Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays. To have an entire day set aside purely to be thankful for what we have in our lives is a very special thing. The older I get, I find myself being less angry and instead becoming more reverent to all the gifts in my life. Even through very difficult times, there are always things to be thankful for. You may have to search deeply for them, but they’re always present.

Every year, I try to pick a charity to donate to. In 2011 David and I went to the toy store and bought toys to donate to a children’s hospital. In 2012, we bought toys for children who’s parents are in prison. This year it was money to help people in the Philippines. I also thought about trying to convince my dad to buy a whole heard of goats to donate to an entire village through some special program but I thought that was maybe a bit of a stretch. Next year dad!

Now I want to start bringing the kids on board. One lesson I really want to instill in them is to always be appreciative for what they have in their lives and find ways to help others who are less fortunate. So I have decided to start a new tradition with them… once they are old enough to understand. The tradition will change and adapt to their maturity level as they get older but I think I have found a good starting point. We will start with something simple that Nathan can understand at his age, which I am sure will be centered around toys. We will go to the toy store and Nathan will pick out one toy that he thinks is very special. Then we will take it to a children’s hospital, church, shelter, you name it and Nathan will hand it over. It’s very simple. As the years go by this will evolve to meet their level of understanding but I figured this was a good starting point. I hope to get them physically volunteering somehow in their free time when they are older but for now this will do.

I really want to teach my boys how to see everything they have to be thankful for and be inspired to give back to others. I am convinced it is a skill that needs to be nurtured from when they are young. We aren’t necessarily born with an innate ability to see these things. I am sure it will be met with groans and complaints but hopefully that will gradually diminish as they get older and are better able to understand. If you have found something that works for your family or have any tips of how to help the process along, I’d love to hear different ideas 🙂

This is one of the first years I haven’t had to tell myself to sit still and think of all the things I am thankful for just because it’s Thanksgiving. Instead, I notice that I’ve been developing a sight for it and am able to see it in everyday moments of my life. Even when I just want to crumble on the floor and quit, somehow it shines through even then. So this has been a very special Thanksgiving for me. Perhaps it comes with advancing age, maybe it’s through having kids or maybe just being humbled over and over again as I see ways I could have done things better. Either way, this holiday is taking on a whole new meaning for me and for that I am very… thankful!