Thankfulness

As a Homeschool Mom, I am always trying to come up with ways of teaching the children simple ways to show their appreciation. Whether it be to the Lord, to the Pastor, their Church, their town.I always want them to be Thankful to the Lord and to others for what they have been given. I just never know if I have reached them. Today though was different.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I decided to create a 'Thankful Tree'. I have done this in the past but never with Deborah (8) and Matthew (7)so this was a new experience for them. I wasn't too sure what they would understand or whether they would enjoy it. I might also mention that my 17 and 16 yr old girls and 11 yr old son were also participating.

After I made the tree and attached it's branches, I brought all the children into the kitchen. I explained what we were doing and that the tree was a symbol of our Thankfulness. Since I am pretty sure that the older three understood the concept, I turned my questions to Deborah and Matthew. I have to say, I was surprised by the answers these two children gave me when I asked them if they knew what it meant to be Thankful.

Matthew was the first to respond. He explained to me in his rambling way that being thankful meant "Giving God your Thanks for everything he did for you". I was completely stunned. With Matthew's 'problems', I am just never sure what is going to come out of his little mouth.What an awesome answer that was. My heart was and is overwhelmed by his complete understanding of

Giving Thanks. When it was time to give me his answer, it was simple but it was sincere. Matthew is thankful for having a family. For him, that said it all.

It was Deborahs turn to answer the question, 'What are you Thankful for?' Honestly, I was expecting her to repeat what Matthew had said. To my surprise, again, my daughter gave me an answer that I never expected. Deborah looked at me and said "I am Thankful that God gave me the family he did. I am Thankful that God picked the right Mom and Dad just for me. I am Thankful that God let me grow in Mom and Dad's Heart."

Pull out the Kleenex box! My heart leaped out of my chest and exploded with Joy. This wasn't the answer of a child that was Thankful for Toys, Clothes or Food. She was Thankful for God choosing Craig and I to be here parents. For creating and choosing her 'Forever Family'. It was just so simple for her. There was no hesitation. No stairing off into the distance to come up with an answer. She knew what she was Thankful for and she said it. How awesome is that?

As we completed our Thankful Tree we stood back and looked at it. I wasn't looking at a paper tree anymore. I no longer saw Handprints cut out to represent leaves or the tape on the wall to hold that tree up. What I saw was the most perfect peace of art. Made with Love and Understanding of everything that God has given me.

I never did have a chance to make my Thankful leaf but had I made one, it would have said this..."I am thankful for a forgiving Lord that has blessed me with a loving, patient husband  that has given me more than I ever thought possible. I am thankful for the 7 children He has blessed me with and the

 love and joy they bring me every day. I am thankful for all of the trials. For the bumps in the road for the quiet peaceful times. I am thankful for my life."

Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Psalm 95:2

Traditions

Can you believe that Holidays are just around the corner? When did that happen? While I am a bit paniced at the thought of all that is going to need to be done, I am also very excited about all the little traditions that my family will be able to start back up again.
With 7 children, Craig and I have tried to keep certain Holiday Traditions alive and well. Our traditions aren't anything to write home about but they are ours. The best part about them is how the children look forward to them.
There is the Ice Cream Punch. Nicholas and Helen would cry if we didn't have this. Melissa begs for her Sweet Potato Bake. Candace craves Dark Chocolate Cheesecake. Deborah is pretty simple, she wants Corn. Matthew is the bread man and CJ asks for Pumpkin Pie.
Last night as we sat at the table and discussed Thanksgiving Dinner the children made sure to remind their Dad about the making of the stuffing. You're thinking, 'Big Deal', right? Well, in this house it is. It is a major deal .
Every year about a week before Thanksgiving Craig makes a trip to the Bakery Department of the local grocery store. He buys 20 or so loaves of French Bread. Once the French Bread is home, Craig proceeds to sit the bread out so that it can go stale. The day before Thanksgiving he and the children gather in the kitchen and tear each one of those loaves into bite size pieces. The bread is soaked in water, then more of less 'wrung out', then seasoned and stuffed into the Turkey. There is also a large portion placed in a separate dish because you can never make too much stuffing!
While it doesn't sound like anything a child would look forward to, our children would not let Thanksgiving happen if they didn't get that time with Dad in the kitchen the day before the big celebration.
It's also a special time for Craig as this was something his own Grandmother did for him. A simple tradition but a tradition that has spanned many years and has now become a part of our own children's lives.
I would feel a bit remiss, if I didn't mention the 'Opening of the Traditional Christmas Eve Gift'. Every one of us remembers opening one present on Christmas Eve. It was probably a way for our parents to pacify us. To get us to go to bed so that 'Santa' could get busy putting the bikes together. We basically do the same thing with our children but each year the gift is the same.
This tradition spans at least 25 yrs. It started with our Helen and still after all these years, there is always excitement in the air. That Christmas Eve gift is opened and to the children's surprise (NOT!), It's "Christmas Pajamas!!!!"
Yep, Pajamas, PJ's, Jammies.  I still remember the first pair I ever bought. They were Carters Footie Pajamas with little Snowbears on them. Helen was adorable and every Christmas Eve since, she and all her siblings have received the same gift the day before Christmas.  No one gets matching pajamas. Everyone's PJ's are matched by personality and the amount of flannel they can handle, LOL. The only thing they have in common is the Christmas Theme.  The best part is seeing their faces light up as they put the Pajamas on and model them for Mom and Dad.
As the children have gotten older, a lot has changed. Helen is in California, CJ is off living his life and the 5 still at home are getting older and soon will be thinking about living their own lives. It is because of this that Craig and I have worked hard at continuing all of this. We want all of the children to look back and know, that they were the center of our Holidays and more importantly, the center of our lives.
So, as I start writing lists. Looking at magazines for new ideas. Thinking that I am not doing anything right, there will be a part of me that knows, that no matter how crazy it gets there will be those times when I will be able to sit and watch new memories being created.

