Gifts Found in September - Part 3

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The 3rd Part of "Gifts Found in September" continues this journey of sorts - looking for the gifts, or blessings, that God gives us every day!  Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 ...

September 15th

3 Gifts Paired

1.  The Gift of Saving Money - We live on a fixed income, as do many others, especially those who are retired like we are.  I try hard to save money on groceries; but it isn't easy with one who wants to buy (or have "money in his pocket") as if we had tons of money!  We don't!

It is helpful to look for sales; and the BOGO deals are great - those "buy one get one" deals!  A "pair" of something for the price of one!

2.  The Gift of Shoes - Yes, a pair of shoes can be a gift, especially for someone who doesn't have a pair.  We are so fortunate; so blessed ... we don't just have a pair of shoes, we have multiple pairs of shoes!

Thank you, God, for all that we have; and for those who reach out to those in need, sharing our blessings with others.

3.  The Gift of Twos! - A Pair of ...

These amazing photos were found on Pinterest and shared by the links noted:

Peacocks:  bloglovin.com

Horse Silhouettes:  thephotoargus.com

Blue Jays:  fairy-wren-tumblr.com

Seals:  aunatural.tumblr.com

Love Birds:  guardian.co.uk

Swans:  forkl.com

Green Love Birds:  playbuzz.com

Owls:  playbuzz.com

So, with all these beautiful pairs of God's creatures, it's easy to imagine an Ark full of Pairs!

Thank you, God, for a peek at these beautiful pairs!

September 16th

3 Gifts Shared

1.  The Gift of a Meal - Time spent with any of my "kids" or grandkids is always a highlight of my day!

Today, I went shopping with my daughter, Cathy ... not exactly what we started out to do; but ended up at the mall, where we walked a bit, and shopped a bit ...

Then we headed to lunch where we shared a meal - literally!  It was a "2 for $20" - 2 entrees with a shared appetizer!

2.  The Gift of Voice - Sharing my life - my joys and sorrows, and concerns; my worries and excitement - always easy for me.  In fact, I sometimes feel I share too much about me and my life.

There have been times when it has come back to "bite me in the rear" ... but, I have continued to share with friends; and, at times, co-workers.  Those co-workers I considered friends, at first seemed to be OK; yet, it has been some of those co-workers that have "hurt" me.

So, I must remember:

Found on Pinterest

Shared by oprah.com

Thank you, God, for those friends we share our lives wiht, and those who keep our confidences.  I have moved past those who "stabbed me in the back", and forgive them.  I pray that I am that friend who will "hear their voices and keep it private"!

3.  The Gift of Our Resources - Sharing what we have, our resources ... whether financially, or our "stuff", comes faily easy for me.  I may not have much, but am willing to share what I do have!

I thank God for all that I have, and pray He shows me who is in need so I can share my blessings with them!

September 17th

3 Gifts Ugly-Beautiful

1.  The Gift of Attitude - Most days, I really do wake up in a good mood, with a good attitude!  But, many days - especially if I am awakened by a blaring, chattering TV - my head is pounding, I feel tired and groggy ...

And I know my attitude is not beautiful.  In fact, it's pretty ugly!

God, help me to take a deep breath before I crawl out of bed!

2.  The Gift of Lessons - The children's story abut the Rainbow Fish, shared in a Children's Moment at church, tells of a beautiful fish.  But, he was a very selfish fish ... so selfish that other fish stayed away from him; and that made him unhappy.

One day, the Octopus told the Rainbow Fish that if he would give his beautiful scales away, one by one, to the other fish, he would make friends and they would all be happy ... and he did!

Thank you, God, for lessons learned in children's stories, and Bible stories, and all things around us.

3.  The Gift of Beauty - It is said that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" ... What one person calls "beauty" may not necessarily be "beauty" to another.

But, beauty is not always seen on the outside; more often it is found within.

Perhaps not ugly; but in the eyes of some, just not all that beautiful ...

Ugly - Beautiful

Found on Pinterest; Shared by kelseycronkhite.com

September 18th

A Gift Fixed, Folded, Freckled

The Gift of a Smile - When I read these words, my thoughts stopped when I read "freckled" ... and I smiled, thinking of a precious, sweet, freckle-faced seven-year old - my grandson!

He loves to dress up, even on a "regular" day at school ... but, now he has a special reason to smile on Thursdays, and to "dress up"!

He has partnered with the Assistant Principal to make every Thursday - 

Bow-tie Thursday!

He makes me smile - and I thank God for him!

September 19th

3 Gifts in Conversation

1.  The Gift of Voices - The voices in my head, are they conversations with myself; or is "someone" trying to get my attention?

I pray my head can turn off the unknown voices so I can hear Him clearly!

2.  The Gift of Friends - I love to share with my friends, holding a conversation - serious or funny or sad or happy; sharing my inner-most thoughts and concerns with a close friend ... nothing expected from either of us; just to listen to each other!

3.  The Gifts of Jesus' Teachings - Teachings ... Parables ... Stories ... Jesus taught His Disciples many things during His ministry; and those teachings continue to show us the way, His way!

September 20th

3 Gifts in Salvation

1.  The Gift of "Old" - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the old {life} has passed away; he is a new creation, behold, the new has come."  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

2.  The Gift of "New" - "I will give you a new heart and put a  new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."  (Ezekiel 36:26)

3.  The Gift of Everlasting Life" - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16)

September 21st

3 Gifts in Information

1.  The Gift of Generosity - So many places ... yet, I spent nearly half a day ... walking, entering, nervously asking for donations for this worthy non-profit:  Patriot Service Dogs

With our event quickly approaching, and the co-founder of PSD working full time, I offered to go ask for donations for our raffles; leaving information that may or may not be passed on to the manager/owner of the shop.

But, we were blessed with two items (and not cheap!) and three gift cards - and one was a "call back".  I also have a promise of "something" for us from a small shop owned by a friend of my daughters ...

Thank you, God, for the generosity of small business owners - as one said to me, the are not rich because they own a business.  We must support our local small business owners!

2.  The Gift of News - I don't read the newspaper ... there is a lot of information in the newspaper; but I don't usually read it ... I wait for my husband to share bits of information with me.

And, perhaps Mr. Twain has a good idea here:  uninformed or misinformed!  


Either way, am I looking in the right place for news?!

3.  The Gift of Technology - I'm not sure if I'd say technology was a blessing - but it sure does put everything at our fingertips, and available in a "quick hurry"!

All sorts of information can be found on the Internet:  Google, Ask, Pinterest; social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (phone?), and others that I am not even aware of - as a totally non-techy person!

Thank you, God, for information!

Another part of Gifts Found in September is completed!  The final part will be published later...