Month: June 2026

The Part You Play

Published on by Rebecca GilbreathLeave a comment

The part you play, however small, is greater far than none at all.

Arthur Guiterman, “Of Trifles,” A Poet’s Proverbs, 1924

It’s been almost three weeks since John had a reverse total shoulder replacement on his right shoulder. The first week after surgery was stressful due to complications that needed a trip to the emergency room. The stitches have since been taken out, and the incision looks good. He is feeling sore and stiff, and we are still catching up on sleep after a few weeks of rough nights. The in-home care after surgery was nice, as a nurse came by a few times to check on the bandage to make sure the gash on his shoulder wasn’t infected. A physical therapist came by as well to help with exercises and general movement. John is right-hand dominant, which has made basic life skills challenging. We take so much for granted- simple things like putting socks on, sleeping comfortably, showering, and eating! I am so thankful for Jonathan, who is gifted at helping and has genuine care. I would take the night shift, helping John as needed, and Jonathan would assist during the day. John even needed help pulling the handle on his living room chair to lift his legs/feet up and to lower them down. Now that his arm isn’t bound up, he can do more for himself, but still needs to be careful. Sometimes he naturally reaches out with his right arm to do something and is quickly reminded that it’s too soon. He will begin outside-the-home physical therapy in the coming weeks, which will last for a few months to rebuild strength and muscle tone.

We are thankful the surgery went well and that there was no infection. We are glad, too, for simple rhythms that have kept meals on the table and dishes washed. Jonathan has been helping me in the kitchen since he was little, and we move around each other in a small space with ease, just knowing what needs to be done next. In all this, because it has become a natural part of our lives, we recognized God’s hand in placing stray gifts in our path – gentle reminders that He is always there in every part of our day.

Here is the latest record of graces entry (photo collage below):

Top Row: Homemade soup and bread are our love language in this house. I like to make a big pot of soup that will last a few days, and we eat it with sandwiches for an easy meal. Our favorite soup this year is Lemon Chicken Orzo. Often, I fill the crockpot with boneless, skinless chicken and cook it until it’s shreddable. I then have cooked, shredded chicken ready to go for several meals – for soup, enchiladas, quesadillas, chicken salad, or a casserole. Making dinner is so much faster this way when the meat is already cooked. If you like making your own bread, you might like this recipe. I used freshly milled hard white wheat berries. I recently started using sunflower lecithin and vital wheat gluten, and they make a world of difference in bread texture!

A family in our church contacted John around the time of his surgery, sharing that his family wanted to provide a meal for us so that at least one night, I didn’t have to cook. We told him pizza would be nice because it would be easy enough for John to eat with his left hand. The day we were contacted about the pizza was the day after we had finished the soup, and I was going to need to cook something new. Perfect timing! The pizza was brought to us nice and hot, and we enjoyed it very much. What a blessing this family was in thinking of us and providing a meal. He didn’t just say, “Let us know how we can help”. He took that burden and expressed interest in bringing us food, and the men worked out a day that was best. He also offered to go to the store to get anything we needed. He may think he played a small part in helping, but to us, taking action was a big deal.

Middle Row: The first photo is of a thank-you card I made for the family who brought us pizza. I’ve had the front panel made for a long time, but I had never put it together with a card base. It was nice to have something partially made, which made finishing the card easier. The second photo is of ice plants we bought months ago at a nursery. I keep meaning to put them in a shallow flower pot with succulent soil, but haven’t yet. Apparently, they haven’t minded too much, and the plants are still producing flowers every so often. The third photo is of the passionflower vine we planted earlier this year. It’s good to see it climbing. It’s an aggressive vine and should cover at least half the large wall it’s against in a few years. We have another one on the other side of the yard, and the two vines should creep towards each other in time to make a nice cover for a large, bare, stone wall. The vines will attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds within the next year.

Bottom Row: Summer is dreadful in the desert with extreme UV rays and intense triple-digit temps. I gave up on some of the plants the past few months and made peace with not having too many potted plants this year. I even cut the mint and tried to propagate it inside, but didn’t have any luck. I was outside the other day watering what was still alive and couldn’t believe more mint was growing! New growth! I’ve heard mint was hardy, but wow! The middle photo is of scapes from my friend’s garden in PA. She said there should be about 3,000 of these that they sell, give away, and keep for themselves. The last photo is from the same friend on their property. I love bird photos! I’m thankful for friends and family who often share their stray gifts with me. The part they play in this scavenger hunt for the graces is such a blessing.

