This Is the Daring Book My Grieving Heart Needed
I opened my door on that blustery February morning and there it was—a book tied with a pale blue ribbon. The iconic cover included a picture of a robin’s nest holding two blue eggs. I traced the title script: One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.
The Book I Needed Now (and Later)
My friend had placed this gift on my porch—a book I had to read. In the days and months and years that followed, this book became a map, a manual, and a manifesto, leading me through a new life of daring gratitude in the face of adversity. After reading the first chapter, tears welled in my eyes. I knew this was exactly what I needed for this season of life. Maybe even for the rest of my life.
Through her poetic prose and personal stories, Ann unfolds a theology of gratitude. She dared me (and now millions of others) to start writing down gifts we receive—the daily graces in life that are pure love notes from God. “How do you count on life when the hopes don’t add up?” she boldly asks.
Among other poignant lessons, Ann also teaches her readers to “count blessings and discover who can be counted on.” While conveying this important truth, she uses the original Greek word eucharisteo from the Bible. Eucharisteo means “thanksgiving.” This word knits together two other Greek words: charis (grace) and chara (joy).
“Eucharisteo—thanksgiving—always precedes the miracle,” Ann goes on to explain.
This statement rings true in many scenes in the Bible. One example is in Matthew 14 when Jesus thanks God before turning five loaves and two fish into a feast for thousands. Twelve baskets of leftovers sing of the miracle.
Beginning My Own Gratitude Practice
Responding to Ann’s encouragement, I started my own list of gifts in a journal. This practice helped me to adjust my lens. Whereas before I might have followed my human instinct to complain and put on a hat of cynicism or even a robe of jealousy, I soon discovered grooves of a life-giving habit prompting me to see each moment as a gift.
When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I pulled out Ann’s book again with trembling hands and reread the lines I had highlighted and the pages I had dog-eared. This was my fourth reading and much of the book was already tattooed on my heart. In a way, God had faithfully prepared me for that devastating season of losing my love. I already knew the transforming wonder of counting gifts. I already had made it a habit to turn my face toward the Son with my list of gratitude amid even the most suffocating darkness.
When we exhale gratitude, we learn to trust God with our fears, our plans, and our futures.
A Dare to Notice the Goodness
Friend, I dare you to pause and notice the little bits of goodness around you. It doesn’t help to just put a positive spin on our grief. That’s not what I’m asking you to do. I’m inviting you to dig through the soil, to unearth the painful shards of glass, and to see the beauty in that traveled journey.
Have you ever made a gratitude list? Let’s start one today. Jot down some of the things you are thankful for in this season. Here are a few of mine to help get you started:
1. My daughters’ giggles
2. Sinking my teeth into the sweetness of a ripe strawberry
3. That friend who took time to ask me how I am doing today and waited for an answer
4. The restaurant gift card so we could order dinner tonight
5. The rainbow sherbet colors of the sunrise reminding me God is near
*This reflection is an excerpt from Dorina’s new book, Breathing Through Grief, a devotional journal for people navigating a season of loss.
Meet Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young
Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young grew up in a multiracial family and is a sought-after speaker, former newspaper reporter, teacher, and the award-winning author of numerous books, including three released in 2023: Chasing God’s Glory (Waterbrook Multnomah/PRH), Create in Me a Heart of Mercy (Revell), and Breathing Through Grief (Ink & Willow).
Dorina leads as the president of the Redbud Writers Guild and the director of Lead Loved, equipping Christian women leaders. She writes for (in)courage by Dayspring and Proverbs 31 Ministries. Dorina chases after God’s glory as a remarried widow with her husband Shawn and three courageous daughters in Central California. Connect with her at www.DorinaGilmore.com.
Where to find her . . .
- Dorina’s new book, Breathing Through Grief
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Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
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(+ 1 Simple Habit to Shift Your Direction)
If you long for deep, meaningful relationships, this is for you!
Creating Ripples
If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.
