Thanksgiving Thoughts from a Mother’s
Heart
As
Thanksgiving day approaches, and Facebook, blogs, and the internet becomes
flooded with days of thanks, thanksgiving crafts, devotionals on thanksgiving,
etc., I decided to write my own post on Thanksgiving. I could do the 30 days of
thanks as many are doing, and I enjoy reading their thoughts. But God has been
at work in my own life again, and I’m determined to write down my
thoughts…before I forget them! J
I love
Thanksgiving, enjoying time with family, feasting on a huge dinner and all the
other things that go with the holiday. But as I’ve had more children, I’ve
discovered that it’s easy to be thankful most of the time, but I’m not always
as joyful as I should be…especially with young children. It’s hard for me to be
joyful as I wake up to an overflowing toilet (“too much paper, Mommy?”), deal
with children who seem to do the same thing over and over again…like wake up
the baby, “She wanted to smile with me, Mommy!”, and find that someone used the
shower curtain for toilet paper…always, “Not me, Mommy!”. J However, God has been working on me
gently correcting my attitude, giving me numerous opportunities to share grace
and teach my children. (For example, on our way to someone’s house this week, a
child ended up with the dessert on his shoes and all over his pants…it was an
opportunity to dig deep … and keep my mouth shut! J Sometimes, the best thing to do is
to take a deep breath and say nothing (at least for the moment).
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| Painting! |
Well, all
those ramblings to say I’ve come up with a few words that go with THANKSGIVING. Please take the thoughts I've come up with the humor that I've intended to go along. I love my children, and I do love being a mom!
T-
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| My baking helpers! |
Teachable
moments…oh how God
has been working on this with me! J Before I had children, I envisioned
sweet little children quietly sitting on the couch, while reading stories
together. Not so much, reading time consist of usually ½ of a story while
sitting under the dining room table which is made into a fort! J
I envisioned cheerful dinnertime conversations discussing how God made
the world and the things He’s done for us. However, God gave me lots of boys
who want to know things like, “Why did God give me boogers and why can’t I eat
them?” or “Why do I need to change my underwear, they don’t have any streaks in
them?” I’m learning that life is much different through the eyes of boys…but I
wouldn’t change it for the world! J
Time…I’m
thankful that God gave us time…He made the sun to come up and the sun to go
down. I love the hugs, kisses, “I love you” from my boys, and I’m also thankful
that God gave us a time for rest at night! J
H-
Health- It’s easy to take for granted that
my children are healthy; but since sickness can take place overnight, it’s
definitely something I’m thankful for on a daily basis.
Home-
I love, love the fact that we have a place to call home. I’m not always
thankful or joyful about how it looks, but that’s a work in progress. J One closet will look decluttered and
organized, but meanwhile the troops have emptied out the laundry baskets to
make “boats”. J
Heritage-
I’m so thankful that my parents raised me in
Godly home, where Christ was King. I never want to forget that I’m so
blessed to have a heritage where I never knew parents that were not saved and
that our children have Grandparents who love and pray for them.
A-
Attitude- We have a either a good attitude or
a bad attitude, but I’m thankful for both. A good attitude shows me that maybe
one of our children is grasping the concepts we’re trying to teach…a bad
attitude shows me exactly what we need to work on-sometimes a NAP! J
N-
Naptime- This one is at the top of my list! J While some of the boys are
outgrowing nap time, I still insist on quiet time (i.e. “sanity hour”) every
day.
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| Craft time |
Noise-
Perhaps something weird to be thankful for, but in a house full of young
children…usually, silence is NOT a good thing! J Generally, if I can hear them
playing, I can envision what’s happening; however, when things are quiet that’s
usually when drawers are being emptied, shampoo is being rubbed on the rug, or
the hinges are being taken off the door! Yes, I’m very leery of silence! J
K-
Kisses- Nothing brightens my day like
getting a kiss from my children. While our lives are a work in progress, kisses
remind me that these days are short!
S-
Salvation-Oh,
how I’m thankful for this one! Every morning is a reminder of how thankful I am
that God saved me. God loved me enough to send His Son to die for me, and Jesus
has saved me from my sins. I have admitted that I’m a sinner, believed that
Jesus died for me, and confessed my sins to Him and my desire is to spend eternity
singing His praises.
Spouse-
Outside of my salvation, my spouse, Roger, is next on my thankful list. While
not perfectJ, he loves me, loves our children, and loves the Lord…I am
blessed!
Soap-Where
would I be without this?! We go through a lot of soap here, although on
occasion we do have to remind certain children to use it! J
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| Siblings |
Siblings-I’m
thankful that God blessed us with more than one child…at least with having them
close together they can always play with a different sibling if they can’t get
along with one! J
G-
Grandparents-Roger and I are both blessed to have
parents that are saved. My mom has been a HUGE help to me in homeschooling the
boys this year, and I am so thankful for all her time and effort.
I-
Irritations-It
is extremely easy to get irritated at the little ones in my home, (“Why did it
seem like a good idea to jump out of the tree with trash bags for
parachutes?!” or "Why did you use the toilet plunger on the toliet WITH the stick part?!) but the irritations are a
reminder that I have another opportunity to respond rightly! J The days are filled with teaching
opportunities, and I need to see them as opportunities not irritations.
V-
Victories-The battles that are won on the
parenting front leave me with much to be thankful for every day. Sometimes, it just
the child that responds politely (a work in progress!) or perhaps a bigger
battle such as being kind to the annoying sibling! J We try to offer lots of praise in
our home for right actions, attitudes, and responses, but it sometimes seems
like we’re moving forward at an immeasurably slow speed! J Sometimes, it seems like we’re
constantly fighting the same battles,(“please use your fork”, “we don’t talk
about butts at the table”, “did you use soap when you showered?”) but I have to remind myself that we’re
working with a different child than last week. J
I-
Interesting-
With having four boys in four years, and then a girl, I can honestly say my
life is always interesting! J I’ve never been bored, haven’t finished a book in one
sitting in over three years (at least not one that’s on my reading level! J) and I’m never caught up on laundry.
BUT…I laugh every day (and sometimes cry), I get hugs and kisses from little
boys every day, I always have someone to read a book with or build a fort, I
never wonder whether the day will be “interesting”…because it will be
interesting! J
N-
Nature-I
am so thankful for the great outdoors! J We are blessed to have a great yard,
and the kids go out EVERY SINGLE DAY! J They build forts, drive their daddy
crazy by dragging “supplies” out of the garage J, ride bikes, climb woodpiles, throw
wood in the basement, plant gardens, dig for worms, and it’s not every mom that
gets to have frogs living in her camping cooler! J
G-
Girl-
Wow! I’m so blessed to have a little
girl in our house. To say she is loved would be a GROSS understatement! J She has someone kissing, touching,
or in her personal space just about every waking moment! I have to put my foot
down in order for her to be left alone! J Emma “Cake” (as Wyatt still calls
her) made the top of the list for the boys thankful lists this year, and I’m
delighted to have a little girl in our house.
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| Siblings |
So, there
you have it…my take on Thanksgiving this year. We are so thankful for the friends
and family relationships we have and we don’t take them for granted. We are
blessed beyond measure!
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise
unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with
gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD
he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people,
and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates
with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and
bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his
mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
