The Art Of Abundance - And A Day To Remember

As I have shared before, I absolutely love op shopping. On one of my recent trips, I found this fantastic book. It didn't cost much at all, and so I grabbed it. 

I am just so glad that I did.

It is such a beautiful book, full to the brim of the things in our lives that are abundant. You've heard me say before, that it's the little things in life that really are the big things. This book is exactly that. It is so encouraging and refreshing. I've found it has really helped me to keep changing my perspective on things and search out the things that are God's abundant blessings in my life.

You can purchase this book here.

So yesterday we had a really boring task to do as  family. MR S had to sell his work Ute as it was not worth the cost of mechanical repairs, and so we had the job of loading it onto a hired car trailer, picking up the Ute from the mechanics, which was a fair drive out of town, then driving it back in (after prepping it for sale) to town to deliver it to it's new owner.

Not very exciting.

We even had to for-go going to Church so that we could meet the deadline of returning the hired trailer - something that we really don't like doing. But sometimes it just happens that way.

I thought about how I could make this trip (that as mothers know, could end up with a car full of bored, tired and frustrated kids) more enjoyable. This book popped into my head. In a last minute dash heading out the door, I grabbed this book and scrambled the kids and myself into the car. I had a rough idea of how I could make the trip fun, but I found myself praying, 'Lord, please just make this a great day'. 

Truth be told, there's been lots of stress and tension in our home lately. It's not been the most peaceful and enjoyable environment. I think we all go through stages like this with families and parenting, as life's just not perfect, and can sometimes be a real struggle, making you feel like you're coming undone. I knew that my family just needed some time to refresh together, to just enjoy each other. Knowing that the circumstances might not change, but our perspective would, and we just simply needed our hearts filled.

As we drove along, I asked a question of my family, "Hey guys, what do you think abundance means?". My eldest answered, "Having a lot of what we need". Well answered I thought. I then went on to read some of the wonderful things written in the book out loud to my family, encouraging them to look out the window at all the beauty that God made along the country road we were travelling. 

Abundance is ... scissors, glue and construction paper.

Abundance is ... counting waves roll in on an ocean beach.

Abundance is ... breakfast in bed.

Abundance is ... fresh flowers and candles on the dinner table.

Abundance is ... zucchini! (My kids disagreed with this one!)

Abundance is ... anything chocolate.

I read out some of the scripture verses that are in the book as well.

"Know that the Lord is God! It is He that made us, and we are His; 

we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

-Psalm 100:3 (RSV)

"Consider the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap

nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 

Are you not of more value than they?"

-Matthew 6:26 (RSV)

I wanted to take it all one step further and write our own list of 'abundance'. The kids hesitated at first, but as we went along, they were firing things at me so fast I couldn't keep up writing them down. 

Abundance for the Wolter Family is ...

• sitting in front of a warm fire, drinking Milo with marshmallows
• sitting on a log eating chocolate (my nearly five year old!)
• visiting second hand shops
• sitting under a shady tree reading a book
• eating a red juicy apple
• seeing an adorable puppy dog
• family teamwork
• 'twirly whirlies' (these are seed pods that twirl down to the ground after you've thrown them in the air)  
• pineapple lumps
• strawberry clouds
• grandma cakes
• climbing trees
• soft green grass
• rock collecting
• watching better homes and gardens
• listening to music
• puzzles
• setting up the Christmas tree
• going to museums
• doing craft
• Christmas and Easter time
• family jokes
• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Jump on Daddy time!
• big juicy pieces of fruit
• star watching on the trampoline  

• macaroni
• fresh baking
• elephants
• family pets
• treat day
• spending time with beautiful friends
• our wonderful Church family
• having new ideas
• horse and carts! 
• fishing off a sandy shore
• family holidays
• nose suckers (the flowers to the right!)
•  little bubbling country creeks
• farms
• fire-cooked damper
• stained glass windows in a Church
• watching fire
• library's
• op-shopping
• playing sports
• winter beds
• going camping
• trips down to visit family
• 'crackadania' nuts (this is what Little Mr R calls macadamia nuts!)
• playing piktureka and Uno!
• fire-flies  
• thumb wrestles
• stacks of firewood
• fields of tall trees planted in straight rows
• sleep-ins
• going through forest fairy doors



These are nose sucker flowers!

• willy wag tails on a wire gate
• hot chips for lunch
• writing and receiving letters
• giving gifts
• ice-cream
• creaming soda
• Christmas rocky-road
• books
• autumn coloured maple trees
• finding new trees to climb 
• Forrest's and jungles
• shmores around a campfire
• long country drives with windmills and paddocks
• a little kitten to cuddle
• butterflies
• finding shapes in clouds
• juicy farm fresh mandarins
• love bites
• miniature birds in bottle brush trees
• funky eye glasses that make us laugh till our tummies hurt!

As you can see, the kids really enjoyed this! They could have kept on going! Maybe we'll keep adding to the list at a later date. While we were eating lunch, I spotted a gorgeous big maple tree that was covered in autumn coloured leaves. It was stunning ... I just had to have the kids pick up bunches of leaves and throw them in the air! 

It did all of our hearts so much good to be out in God's beautiful creation; taking it all in and acknowledging all the abundance He gives us in our lives. It was one of my favourite days we've had so far this year!

What started out as a day that could have ended negatively, became one where God answered my prayers and really did give all six of us a great day ... He is just so good!

I hope you all have a beautiful week of His abundant blessings in your lives as well.