The list

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  • reading aloud to my kids
  • showering in my home
  • walking in heels
  • brushing my teeth with tap water
  • pushing a grocery cart
  • upping a flight of stairs
  • putting a gallon of milk in the fridge
  • breathing easily or unassisted
  • taking a walk
  • washing my face in the bathroom sink
  • shutting my car door
  • singing a mid-range tune
  • dancing, even just a little bit
  • taking a dish out of the oven
  • sitting comfortably

This is the list of things that I can do now but that 18 months ago I could not.

I could take many words and explain why, but that's not the reason why I'm writing today.

My list was temporary, although it didn't feel that way at the time. My limitations were coming from many directions and circumstances, and they lasted around a year. 

During that time, God gave me increasing clarity about the things that last: God, His Word, my soul, the souls of others.

During this time in 2020 when so many things in life have to cease, I can look at this list, now restored to me, and realize how even the seemingly small day-to-day things are also God's graces for which I am thankful. 

2020 will not steal my joy. 

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