's day. The simple acts of kindness are some of my favorites. 

In our little village, it is not uncommon at the grocery store to see someone with a full cart allow the person behind them to go first, when they have only a few items. Older men and women will let the person with little ones go ahead of them, too. (Little ones grow weary of grocery shopping quickly.) These acts of kindness cost nothing but a few moments of our time. 

Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed. You do not have to be healthy, wealthy, or highly intelligent to be kind. Kindness matters.

Speak kind words to a stranger. You never know who is at the end of their proverbial rope and a kind word may be the thing that brings hope and begins healing. 

"When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness." -Proverbs 31:26

Kindness is a powerful choice. 

Today, I am grateful for those who warm the world with kindness. 

Walk Gently With Intention

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 15: Today, I am grateful for those who walk gently with intention. 

The world needs more gentleness. It needs it more than ever. 

I love watching small children when they are acting with gentleness toward each other or any living creature. There is a beauty in their touch that is almost holy. There is a pureness and sincerity that is lost as children grow up. 

"A gentle person treads lightly, listens carefully, and touches with reverence. Let's dress ourselves with gentleness." Henri Nouwen

Social media allows people to blurt things out they would never say in person. People are fascinated with views and likes. I am reading a book that shares some of the research coming about about our children having phone based childhoods. In a nutshell, put down the phone and go out and build a snowman. 

Since I use social media for gratitude and keeping in touch with far away family and friends, I have to be thankful for it, too. In all things, what are we reflecting? Who are we reflecting? What are we pouring into the world at home, at work, or into cyberspace. 

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" -Galatians 2:22-23

Against such things... there is no law. We can choose how we walk into each room, each building, and each day. 

Today, I am grateful for those who walk gently with intention. 

The Hope in Longer Days

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 14: Today, I am grateful for the hope in longer days.  

The reality of the days getting longer is starting to be more evident. The shortest, longest days of winter are behind us. We are on our way to Spring with nearly half of January in the rearview mirror.  

"Hope is like a bird that senses the dawn and starts to sing while it is still dark."

A bird who is confident the dawn is coming sings in the dark. Do we? Do we trust Him in the dark? Can we sense His presence like the bird senses the dawn of  a new day? 

Hope, faith, and trust are true companions. Hope is not a wish, it is a confident expectation. 

"Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see." -Hebrews 11:1

I am grateful for the hope that comes with each new dawn and the ability to sense His presence in the dark. 

Today, I am grateful for the hope in longer days.  

Prayer Changes Things

 Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 13: Today, I am grateful prayer changes things. 

One of the things I find most attractive in any human is their choice to love their spouse. 

The reality of looking in the mirror every morning is coming face to face with the reality of my own imperfections and shortcomings. We all have them. We all struggle. 

For those who are married, the gift of a praying spouse is a game changer. We have the opportunity to be their advocate, too. For those who are not married, choose someone special in your life and pray for them intentionally, too. 

How do we pray for them? 

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word... (28) In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. -Ephesians 5:25-28

"So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." -Ephesians 5:33

It is a great passage. I grabbed some of the highlights. 

Women's souls are nurtured by expressions of love. Men need to feel respected. Not everyone is exactly the same, but it is a general rule to live by. As we pray for our significant others, how can we demonstrate the love and respect they need?

To be tender with another's heart and soul is an act of love. To pray for a spouse/significant person blesses both the one who prays and the one being prayed for. 

"Every time you complain about your spouse, your heart hardens toward them. Every time you pray for your spouse, your heart softens toward them." 

The best gift one spouse can give another is to pray for them. Prayer changes things. 

Today, I am grateful prayer changes things. 

A Blanket of White Snow

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 12: Today, I am grateful for a fresh blanket of white snow.

And just like that, the dingy, dirtiness is gone, covered by a blanket of freshly fallen snow. It is beautiful. 

Our dog, Daisy Mae, loves to eat snow (she likes ice in her water bowl, too). It is amusing to watch her looking for the freshest untouched snow to eat. (She is a bit of a princess.) Most of her trips outside at the moment are for the sole purpose of eating snow. Occasionally, she will take care of other business. 

Last night, finding the right bite required going off the snow covered patio and into deeper snow. This morning, we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow. The backyard is beautiful again, and Daisy Mae has plenty of options for snacking on freshly fallen snow. 

It makes me think of the Israelites the first time they woke up to manna. Manna was the bread God provided for their daily needs. There was always enough. 

(13)And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew.  When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. (31) The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers. -Exodus 16: 13,31

The only day they could store a double provision was the day before the Sabbath. If they disobeyed God's instructions and tried to save it, it would be wormy and awful the next morning. Enough and not an abundance. No one went hungry. They were to trust Him completely for all of their needs. 

Freshly fallen snow is not manna, but it is beautiful as it blankets the ground. It is not "manna" to anyone but Daisy Mae, but it gives us a glimpse into the beauty and the gift of those Exodus desert mornings when God's people trusted him for their every need. 

Today, I am grateful for a fresh blanket of white snow.

Invitation To Rest

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 11: Today, I am grateful for the invitation to rest.   

Winter is not my favorite, but I have made it a goal to look at winter with new eyes over the past few years. Winter is a time to rest. 

Nature rests. It is a good reminder for us to rest, too. Good sleep improves our health, our disposition, and helps clear our thinking, too. Exhaustion does not look good on anyone. 

I love this passage:

"Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat." -Mark 6:31 (NLT)

Could he see the disciples getting "hangry?" He wore human skin and experienced exhaustion, too. He saw the weariness and invited them to a place of rest and restoration. 

Winter is a season of rest. The land rests. We need to rest, too. I long for the longer summer days instead of taking advantage of the invitation to rest when the nights are long. The struggle is real. Why is it so hard to say "yes" to rest? 

"Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." -Mark 2:27

The invitation to rest is a beautiful thing. Beyond the invitation is the command:

"Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work." -Exodus 20:8-9

Today, I am grateful for the invitation and the instruction to rest.