A Gray Jay

I've written a gratitude list since 2011.
Every single day, 365 days a year, I write down 3 things that I am grateful for.
I learned it from Ann Voskamp through her book titled 1000 Gifts.
So this morning when I went to write down something that my oldest grand boy had said I couldn't remember what it was. Total blank.
While giving myself time to remember what it was exactly that I wanted to remember I got out my devotional books to do my daily readings.

The first book was Daily Guideposts 2016.
Yeah yeah, I know. Only gray haired Lutheran women subscribe to that publication.
But I like reading it. And besides I do have a few gray hairs and I am a Lutheran. :)

The writer for this days reading was Carol Knapp.
She described an encounter with a Chickadee on Easter morning. She goes on to say that this Chickadee was doing it's usual thing by singing "He-who" when all of a sudden he lands on her foot and hops it's way up her leg, to her torso and then finally coming to rest on her head.
And then she connects it to a Bible passage-

25 ..... “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”   John 11:25-26New American Standard Bible (NASB)

She caught the reference of "He who believes in Me" and matched it up to what that little bird  was singing ....He-who....He-who.

I don't believe that I will ever be able to listen to the sound of that bird again without thinking of her Bible passage reference. She floored me with that! I was awed and stunned. Wow.

For further study she suggests reading the following passage-

21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”Luke 3:21-2(NASB)

And Whamo! There it is! That's what I wanted to remember for my gratitude list. The dove.

My grandson saw a dove in our backyard for the first time yesterday. 

He didn't know what kind of bird it was so he asked me- "Granny? Is that a Gray Jay?"

Isn't that one of the cutest things you've ever heard?

No? Oh well. I thought it was just precious. Perfect and cute enough to make my gratitude list.

A Gray Jay. It still  makes me giggle.

But what I loved most of all was how God had a hand in helping me to remember what it was that I was trying to remember....a gray dove. 

I love it when God shows up like that in my life.

Most days God shows up at about 5:15 when the kids have gone home and I've had a glass of wine.

That's not me being sacrilegious either. That's the honest to god truth.

Once the grandkids are gone, I can sit back and reflect on my day.

I think back on where I saw God in my day and where I think I didn't see Him.

I think back on my attitude and my words I've used and how the day might have been a bit better had Granny not yelled quite so much.

It's when I ask for His forgiveness then accept His grace because I know I'll be given another chance to make it right again tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that.

The grandkids leave and have no idea that I rehash in my mind my day with them. 

No idea that I feel bad for yelling or that a 6 year old boys decription of a bird has rendered me speechless or that I ask God for his forgiveness for being snippy.

That's between me and God and a Gray Jay in the backyard.

Thanks for reading.

Love, Lolly