It's Gratituesday!

I've never actually participated in Gratituesday before, but since I've been all up on my high horse about being thankful this year, I thought it was a great time to start! Want to join in? Write your post, then go here and sign the Mr. Linky to join in the fun!

I sort of shared this at church on Sunday, and it may seem like a very strange thing to be thankful for, but hopefully, when all is said and done, you'll understand.

We were trying to think of some of our greatest blessings over the past year, and the one thing that kept popping into my head was my iPod. I KNOW, right? It seems like my response to that query should have been a bit more spiritual...but honestly, whenever I started to think about blessings this year, I thought of that iPod! Let me explain...

I received as a gift (whole other L-O-N-G story) a new iPod Nano with Nike+ several months ago. I knew nothing about iPods, but I knew that the only reason I wanted one was so I could have the Nike+ as a running tool. So, when I got the iPod, I loaded it with my favorite music, and linked up the Nike+ and really enjoyed the bonus running tool that it was.

I had an iTunes gift card that came with the iPod, and after I downloaded a couple of albums I had been wanting, I still had a few dollars left. I decided to download one of those "Pixar Shorts" movies just to see how difficult it would be to watch a movie on a tiny little screen. It turned out that the picture is so clear and easy to see, that you hardly notice that it's small at all! Technology, you amaze me! :)

ANYWAY, as I started to experiment with more and more things that the iPod could do, I started looking into ebooks and audiobooks. I happened to find in the iTunes store one of my favorite audiobooks of all time, and I downloaded it and listened to it while doing dishes, and cleaning house, and decorating cakes....etc. While listening, I realized that this would be a great way to get in more Bible "reading" during the day. So, I went back to the iTunes store and I downloaded the entire New Testament! I chose this version because I thought it might be more interesting to listen to AND it came in my most favorite New King James Version!

So, I loaded up the iPod with all 4 gospels and started listening. I wanted to go through each of the gospels for a reason. I was comparing how each of them portrays Jesus...for personal research. But I was able to get through ALL FOUR GOSPELS within 2 days, just by listening while working around the house! This was amazing to me. For me to find the time during the day to sit and read my Bible at this volume is impossible. But not only was I able to hide the Word in my heart throughout my day. I was truly eager to do mundane tasks! It was no longer a chore to wash dishes, it was "quiet time" and "Bible study". I found myself looking for more things that needed to be done, just so I could listen a bit longer!

So, I can say in all honesty that my iPod has truly been one of my greatest blessings this year! And now, I hope that makes sense to you! ;)

What was YOUR greatest blessing this year?