When sudden fear is all around us, and we are tempted to join its ranks,
we must remember that the Lord is our confidence and we are secure in His grip.
Author: RefreshHer
Early Thanksgiving Preparations
Two weeks from yesterday I have will have the privilege of hosting Thanksgiving for my family. There will be at least eight of us here, with the possible addition of other non-family guests. I’m excited about getting to host this holiday that is the beginning of a wonderful season of the year!
Though I’m not having twenty or forty people, like many of you may be hosting, I’m still trying to plan out my preparations in these weeks before so I can enjoy my family and not be scurrying about the kitchen all day. Here’s what I’m working on getting done before Thanksgiving week arrives. Maybe this will give you a few ideas of things you can do beforehand, so your stress level will be diminished!
House:
- Clean summer dust off windows
- Wipe down baseboards
- Polish hardwood floors
- Have sofa upholstery professionally cleaned
- Wipe out fridge and freezer
- Get rid of any unnecessary containers in fridge so there will be plenty of room for all the food
- Clean oven
- Wipe down cabinets
Table Prep:
- Iron linens – napkins and tablecloths
- Clean/polish silver
- Plan centerpiece
- Purchase any candles needed
- Make place cards
Food Prep:
- Plan dinner menu
- Ask guests who have volunteered what items they’d like to bring
- Purchase any pantry items that aren’t perishable
- Purchase/order turkey
- Bake cookies and freeze
- Make pie crusts and freeze
Those are the things I’ve thought of so far. My mind will wake me up at night sometimes, with a thought of something I need to add to my list. It’s good to have a pad and pencil by my bedside for those nighttime ideas!
Who else is hosting Thanksgiving at their house? How do you prepare ahead of time?
Stay refreshed,
Developing Thankfulness in Your Child’s Heart – Part 2
There’s hardly a day that passes that I don’t stop and thank the Lord for the gift of my home. You see, I prayed for ten years that the Lord would provide a house that was our own; one that would allow us to serve Him as we served others, where we could hold lots of people, and also a home in which we could build some equity. Now, here we are! It’s such a blessing because we waited what seemed to be a fairly long time. It’s God’s wonderful gift to us, and we are so thankful! I can also say, it was worth the wait!
As parents who want to build thankfulness in their child’s heart, I believe it’s wise to follow our heavenly Father’s example and sometimes let our child wait to receive the thing that they’re desiring. Our society today has the attitude of, “I-must-have-it-now!”. We’re not willing to wait for a hamburger, much less a pair of jeans or a car!
Proverbs 13:19 says, “The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.”
It’s a greater blessing and causes greater gratitude when we have to wait for something. A child will be more thankful for a toy, the bike or the new outfit if they’ve
- prayed about it – Asked God for His will in this
- saved for it – To help cover the expense
- waited upon it – Because the first two take time!
So, even if you have the means to grant every desire of your child’s, if you want them to learn to be really thankful, apply the principle of Waiting makes you more thankful, and you will be helping your child to develop a grateful heart!
What do you have from the Lord that you had to wait for?
With love,
The Best Date that Costs Nothing!
Last Friday night my husband and I went on a date called The Bookstore Date. Here’s how it goes:
We headed to our local Barnes & Nobles Bookstore with a small list that I’d put on my phone. We headed to the back of the store where they have little tables and chairs, perfect for two. I pulled out the list. The object of the date is to find the suggested books, one at a time, bring them back and read whatever was asked. Then, you return the book and proceed to the next one until either your date time is up, or you finish the list. Here are the books we were to find:
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#1 – Visit the COOKING section & chose a recipe that you would like to make for your spouse.
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#2 – Visit the MAGAZINE section & find a quiz in a magazine that you and your spouse could do together.
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#3 – Visit the CHILDREN’S section & find a book that was a favorite when you were a child or that holds a special memory for you…and read them to each other when you meet back up.
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#4 – Visit the JOKE section and pick out a HI-LA-RI-OUS joke to share with your spouse.
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#5– Visit the TRAVEL section and find a picture or information on a place you would like to visit someday.
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#6 – Visit the POEM section and find a poem that describes the way you feel about your spouse.
We were at the bookstore for about an hour and a half and we only finished up to #4. Why? Because this date is so much fun and creates so much conversation that you don’t stop at reading just a part of the story, or one joke – you can’t resist reading more and laughing or talking or crying. If you decide to try this, you could do the first three on one night and the second three another time.
This is the best date, ladies. It costs nothing. It creates conversation. It’s so much fun! It will knit your heart to your husband’s as you spend some really special minutes reading together and to one another. Even non-readers would love this, because it’s not like you have to read a whole book – or even a chapter of anything. They’re just fun topics that help you to know one another even deeper.
What free date do you and your husband do to create memories and build your relationship?
Lovingly,
Creating a Thankful Heart
I recently read a story about a man who rescued many people from a freezing lake after their ship had suffered a puncture. He dove in the icy waters again and again, rescuing victim after victim. His heroic efforts cost him his own health, forcing him to use a wheel chair for most of his life after the rescues. Years later, someone asked him what he remembered most about that time. “Not one person thanked me for saving them.”
My jaw dropped when I read that! I would imagine that any person would be so overwhelmed with gratitude that they would tell him how grateful they were! It reminded me of the ten lepers Jesus healed, and that only one returned to give thanks.
It makes me take a look at my own life and wonder if I have gratitude for all God has done for me. As parents, don’t we desire that our children are thankful? We say things to them like,
“Tell the nice man thank you for the sticker.”
“What do you say for the candy?”
“Say thank you to your sister for sharing her toys with you.”
We say these things in hopes that they’ll develop gratitude, but how do we create in them a thankful heart? Let me suggest:
- Model a thankful spirit. Saying things such as, “I’m so thankful for a beautiful day for our picnic!” Or “”I prayed about that and God answered! I’m so thankful He hears me!” Colossians 3:15 As a friend of mine shared yesterday, we should also be thankful for the rainy days, the plans that were changed, or the needs that arise. From a thankful heart we can say, “God knows what is best, and I’m thankful I can trust in Him for this.”
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Remind your children of God’s goodness. Remind them that everything we have is from God. James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. Remind them to thank the Lord for the food, the new friend, the good friend at church, the money to purchase new jeans, and the birthday gifts because they are all due to His goodness – not anything we did or deserve.
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Point them to thank the people God uses to provide and teach them how to tell them thank you.
I recently sent some cake home with a friend at church. The very next service I received a note from each of the school-aged children. They both wrote to tell me how much they enjoyed it and to say thank you!Don’t let a flippant “thanks” be enough – teach your child to say thank you verbally, but also to write their thanks. The notes I received were great reminders of what a note of thanks should contain:
- A brief but specific description of what was done/given.
- Why the receiver appreciated it.
- Thanks for their kindness.
- If you want to go the extra mile, they could add a verse that describes what the giver did! One of my note writers added a verse to their card, and that was really touching!
Let’s have thankful hearts that our children can emulate. As followers of Jesus, we were saved from far more than icy waters, and we should have thankful spirits that are evident by our words and actions!
With thanks to you for reading today,
RefreshHer 