I love a good read and ONE THOUSAND GIFTS was definitely, without question, a good read!

During the past few years I have downsized my library to just one tall bookshelf (books double stacked) of my favorite books. These are books that have become dear friends.. books that I plan on reading again or using as a reference for encouragement or study. ONE THOUSAND GIFTS has earned a designated spot among my other beloved books. I’m confident it will be one of those gems that I will refer to in the years to come.

Ann transparently shares a heartbreaking life experience that later becomes the lens through which she interprets her days and life. She admits waking each morning with no joy for living. Then .. a dream.. a stark nightmare shakes her very soul as the announcment comes that her life will soon end. She awakens frightened.  Suddenly, she wants to live.. really live… really find joy in the everyday, seemingly mundane tasks.. the simple joys… the creation and blessings from God that envelope her days.

Remembering that Jesus had His own divinely appointed termination of less than 12 hours she seeks to understand what was important to Him.

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them..” (Luke 22:19)

Ann responds, “This. I live in this place, make porridge, scrub toilets, do laundry… I study this, the full life, the being fully ready for the end. I start to think that maybe there is a way out of nightmares to dreams?”

..”he gave thanks”…. she discovers that it (thanks) reads “eucharisteo.”

Can it offer the fullest of life?

“The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace.”  Jesus took the bead and saw it as grace and gave thanks.  He took the bread and knew it to be ‘gift’ and gave thanks.The word also envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.”

Hasn’t joy always been the goal of the fullest life?

“Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo–the table of thanksgiving. Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depths of my eucharisteo thanks?

 Charis. Grace. Jesus saw the bread as a gift and gave thanks.

Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving.

Chara. Joy.

“A Greek word.. that might make meaning of everything?”

This begins Ann’s journey of finding joy in the midst of cleaning toilets, washing dishes and caring for her darlings as she sees them as God’s gifts. She begins a journal.. looking, searching for 1,000 of God’s grace.. His gifts.. given in the ordinary of her daily living.

Eucharisteo –thanksgiving–always preceeds the miracle.

There is much more to this book but I’ll leave the discovering to you. It’s a must read! You can also order it in audio.

 (Thank you for those who order your books through my website. It really is a blessing!)