"One Th ousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp, is a recently read book about being aware of the everyday ways that God shows His love to us in everyday things.
About how thankfulness precedes the miracles in our lives...
How seeing these miracles, choosing to stop within the craziness and the chaos to give thanks for them, can only point us back to Him, causing us to draw closer to the One who ever seeks us...
How do we express in such a short space the thankfulness, the gratitude, counting His gifts, miracles, from this past summer at the Ranch? *High school students on a youth retreat, standing around the fire pit under the brilliant stars, hands raised to heaven in worship *Cheery faces of yellow sunflowers bobbing on pale green stems in the bright prairie sun *A former Romanian orphan girl, now adopted in a loving home, wrestling with scars from her past, initially afraid of the horses, painting FEARLESS in broad strokes across the warm back of a little mare that gifted her with so much more than courage. *The thunder of the horses hooves as they dance across the prairie ahead of an approaching storm *A young couple, parenting children with traumatized and scarred hearts, arriving with lined faces, bowed from stress,hearts weary... departing with softened faces, filled hearts, straightened shoulders, and long lasting memories of God's grace and lessons learned. *The soft moo of a momma cow as she nuzzles her newborn calf *A young college girl , seeking God's will for her life, finding His eyes reflected back at her in the faces of young child and adult alike that pass through the gates of the Ranch. *A towheaded toddler seeking, picking, eating jewel red cherry tomatoes from bright green vines in the garden, soft yellow seeds dribbling down her chin. *The laughter of foster children from the local county as they race across the newly constructed playground, climbing, tumbling, swinging, growing... *Eggs colored softly green laid by copper hued chickens in golden straw *Two friends, rocking together on covered porch, sharing life, memories, listening to the soft tinkle of wind chimes and reflecting on God's voice in their young lives. *Majesty in motion as jet black skin, rippling muscles, and pounding hooves kick up powdery dust in an oval arena...four legged teacher of His lessons... *Hearts touched by His love at the Ranch, dipped in sun sparked water, in a steel trough normally touched by soft equine muzzles, rising in obedient testimony of His cleansing power, verbally professing their commitment to their Savior and Creator. And 987 more... | 
In less than a week, five members of the Gwin family will board a jet plane to travel half way around the world to the islands of the Philippines.