Sharing Thanksgiving Traditions

I am a big fan of the last two months of the year. Halloween kicks off an amazing time of year. As a military family, Veterans Day is very important to us, and then Thanksgiving, which leads into the Christmas season. Two months of love, compassion, thankfulness, and remembrance.

Many people think that Thanksgiving gets looked over, but I don't believe that's necessarily true. Although the original reason for celebrating might get lost in translation, its essence is highlighted even more in light of the Christmas season, which seems to come earlier every year. I tend to see Thanksgiving as the kick-off celebration. Christmas is all about Jesus' birth and what he would ultimately do. Thanksgiving is about being grateful for what we have, thankful for what God has done for us.

The original Thanksgiving was a celebration of a full harvest of food after experiencing a particularly rough winter the year before. Of the men, women, and children who originally arrived on the Mayflower, only about half survived that first went. With the help of Squanto and his fellow Indians, the people learned to plant corn and other crops, to use the local plants, and to hunt/fish. By the time, the next harvest arrived, there was plenty to go around. They then held the feast to celebrate God's provision with their new friends.

Now, we gather together with friends and family for a meal to celebrate our "harvest," whatever that might look like for us. Some years are more bountiful than others, but we always have something to be thankful for, even if it is only the salvation provided by Jesus' death and resurrection.

Being a military family, Thanksgiving looks different every year. We haven't really been able to build too many traditions.

The past few years, though, we've done our thankful leaves. We all write what we are thankful for on leaves cut out of construction paper, and then tape them to the sliding door. The kids seem to have a lot of fun with it, and sometimes it amazes me what they find to be grateful for. There are the typical kids answers like their favorite toy or TV or the like. But, when, without prompting, they say something like Jesus's sacrifice or my family or time with Mommy/Daddy, etc. it just makes my heart melt!

And then there's pumpkin pie and fried turkey. Doesn't seem to matter where we are or who we're celebrating Thanksgiving with, those two items end up on the list somehow. ("Say, have you tried fried turkey--it's just mouth-watering!")

This year, I think I'm going to start a new tradition of having the girls weave our placemats for the big meal. We'll start with construction paper, but maybe when they're older, we'll try some weaving with something else. :)

What are your Thanksgiving traditions? Anything fun or unique?

Seeds of Wisdom - Homeschool Blessings

Here at Growing Your Homeschool, we share our homeschool journeys to encourage others.  Sometimes, we share our challenges, and sometimes we share our blessings. Isn't that life? Good and bad? Easy and hard? Joys and despairs? 

Today, we are focusing on the blessings of homeschooling.  Perhaps you share a few of these, too?

Sam ~ I am most grateful for our time together. Spending time with my family is a joy. Life is short, and there will never be enough hours to spend with them on this side of eternity. I am also grateful for the flexibility homeschooling allows, especially now that I am working outside of the home! Finally, I am grateful that homeschooling allows me to tailor our curriculum to the needs of my children. When something isn't working, we try something else.

 

Aurie ~ I love that my girls are able to be with us at home. I love the freedom we have to teach Biblical truths. I feel so blessed that I am able to guide them as they grow instead of handing it off to another person.

 

Beth ~ I am thankful that our family is in a position to even be able to do this. I am sure there are lots of families who would like to, but for whatever reason cannot. I am thankful that God has given us the opportunity.

 

What are some of the blessings of homeschooling in your family?

Thankful for their Love of Learning

With Thanksgiving only being a few days away, I have been focusing on the many blessings in my life.  I have so much to be thankful for this year (my faith, an amazing family, great friends, my health, food, a home, the chance to further my education, being a stay-at-home mom, etc.).  One thing that I thank God for each day, though, is that both of my girls LOVE learning.  Abigail (age 3) gets up in the mornings and asks to "do school".  Sometimes, before she goes to bed at night, she asks me what we will be learning in school the next day.  She even wants to have preschool on the weekends!  Charlotte (age 14 months) runs to the table each morning when she overhears me telling Abigail that it is almost time for preschool.  Even at a very young age, Charlotte can't wait to learn.  I constantly marvel at my girls' passion for learning.  When I was a public school teacher, I worked with numerous students who hated school and could not wait for the bell to ring at the end of each day.  My girls are the complete opposite and I am so thankful for that.  I only hope that this passion for learning and knowledge continues for the rest of their lives!

Developing a Thankful Heart

I'll be honest, my kids are not the most grateful people I know. Granted, they are 4 and 5, so they have quite a bit of learning to do. Still, lately, as I see how wasteful they can be, I feel burdened to somehow instill a better since of gratitude for what God has blessed us with.

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Col. 3:17, NKJV, bold emphasis mine)

Children aren't born with the ability to be thankful, it is something taught one way or another. If they are deprived of something and then receive it, they understand the appreciation of having something they didn't before--especially if it's something important like food, shelter, even love.

Outside of those more extreme circumstances, though. How do we teach our children to be grateful? How do we get them to see how fortunate they are and appreciate that? I don't pretend to have all the answers, in fact,  I'm just beginning to explore this more in depth as I realize just "telling" them isn't working. (Hey, I had to give it a try!)

Here on some ideas I'm working on, some in light of Thanksgiving being right around the corner:

1. Pray. It's amazing what God will help instill in our children when we ask. Pray together. Pray on your own for your children. Work WITH God and it'll be that much easier.

2. Show your kids the difference between what is necessary (food, water, shelter) and what is a privilege (video games, TV, toys). While I don't know that I would go so far as to show them pictures of starving children if they are as young as mine, you can brainstorm ways of showing this. Maybe have them choose a favorite toy to put in a box for a week.

3. Read stories about people who were without, Bible stories especially. Like when God took care of Hannah in the wilderness after she ran from Sarah. Or when David was on the run from Saul. There are many examples in the Bible.

4. Now, my kids are young, so having them help in soup kitchen or something like that makes me a little uncomfortable, but I think volunteering like that is a great opportunity for age-appropriate children. However, there are some other ways to encourage other people. Make Thanksgiving tins (similar to Christmas plates) filled with some yummy treats to drop off with friends and family.

Last week, my girls and I discussed gratitude and started our Thankful Tree. Each day, we write down on a construction paper leaf something we are thankful for (I do it, too!). Then we pray about it. This week we are going to continue the Thankful Tree, but we're discussing the wastefulness. One thing we'll be doing is going around the house to see what ways we can be less wasteful. I'm also thinking a game of store might help them understand that stuff costs money, and you can only spend what you have.

They may not get it right away, but I know I'm planting the seeds. Seeds take time to grow. Hopefully, I'll see the fruit soon. What about you? Any ideas?