As we are rapidly approaching Thanksgiving this week, I decided to do something this year to help get my family ready all month long. I’ve seen a number of people post something every day that they are thankful for throughout the month but wanted to make it a little more tangible and noticeable in our day to day lives.
That’s how I came up with the “Thankfulness Jar”. It was pretty simple, I just took a large vase that I have and cut up strips from brightly colored note cards and found a working pen (anyone else have a pen-eating monster in their house? Where do all the pens go?). I put it out on the table and we started once a day during a meal time writing out things that we were thankful for.
The first few days were easy, “house”, “family”, “food”, but I was kind of shocked at how somedays it was hard to think of something. It was a real eye opener to how hard and ungrateful my heart is. I live in an amazing country in a beautiful place and my life has become so blessed with so much. Taking a step back and really working on aligning my heart with that notion it has been a really good month.
I’ve been worried about how do I stave off the impending wave of commercialism and materialism that is about to assault our senses at every turn during this next month. And not only that but how to I raise my boys to first off realize how blessed they are and secondly how to be thankful for all of that and thirdly how to give back to those that aren’t in the same place.
I don’t think there is one answer or solution to it, but I hope that taking time and focusing on all that we have been given and blessed with and making our eyes and hearts more aware will help us tune out the drone of “wants and stuff” that is coming. I hope that in getting our hearts ready this month we might be a little able to look past the trees and lights and sales and commercials and instead see the simple baby laying in the manger that was sent here that we might have hope and peace.
Hiking Mommy 