A Record Worth Keeping

Published on by Rebecca Gilbreath2 Comments

We write to remember our nows later.

-Terri Guillemets

Around this time of year, I begin to receive reminders from WordPress that a payment will soon be due if I want to continue using this web space. Also, around this time of year, I ask myself if I care to continue writing and if it’s worth the effort or cost. I’ve been blogging here since 2017, but this isn’t the first place I began to share online. I wrote on another blog years ago, and also on social media for a time or two. I’m a creative, and my hands and brain need to be creating. But there’s something deeper and more meaningful to this blog than having a creative outlet. It has been a healing part of me that I didn’t have a name for. It all began when I read the book One Thousand Gifts – A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. It’s an emotionally heavy book, and I nearly wept through the whole thing. While my life experiences were not the same as hers, I resonated with grief and emptiness. “Where hides this joy of the Lord, this God who fills the earth with good things, and how do I fully live when life is full of hurt? How do I wake up to joy and grace and beauty and all that is the fullest life when I must stay numb to losses and crushed dreams and all that empties me out?”, she wrote. “Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other.” “How do I give up resentment for gratitude, gnawing anger for spilling joy? Self-focus for God-communion.” It was a lot to process. Still is.

Every year, I review from the beginning why I started this blog. I go back to earlier entries, and I’m glad that they are there. I’ve come a long way since then. With renewed purpose, I keep writing, keep studying Scripture, keep sharing the stray gifts in this location, because I believe it’s a record worth keeping.

Why the name, “A Record of Graces”? In 2012, I took up the dare to live fully – and began to write as I continued to grieve several life-changing moments. I lost my mother and sister when I was 3 years old, and I forever lost a part of me. My mother died of hepatitis soon after she delivered my baby sister, who didn’t live very long. My parents were missionaries in Lima, Peru, at the time. I didn’t even know my sister’s name until my son found her birth/death certificate on a genealogy website a few years ago. And I really didn’t know who my mother was as a person until I was in my 20’s – shared through her side of the family. I felt a lot of sorrow through the years over what might have been. Half of my identity felt missing. Voskamp wrote, “God reveals himself in rearview mirrors…there are times when we need to drive a long, long distance, before we can look back and see God’s back in the rearview mirror. Maybe sometimes as far as heaven – that kind of distance. Then to turn, and see His face.”

The second life-changing moment was when we buried our stillborn youngest son, Zachary, in 2003.

Added to that in time to come was my husband’s body slowly breaking down, and more dreams needed revising. Another surgery. More physical therapy. New medications and complications. Hassles with the VA and care at times, feeling forgotten. I kept writing. I kept processing grief. I kept looking for stray gifts, miracles in every day and kept a record.

While there are things I don’t understand about God’s will and what He allows to happen, there are things I do understand, see, and hear. The stray gifts I document are His redirection of my self-focus. “Look, Rebecca, at the rare sighting of a hummingbird in the yard, flying in place for a few moments so you can take a good look. Listen, Rebecca, to the sound of eggs frying on a morning when John feels ok and starts cooking breakfast. Notice, Rebecca, that card you sent when I nudged you to make it, encouraged someone today.” There are so many ways for Him to fill up a day, a life, a heart. Trusting Him fully is more than just trusting His work on the cross and in His resurrection.

I have questioned God why He allowed certain circumstances to happen. But then I have to ask why I should be exempt from heartache when I was never promised a perfect life. No one is. I was promised, however, a Comforter, an ever-present help in times of trouble. I am coming to a place where I realize that by grace and through faith, I will be upheld. Whether I am to know His mind or not, God has His reasons. I have wished many times to be able to rewrite my story. Yet, there’s a reason why God wrote my story, and I didn’t. It is easy to get distracted and to look away from what He has promised. He always gives new grace every day for anything I face. For now, I will keep recording. I look forward to the gifts in the day and enjoy looking back, remembering there is so much to be thankful for.

Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

Psalm 77:8-12