Thankful Tree in 4 easy steps
What are you thankful for today? A thankful tree is a great way to decorate for Thanksgiving and an interactive activity that lasts the whole month. Over the years we have had several different thankful trees. Here’s a picture of the start of one. We usually leave it up until we put up the Christmas tree. Anyone that comes into the house in November gets asked to add a leaf to the tree. Here are 4 easy steps to make your own thankful tree. 1. Gather a base for your tree It can be sticks, a tree branch, or even a few branches from your artificial Christmas tree. Put them in a jar or container. You might need to rubberband the base or add in some rocks for weight. 2. Get some leaves You can order colored paper leaves, buy them at the craft store, cut them out of construction paper, or gather fresh ones in your yard. Punch holes in them and add some string for hanging. I have shared a link below. 3. Select pens Your pen selection will be determined by what kind of leaves you choose to use. Test it out by writing what you are…
Influence of Adoptive Parents
Who influences your image of who you are? Adoptive parents know the feeling of lavishing love on a chosen child before the child can even love them back. Words, like loved, chosen, and adopted, have a sweet ring to them. Families who have experienced earthly adoption connect with this language and concept of being adopted much easier than those of us who just observe it from the outside. Adoption involves sacrifice, expenses, sorrow, blessings, assurance, and joy. It’s a beautiful metaphor for the Christian faith. There are many blessings bestowed by God on His children. We are loved, chosen, adopted, forgiven, alive, and so much more. We are God’s masterpiece! The book of Ephesians, in the Bible, is full of truth and rich with the privileges of being a child of God. Our worth is defined by how God sees us, not how the world sees us or how we feel about ourselves. Christians describe this as being adopted into God’s family. By faith, we become children of God with all the rights and privileges of being His child. This isn’t just a future blessing when we die and go to Heaven, it starts immediately. I get a smile on…