Archive for the ‘Kindness’ Tag
Hugs, tears, and Ten-isms
Last day of school for Ten.
Everybody else gets out tomorrow.
What a privilege it was to escort these little girls to school every day for a whole school year.
I had a sad, empty feeling, in the pit of my stomach today realizing that this year was over and we would never be the same.
We hugged…her teachers.
We laughed and reminisced about the wonderful progress she had made.
We told each other “Ten-isms”…funny stories about sweet little Ten.
Walking home we hugged the crossing guards.
Never thought I would do that…never knew crossing guard’s name before.
What a crazy life.
I don’t know what I used to do that was more important than this.
She has the gift of appreciation
Filed under: Reflection | Tags: Big Family, Blessings, Children, God, Kindness
Comments (1) Nine is growing up really fast.
Usually this expression means that a child is advanced beyond her years in an inappropriate way.
Not the case here.
She is blooming in the fruits of the Spirit.
This weekend I noticed how incredibly appreciative she is becoming.
I told her a bedtime story and when she thanked me I was struck by her deep heartfelt thanks.
Several timed during the day she stops to thank me for taking care of her or preparing a meal or helping with her homework or for being silly…I like that the best.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the rest of the numbers are lacking in this virtue…no way…my cup is running over in family appreciation.
But Nine is so sincere and at such an early age.
I think showing appreciation is like getting a hug from God.
And as usual, he is a multitasker…I receive the blessing from him through Nine.
Hey, wait a minute…that’s an answer to a prayer of mine.
That God would love me through my family.
And the other side of that coin is that He would love my family through me.
What a blessing.
2010…The year of kindness
This is a kinda late New Year’s resolution.
Several years I learned of an idea that stuck with me.
The idea was to pray each year…all year long…for one of the Christian virtues…fruits of the Spirit…for your children and family.
I made a half-hearted attempt some years ago but I’m feeling more determined these days.
The fruits of the Spirit are:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-control
I posted this as suggestion for growing fathers on my blog by the same name (www.growingfather.com).
I’ve prayed about it since then and I feel God is leading me to pray for kindness this year for every member of my family.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Kinda like dropping a mystery ingredient into the soup to see how it affects the taste.
Stay tuned.
