Like most parents I feel incredibly blessed,most of the time.
Like most parents, I do all I can everyday to provide my children with a scar free, trauma free, drama free childhood.
Like most parents, I often fall short.
Despite my faults, I do believe my children have it really good.
Part of my job as their mother is reminding and demonstrating to them how blessed we are.
Grateful children are happy children.
When my oldest children were old enough to start asking for things for Christmas I decided to start a tradition of giving.
It was good for them to see us purchase something they would love to have and give it to someone with less.
We would also have the kids go through their things and choose some things of their own that
they would then put under the tree for Santa to take with him to those children who didn't have as much.
A fond memory is of course the year they all wanted to give their most treasured stuffed animals. Or the year they went through their favorite books.
This tradition taught each of us so much about sacrifice and love.
We haven't done it in awhile.
We moved on to some others.
The Nativity Family,
the years we've hosted refugees,
(Don't I sound amazing?)
We'll now for the rest of the story...
We stopped leaving things for Santa to take with him,
because one year while looking in the garage for spare inner tubes (in March),
the kids found all the things "Santa" forgot to take with him.
there were their carefully and thoughtfully chosen gifts,
the old and new things we purchased, in a basket behind the crap.
Don't I sound amazing?
11 comments:
It really does sound amazing. And you - I mean Santa - just got busy when you found the prized possessions from the previous Christmas!
To make you feel better I have to share an A-HA moment I had tonight.
The last few days I've been feeling slighted, not offended, by comments people have made about my family "always being sick". Of course as any guilt prone mother does, I assume they are judging my skills as a homemaker. I don't know what to do differently, I'm already doing the best I can.
Tonight we watched the church DVD - Joy to the World. It has great music and goes through the nativity. As I'm watching the scene where Mary cuddles up with newborn baby Jesus amongst the animals and straw I thought about how she must have felt. Here she was, the mother of the Savior and she couldn't even find a clean place to give birth. I wonder if she felt guilt or shame about not providing better for God's son. She was an imperfect woman so I would guess she had doubts about being able to mother Christ.
Hopefully God lightened her load by letting her know that it was his will that Christ was born in a lowly stable, that it had nothing to do with his mother's imperfections.
You DO sound amazing. And I think your traditions are wonderful. And didn't Pres. Eyring just say last night that traditions are SUPPOSED to evolve? You can always bring back the "giving away" one. Maybe the kids should be Santa's elves and deliver their gifts themselves instead of overburdening him with more to do!
Ha! I love that. And I really need to start better traditions.
I've been inspired! ... now where to channel that?....
yes, amazing. My mom also instilled in her children that giving is very important and every year my mom, my sister and I choose a family to do Christmas for, because they just cannot quite manage it on their own.
I love it.
Ummmm......speaking of because you have been given much, does that Chocolate Heaven you're baking today ship well???
You still do sound amazing...and funny. ha ha ha!!
You may not want to hear this, but I feel better about myself now ;-)
You are definitely AMAZING!
Yah, we all think you are still amazing. Maybe not PERFECT, but still amazing. The imperfections make us like you all the more. And for a more amusing blog!
Did you do that with Christopher, Chandler, and Seth, or just Christopher and Chandler.
You truly are amazing!
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