Enjoying the Harvest
Part 4
Amanda
Bennett
This season of harvest is
bright and fruitful, both in our lives as parents and as we approach the season
of Thanksgiving. Not
only have I learned to see the harvest moments in our lives, but I've also
learned to really count our blessings, naming them one by one in my journal.
The list is growing, right along with my faith. And do you know what else? I'm
watching the importance of this blessing counting grow in our children. What an
amazing offshoot of my own lessons...that they, too, are really
"seeing" the important things in life. As I sit and reflect on this
now, perhaps that IS the most important lesson from all of this -- that they
see what really is important, instead of material things and day to day trials.
This "enjoying the
harvest" does not just apply to our children's growth and education, by
the way. Try to take time to take a walk -- really walking, not just speeding
through another task. Notice the color of the sky, and the birds that you see
-- can you identify them? And when you are making that apple butter in a
slow-cooker this year, don't forget to add some savory spices and then enjoy
the taste on hot buttered biscuits! Put on some classical music and really
listen to how lifting Mozart can be with your morning coffee...a much better
way to start the day than the morning news, too. In other words, YOU have got
to slow down and "smell the roses" too. As they say around my house,
"when mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!" :-) And I'm trying to
remedy that, working on it on a daily basis.
It is my prayer that this
article has helped you see that the fruits of our labors are ongoing and
lifelong. The harvest is never-ending, and we need to enjoy the harvest
moments, right in the midst of the chores and labors of love in teaching and
learning and sharing in our family lives. Live, really live, each day that God
gives you. I have a saying that I keep on my dresser that reads "Today is
a precious gift from God. Say thank you -- and tear into it!", and I try
to do just that.
May you have a bountiful and
joyous harvest season, and may you find peace in the quiet moments that you can
catch in the mayhem and noise of family life!
Blessings,
Amanda B.
www.unitstudy.com
Related Tags: unit studies, harvest, Thanksgiving, prayer, blessings, walking, time
