When I originally picked up One Thousand Gifts - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are last November, I was taken in by a beautiful cover (I am a sucker for a beautiful cover). After reading the first chapter, I was taken in my the honesty of the writer, Ann Voskamp. However, I found myself having a very difficult time finishing the book. I tried on numerous occasions to complete the book, but became swept up in the language to the point of bewilderment. I was overwhelmed with chapter after chapter of poetic verse. It was a bit like eating chocolate: completely satisfying at first but a bit nauseating by the fourth piece.
Ann is a writer for Day Spring cards, the company I received a free gift from just a few weeks ago. Her writing is like reading a bunch of spiritual cards: beautiful, flowery, warm and verbose. However, for a whole book written like this it was just too much of a good thing. I also found her writing style to be stream of consciousness. The narrative was as if we, the reader, were reading her thoughts as she felt them. And maybe Ann wanted us to experience her journey this way.
I did love a lot of what Ann described as true JOY. That God is in everything and everyone we meet. We need to truly give God thanks for everything (the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between) to truly understand and receive JOY. Her idea of eucharisto (thanksgiving) was illustrated by numerous passages in the Bible. I was very moved by understanding that through thanksgiving to God I would receive JOY.
I still would recommend the book, but to borrow and not buy. I will continue to look at some of the underlined parts, because I have to admit the book did speak to me. I was very captivated at times and did find myself fighting through the flowery and quite often fragmented phrases to get down to the elemental point. Here are some of my favorite thoughts and quotes from the book. I'm sure some of my devoted readers will notice some former blogs in the following. There are other thoughts and quotes that would also make great blog topics. Maybe you'll see a few in the future.
"Just that maybe...maybe you don't want to change the story, because you don't know what a different ending holds." (page 21)
"They say that time is money, but that's not true. Time is life. And if I want the fullest life, I need to find to find the fullest time." (page 64)
"We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing" Psalm 39:6 (page 65)
"When did I stop thinking life was dessert?" (page 76)
"It takes your body a full twenty minutes after your stomach is full for your brain to register satiation. How long does is take your soul to realize that your life is full?" (page 76)
"The parent must always self-parent first, self-preach before child-teach, because who can bring peace unless they've held their own peace?" (page 124)
"Stress can be an addiction and worry can be our lunge for control and we forget the answer to this moment is always yes because of Christ." (page 160)
"I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves on above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we should reach them. I find now that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other, and that it is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower, and that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts." F.B. Meyer (page 171)
"Though my marriage tree may not bud and though my crop of children may fail and my work produce little yield, though there is no money in the bank on no dream left in the heart, though others may choose different ways to live their one life, till my last heaving breath, I will fight to the death for this: I will take joy" (page 176)
I am still slowly writing my list of thanksgiving. I haven't even reach 100, which is completely shameful. I might not list everything I acknowledge each day, but I must admit I am compelled to continue this journey. There is so much to be thankful for, and I don't want to go back to ignoring the obvious anymore.
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