Advent Day 15

He is our peace and our hope.  He is truth and love.  In him is life.  Apart from him is nothingness.  A meaningless existence.  

God, right now as we anticipate the celebration of your coming as a baby, we need your light more than ever.  Senseless tragedy has ripped sweet young children from their families.  Heroic adults have put down their lives to protect the children that you love so dearly.  God, our world does not make sense.  It is so filled with evil.

Be our light this advent Sunday as we light the candle of joy.  Remind us that we can delight in you even when we feel as though darkness consumes us.

Lord, I lift up the families of all those precious people who died yesterday.  I ask you to hold the other students and staff close to you in the coming weeks and months as well.  Be with the officers investigating this horrific event.  I pray that they see your light and feel your peace and love this holiday season.  Be with each of those effected through this tragedy.

I am so thankful tonight for my3 little men.  I'm grateful for a loving husband that points us toward you.  I pray that you help us continue to thrive in health and service.  God, even in the face of tragedy, let us not forget your blessings.  Hold us all close to you as we celebrate the birth of your son this season.

Another Hope Activity

Candy Corn Hope

At dinner time we sat a jar of candy corn on the table, next to the wreath, where all the boys could see it.  As soon as we sat down to eat, Manasseh asked if he could have candy for dinner.  We asked the boys if they remembered what hope means.  Manasseh said, "when you go to the store and your mom says you can't have something and you hope you can have it later."  Okay, so he kind of got the point to the other exercise.  We talked about hope as having faith - believing that you will receive your promise.  

Randy asked the boys if they believed that mommy would tell them the truth and do good things for them.  Of course, they said yes.  I told them that after dinner they could all have some candy.  They said they believed me.  We shared that this meant they had hope that mommy was going to give them candy corn.

After dinner, the boys got candy as promised.  We talked about God's promises to us and the hope that we have because of Him.  We shared that we can trust God because he has good plans for us.

What have you done this week to share hope?

Teaching Preschoolers about Hope

HOPE

Teaching kids about hope can be overwhelming.  Especially when you have preschool aged boys with a lot of extra energy!  We've spent some time preparing together for how to break down the BIG topic of biblical hope to teach to our little men.  Their little minds can't fully grasp what it means to have hope for the future - but they can understand in general what hope means.

Today we took a trip to one of their favorite store with a notebook and pen, and 2 little boys with a lot of "wishes" on their minds.  We helped them write out lists of things they would like to have.  Manasseh's list seems to be growing faster than I can follow.  He likes gadgets.  They had a great time pushing buttons and daydreaming about neat toys.

At dinner we sat down to light our first advent candle, the candle of Hope.  We shared a devotion, sang a song, and pulled out their wish lists.  It is only a little bit of what hope means, but something they can grasp clearly.  We talked about their lists, the things they hope for - what they really want.  Then we shared about the nation of Israel waiting for the promised king, their savior.  We talked about what that must have felt like.  How does it feel to wait for the things on your wish list?  (Exciting, happy, and fun).  We added words like impatient, difficult, and peaceful. 

As we shared the candle of hope, we talked about our future hopes.  We hope in God.  We know that he's got our backs.  He has good plans for us even when we have bad days.

Hope is still a huge concept, but our boys have gotten a taste of what it means.  

What do you do to teach about hope with your children?

Connections

Do you have special people in your life that had a big part in helping you become who you are today?

I do.  I have a lot of them.  I have this big, beautiful family that has formed me in so many ways, I can't even begin to share them well.  The picture above is my "Nonnie".  She is my mom's mom.  I adored Nonnie.  I remember as a child that her house always smelled a little bit like stale smoke - I hated it that she smoked, but now there's something familiar about that stale smell.  I don't like it -but it brings back memories.

Some of my favorite memories of Nonnie involve doing crafts, eating out, sharing holidays, and shopping.  Nonnie always had crafts at her house for the kids.  I loved the great variety of projects we worked on together.  I cherish those memories and I hope that some day my children will have similar memories of their grandparents.  Shopping was always a great adventure as well.  We always listened to kids music (mostly Raffi) in her car.  After shopping we inevitably had a hard time finding her car.  The reason?  "Humpty Dumpty stole the car again."  I have NO idea why it was Humpty Dumpty - but it ALWAYS was.

I miss my Nonnie.  She never lived close to us, but our visits were always very special.

I believe that this picture of my grandparents and some of my cousins (and myself) was taken at an aunt's wedding.  Grandma and Grandpa loved their big family - 7 children, 18 grandchildren - and now nearly as many great-grandchildren.  I was fortunate to live near my grandparents and most of my cousins when I was growing up.  They were an integral part of my world from the time I was an infant.

My grandparents were an example of faith, love, and joy.  They always had time to talk.  They loved being with their family.  When grandpa passed I remember seeing pictures of him all over the apartment - it seemed like he was always holding a baby.  

Some of my favorite memories with my grandparents were watching birds, playing scrabble and yahtzee, sitting with them during breakfast devotions, and sitting for hours in the living room just talking.  They were great hosts with a zest for life that I hope to imitate. 

I want my children to have godly examples of living like I did.

These are my cousins (minus the youngest 3 and Pete is only there via photo).  Again - they were a large part of my world as I grew up.  We are a unique collection of artistic individuals.  We were all privileged to have been raised in a loving family that knew how to do community.  In times of need our parents stepped up to help each other out.  It's amazing to see where life has taken us.  I love each of these fantastic people so much.

I want my kids to be close with their cousins.  When they look back on growing up, I want them to remember that family is a community.  I want them to have fantastic memories of what it means to be part of a loving family.

These are my sisters - okay, one is ACTUALLY my cousin - but remember how I said that we took care of each other?  Ashlee, in so many ways, is our baby sister.  In fact, one of our foster sons (and a couple of our children) have thought that she WAS our sister.  I like that.

These are our babies that were born in 2010.  It was so much fun to have the experience of watching our bellies grow together - and now watching our little boys grow together.  They will all turn 3 between January and April.  My boys have cousins close to their age.  I hope they think of them as close family that they can depend on as they grow.

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It seems like so many of us have lost the connections we used to have with our families.  Family seems to be a much looser term now than it was when I was growing up.  The definition is changing all the time.  I am glad to be part of a beautiful, big birth family.  I am also glad to have family that was not born to me, but has been adopted into our lives.  My kids have aunts, uncles, and cousins that are not at all blood related.  I am so glad for those connections.

I'm sad too.  We don't live TOO far from our parents and siblings, but far enough away that we don't get to see them every week, or even every couple of weeks.  I wish that my kids were able to spend more time with these important people, building bonds that will not fade as they age.  I am looking for new ways to help my children build those connections with their family.  We want to ensure that our children know they are deeply loved, not just by us, but by their extended family.  They are important and special.  I pray they begin to recognize each person's uniqueness and celebrate it as much as we do.

If you are part of my family - thank you for who you are.  We love you.  If I haven't seen you for a while - know that I miss you, I pray for you.  I am looking forward to the next time I see each of you.  

How do you help your children make connections with your family?  Do you have special traditions that help you keep relationships?  Do you share recipes, stories, pictures?