It's Fall!

Fall is my favorite Season. It tends to bring out my childish side. I love the whole idea of Fall. The cooler weather. The beautiful colors. Pumpkins, hayrides, cider, Scarecrow's, it seems to bring a smile to everyone's face. I want to decorate! I want to buy gords and pumpkins and a bale of hay! I want to sit on the patio all morning with a cup of coffee and do absolutely nothing. I want to buy Candy Corn and play in the leaves that have fallen from the trees.
Fall is an awakening of sorts. It is our goodbye to Summer. A  'So-Long' to the heat and the always running Air-Conditioner. Fall allows you to open all your windows and sit in the livingroom taking in the breezes that blow through your house. The crisp air of Fall gives you an excuse to bring out your comfie blankets and snuggle up on the couch with your honey.
I think of my mother in the Fall. She loved the smell of the burning leaves. In the fall our neighbors as well as ourselves, would rake the leaves into a pile and instead of putting them in a garbage bag (I don't think they even existed) or garbage cans, everyone would set their leaves on fire. The leaves were always damp from the morning dew so instead of a complete burn, the leaves would smolder instead sending streams of smoke throughout the neighborhood. I can still hear my Mother saying "I love that smell. It is the first sign of Fall." This makes me believe that my love for Fall comes naturally. Like my Mother, there are smells of Fall that you can't compare to any other holiday.
I welcome Fall with open arms. I say hello to the colder air and the comfie blankets. Bring on the Pumpkins and the Bales of Hay. Remind us Fall, of Childhood memories and the precious smell of smoldering leaves.

Lord, Dont Make Me Do This!

When I set up this blog I thought I would sharing about the joys of Motherhood. A day in a life so to speak. I had no idea that I would be blogging about Compassion. My family seems to think that I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. That I don't have 'deep' thoughts.  I don't take offense to it (most times) but I think I may just have to show them a different side of Mama.
OK, so today isn't about my kids, their adventures or how my husband kept me up all night from his snoring (Thanks Babe). My blog today is actually about something that I think we all have lost quite a bit of and that is Compassion.
Where did it go? What did we do with it? I checked behind the dryer, the door and under the rug and sadly, it was nowhere to be found.  Granted, we probably use Compassion everyday with our children, our spouse or our close friends but honestly, when have you used your sense of Compassion for someone that isn't in your little 'Bubble' of a world?
I recently got myself into a situation that I wish I hadn't. Even though I prayed. I asked for the Lord to guide me, I was really hoping He would hollar down and say "NO LYNN, PUT ON THE BRAKES! DON'T GO IN!" Not only did He not Holl-Ah, He let me go in with my heart open and my Compassion blazing. I'm the first to admit that I think with my heart and then sit back and analyze the mess I have created due to it but this time, I made sure that my good friend, God, was right there with me.
I am not going to go into the details of the situation but I can say that it was a something where the only obvious thing that would help was Compassion. I gave it freely. I gave it without question. I asked for nothing in return and I think it was received as openly as it was given. I also believe that there was a bit of hesistance in the beginning and that is what I found sad.  At least for me it was.
I think the hesistance is a sign of the state of the world today. The extension of a helping hand has become so oblivious today that when someone does show any type of Compassion, we expect that we are going to have to pay for it in the end. I want to say that it isn't our fault but who do we blame? Where are we in the world today when a good deed is not accepted as just that, someone showing love for their fellow man.
I truly believe that the Lord brought this situation to me for a reason. He knew that I needed a reawakening in my heart. That I needed to see that I had lost some of my Compassion for His children. He wanted me to give back some of what He had given me on that cross so many years ago.
Extend your hand, better yet, extend your heart to someone you don't know. Someone that may have been in your life at one point or someone that you know of that needs a shoulder to cry on. Ask the Lord to walk you through. I am sure in the end, you and the one you have given Compassion to, will be better for it.