Christmas

Christmas was a special time with family. 

We had the opportunity to go see Hubby's family as well as spend Christmas day with mine.  My grandmother did not want things so my children gave her time with them, sponsoring a child, and purchasing food stuff for the mission we've worked with before.  I was so proud of them for thinking of others.  My youngest gave a hug to a friend of my sister and brought tears to this friend's eyes.  He missed his own grandkids and it was a special moment for him. 

My kids are being the Salt and Light to the world around them.  God is using them to love the world and this makes me so happy.  I love watching each of them minister to others in their own special ways.

God is good!

A Civil War Christmas

Took the boys to A Civil War Christmas. 

Now, I typically run from anything Christmas until after Thanksgiving.  But Oldest Boy is currently studying the Civil War and we wanted to make the exhibit before it was gone.  They got their picture with President Lincoln and Oldest Boy talked with him a little bit.  They walked through the Civil War exhibit and the two Younger Boys painted salt-dough ornaments.  Oldest Boy was really interested as he read the different plaques in the exhibit and did say he learned something new - didn't share what that was :)  They had a wonderful group doing music and they were teaching some dancing. Could not get any of them to learn a dance with me.  Oldest Daughter said I should have taken her, but then who would lead?

It was part of a Candlelight Tour so we walked around a bit and the Younger Boys painted another ornament and all three got a goody bag filled with candy to eat on the way home. 

It was a wonderful evening to spend with my boys.  We really enjoyed ourselves.

Our first Reformation Celebration

So I stole an idea from Raising Real Men.  I have never liked halloween and we do not celebrate it.  I have always shied away from the church's idea of "redeeming the holiday" as to me it's just the church doing the same thing as everyone else is for the holiday.

The Old Testament talks about the celebrations for the Israelites - celebrations of rememberance.  All the other holidays we have are holidays of rememberance.  Christmas is in rememberance of Christ's birth, Easter of His resurrection, Thanksgiving is remembering the blessings of a country founded in faith.  But halloween?  Nothing.  Yes, it is said that the pagan's celebrated on the Christmas and Easter dates before the church did, but those were "redeemed" with holidays of rememberances.  Not so with halloween.

So I read an article by Hal and Melanie Young from Raising Real Men about Reformation Day.  How they celebrate the heros of the faith by watching a movie of Martin Luther and his 95 theses and eat German food.  So at dinner last night we talked about who Martin Luther was and what the Reformation was.  Then I assigned the younger boys to research (supervised) a martyr (had to define that for my 8 year old) so we could discuss them tonight.  So I came home from work via the library where I found a book of martyrs, and after dinner we sat together eating pumpkin glazed popcorn (from Real Food Real Deals website), and talking some more about Martin Luther and Stephen, the first Martyr for Christ.  I think I've got them thinking about others as well.  Thank you so much, Hal and Melanie, for leading us in this direction.

I also had the kids put up a tree on our door.  We are going to have a blessing tree where we write something we are thankful for on a leaf and attach it to our tree.  I've encouraged them to write one thing every day.  My oldest son liked the idea so much he wants to continue through December, writing things we are thankful for on snowflakes.  I hope it really opens up the gratefulness inside each of them and me as well.  I can go all day without noticing something for which to be thankful. 

Lord, help me to see the blessings with which you have surrounded me. Give me a heart of gratitude and a desire to share that with others.