I've been and still am sick..

Been a bit sick, but here it goes anyway. If it sounds weird, we can blame it on my dehydration!

Days 17, 18, 19, 20

3  Gifts of Laughter:
1) My brother gave me this "button" for Christmas one year. If you hit it, it goes on this whole rampage about pushing the "button". It's quite funny and gets me and my guests every time.
2) The laughter of children brings me such joy. The best is the little babies that I work with. I get to do "round and round the garden" with them and hear them giggle to no end. Sometimes I don't even have to tickle them before they giggle because they know what is about to happen.
3) The joy that laughter brings is unsurpassed. God truly made laughter to help heal the soul. In many difficult emotional situations, I have received the gift of laughter that changed my outlook and emotional state.

A Gift Made, Shared, Passed On:
1) I am thankful for the graduation quilt that was made for me that I am using right now. I have used that quilt all through college and since moving to Texas.
2) I am so thankful that Liz decided to share her family and home with me. I don't know how I would have made it through college or moving to Texas without her and her family. They are so very dear to me.
3) I am thankful for the legacy and lineage left to me by those who have passed on. I would not be who I am or where I am today without them.

3 Gifts of Autumn:
1) The cooler weather, although Texas cannot seem to make up its mind. It does make me miss autumn back home.
2) The harvest of yummy fruits and vegetables, along with the seasonal ones.
3) The changing of the leaves that reminds me how God planned for his creation to be beautiful in every season.

3 Gifts of Tradition:
1) The tradition of our Thanksgiving "services" that my grandparents held. It was and is such a special time to reflect on God while reading his word and singing praises to him.
2) The advent wreath, which again I learned from the tradition of my grandparents. I even remember making them at Grandpa's church one year. It was always my favorite part of Christmas time!
3) Giving to others... My parents (for many years) have made us go under the tree and find a present for someone else in the room. We were required to find a gift for someone else and hand it to them. After everyone had received one, we would watch and wait as each person opened there gifts, instead of just tearing into all the ones intended for us.