Thanks + Giving...from the Multitude

This is our tree. Our thanksgiving tree. I cannot coin the idea itself. (You can find the post on the MOB society.) I am one of those wannabe crafty type people. I love the idea of crafts, and I enjoy going to the store to get all the supplies for crafts, and I even enjoy starting the craft...but many times I have found that I don't have the ability or perserverence or whatever to see it through to its masterpiece completion. That said, I am so thankful that God is not that way with us. He is totally crafty! He always completes his good works. And we are His masterpiece (even if I don't always feel like that).

My point of showing this crafty craft here is that it really challenged me in to thinking about Thanksgiving in a different way this year. Not just as a time to give thanks for the abundant blessings God bestows. But also to spur us on to giving from the overflow of those blessings. Hence the breakdown of the word...Thanks + Giving.

So we are trying to do activities with our kids this month that reflect this new outlook. With these posts of "multitude mondays" we have been talking a lot more about gratitude in our house lately. The boys have spontaneously started to share things they are thankful for, which has been such a blessing. We are all learning how to truly be grateful for the simple things. To worship Him for how He provides for us, in big ways and small. Every single day. And to tell others what He has done...to give out of the bounty of what we've been given. So we all sat down and decided on some ways we could help each other and others in our community this month. Whether it is giving food to someone, writing a card, or brushing the dogs, it is all about sharing His love, giving from what we've been given.

I pray this new November tradition will continue in our house. I pray our boys will learn this well. I pray we will live it well, all year round. Thanks...Giving. Hand in hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I join Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience in counting up the multitude....

#76-92

76. grace for when my mouth keeps running

77. friends who make me think

78. a deal that went through!

79. God is so cool

80. not freaking out in the moment

81. accepting that which I cannot change

82. knowing how to stand on Truth

83. Him prompting me to do just that

84. a myriad of second chances

85. worship in a body flow class

86. childcare at the gym

87. Peace amidst chaos

88. beautiful jewelry for an amazing cause

89. that we didn't have to take a horse-drawn carriage to get to our destination

90. new memories with old friends

91. learning more about myself~His refining fire

92. appropriately being reminded that I am but a tiny ant compared to this great big God