What am I thankful for???

I got a great idea for a homeschooling website that suggested for a thanksgiving family project to make a thankful tree. It is a tree that gets filled with leaves that list what the family members are thankful for each day. Let's just say that it was easy the first few days as the regular family, God, health were listed on the leaves- as the days have gone on it has made me really look at the things in life that I am thankful for- the things that God has given us and has also made me look at God as a creator in a totally different way! It is amazing to think of God creating a man that would love and could create art and music. It is amazing to think of God creating the lobster, the crab and the bee. It is also amazing that God gave us a spirit of adventure- one that would lead men to discover a new land- strike out to govern themselves and to keep on fighting even when all said they where failing. This thanksgiving season I have enjoyed reading several seasonal books with the kids, making indian teepee's and talking about the spirit of those that settled our great country. It has also made for good converstation for me and Darcy to talk about the spirit of our founding fathers and where we are not- it is also a time to reflect on what we spend our time on. At this time of year I usually start my christmas shopping. I hate to say that I do a wonderful job of studying scripture, making a Jesse tree etc. but fall really short when i focus on gifts for the kids and what they point my children towards. It is so easy to give in and get the DS play system and think that - well they have to be in the car for 12 hours so why not- but them I think of all the wonderful things that I may be robbing them of- conversation with siblings and parents, enjoying a wonderful piece of music and reading a great book. It came to me that we voluntarily rob ourselves of so many of the great joys that God gives us. We try to fill our time instead of simply enjoy what we are given. We try to make certain amounts of time go by- then only to look back and wish that we had more time. Fussing children is just a fact of life- it happens- it frustrates but to try and find methods to hush them we sometimes rob them of something far greater. So this season as I choose the gifts that I will give the kids- i will try to point them to Christ and this amazing life that we have been given. I took time today to stop and encourage the kids to make gifts for their cousins- yes it would be much easier to give them chores- pay them and then left them buy things- however when we were at hobby lobby tonight and the boys chose fabric to make little bags for thier cousins and doll clothes and blankets for their sisters (and them ribbon to match- yes they have inherited my problem for coordinating color) I realized that this is a lot more work- but the joy on their faces of taking part and the sheer hard lesson for amelia of having to buy ribbon for someone else when they "would look so good in my hair" will be worth all the work. I think that overall somewhere in my young adult life I have begun to take the easy way- and I wonder why is that- i was brought up by hard working parents- a long history of hard working, diligent people- but somehow things are now to be convient, quick and not require too much- so this year I am fighting the crap that society feeds us- the gift does not have to look like I bought it from Pottery Barn- out gifts will be made from the heart- they may be ackward- ugly and unusable- but i am sure that next year we will do a little better and at some point our family and friends will look forward to our hand made gifts ( i hope). In the end- the kids will realize ( and me and Darcy) that things take hard work, that even when you work hard and make great plans sometimes things just don't turn out like we planned and I am sure there will be lots of good conversations and lots of laughs!! I just hope that eventually I am not so sleep deprived so that when I am an old woman I will remember all the crazy things that I tried to instill in the children and all the christmas gifts my little ones hands made!!