PrincipledMom™

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."   Isaiah 11:1

We are starting one new tradition each Christmas at our house. We love advent calendars and we love devotionals for the month of December, so I discovered a way to do both of these in a fun and meaningful way.Those of you in mainline denominations may know about the Jesse tree. I did not. At least not until I happened across one on one of my cyber-trips.

It traces the lineage of Jesus each day leading up to Christmas, through the likes of Abraham, Rahab, King David and Mary. You recount the amazing stories of the people, recognizing God's Providence and marveling at His intricate ways. The Jesse Tree is a theme that goes back to the middle ages, and maybe before. There were many tapestries and altar pieces in churches devoted to Jesus' lineage.

The way we celebrate this today is to make a tree. We make ornaments that fit the story of the day and place them on the tree. This year at our house we will use the ficus tree in the dining room. Next year I plan to have a great little tree for the table--or maybe the wall. We will make ornaments over the next year that will be more permanent. This year they will be more "kid crafty" and we will work on them as we discuss the story each day.

Some links to learn more:

• http://www.crivoice.org/jesse.html
• http://www.christiancrafters.com/jesse_tree.html 
• http://www.jesse-tree.com/
• http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Jesse-Tree-Devotions-Christmas/dp/0687009081

If your family celebrates this tradition, I hope you will leave a note and a link to a picture of your tree.

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With only two days until T-Day I wanted to put keystroke to screen and list some things I'm thankful for. This list does not include the big three: my salvation, my family or my life. Those are obvious to me. *smile*

1. warm homemade pumpkin bread--with real butter
2. digital camera to capture my kids in time
3. catching my favorite song on the radio--at the beginning of it
4. creating a handmade book that works out just right
5. easy potty training of my son (NO MORE DIAPERS!!)
6. the delicious smell of old books
7. the feel of sea glass in my hand
8. one more hour of sleep
9. conversations with my grandmothers about their childhoods
10. slipcovers

I am grateful to God for the life I have: a warm home, family to love and to love me and time to do what needs to be done--and what I want to do. And for placing me here in America, the greatest country in the world. Okay, that works out to more than ten but the last few were a bonus. Be thankful for that too.

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I have just launched my newest Web site. It has a lot of the same info as Principium, my old Biblical Principle Approach home educators' site, but it has a different feel and focus. And keep in mind that I am adding to it almost every day. There is a lot of work ahead but it's a labor of love.

Take a look and let me know what you think!

PrincipledMom™

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Some think that thankfulness is part of your natural ability, like being able to sing or being a good writer--either you have it or you don't. I don't belong to that group. Others think it is something you catch, like a cold. I don't happen to belong to that group either. I believe that gratitute is a learned behavior, a lifestyle that takes a lot of effort to maintain.

Human nature is to be ego-centric. We naturally care about ourselves and not much else. Most other things we care about only because they affect us in some way. It takes a lot of work to pull ourselves out of the "ego-centrifugal force" and into a new orbit.

The Word of God says 

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Cor. 5:18)

It also says

Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing. (Ps. 107:21, 22)

The work, the sacrifice of putting to death the flesh and living a thankful life, pulls us into another orbit. If we live in a thankful orbit, we will be more thankful all day, every day. We will seek out His Providence at work in our lives. We will be sensitized to it.

It is not enough to live thankful lives ourselves. How do we raise thankful children? We make it a habit they can see. We make every effort to demonstrate thankfulness as we go through our day. Some easy ways to do that are:

• Be an example of a life full of thanksgiving. 
• Create a thankfulness box. Write one thing on a slip of paper each day and at Thanksgiving read the year's thankful notes.
• Start a thankfulness journal. Make it available to the whole family. Write in it each day.
• Start your day with praise and thanksgiving.
• Memorize thankfulness scriptures.
• Make a list of things your are thankful for. Add to it each day, eventually taping papers together into a long, long scroll.
• Create a thankfulness tree. Write things on paper leaves or ornaments and add to the tree.
• Think of things you are thankful for using all the letters of the alphabet.
• Write letters for gifts received before the gift can be used.
• Pray together regularly. Always begin your prayers with praise and thanksgiving
• Help others in need. You will be thankful for what you have.
• Pray that your children's eyes will be opened to their blessings and that a grateful attitude will become a part of their Christian character.
• Pare down their belongings. Sometimes less really is more.
• Acknowledge their thankful ways.

We must pull our children into orbit around the Son, where He is the center of everything. When they are in the right place, thankfulness will come more easily because their eyes are fixed on the one Who gives to all liberally.

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