A Thankful Heart

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As a mother, I'm continually hearing from the children what they want.  It seems their birthday is just a few days past, and they are planning what they want to get the next year.  It makes me want to scream, "Why can't you just be grateful for the nice gifts you just received rather then wanting something else!"

Amber writes a thank you.

I believed thankfulness needed to be taught.  What better time to teach this attitude then at Thanksgiving.  This week we invited some adult friends over that are special to our children.  The children were all involved in planning a special dinner to honor them.
Alex and Troy scrub sweet potatoes


They made a banner, wrote thank you letters, wrote a song, helped clean the house, and prepared and served the food.  The children had a great time planning and preparing, and they came up with good ideas to make our guests feel special.   The evening ended up being a memory that they'll remember for a long time.
Michael seasons the turkey
This whole process taught me something too.  I learned children need opportunities to express thankfulness.   The added bonus was it was a rewarding week.  The children and I laughed and talked together.   I discovered my children have big hearts full of thankfulness.  They just needed some guidance in expressing it.
Cory makes the pie.

High on my list of what I'm thankful for are my beautiful children.   Psalm 127:3-5a says, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."

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