The Gift of Giving

-
Photobucket

Believe it or not, this is the first year my children have ever had their own money to go Christmas shopping. Usually, we give them each some money and they hit the dollar store to purchase gifts for each other.

This year the boys earned money fixing up the building next door and Emily had some money she earned helping me around the house. They were so excited to go out today and get their shopping done.

Nathan made a comment to me that warmed my heart. He said, "Now I know how you and Dad must feel when you buy gifts for us." "It's exciting being able to think about what you want to buy someone and use your own money to buy it." He also said, "I can't wait to see everyone's faces on Christmas day."

Emily was skipping by me in the store and said, "I love shopping for others with my own money!" They really understood the joy of giving to others. It was amazing for me, as their mother, to see the excitement and happiness in their faces as they picked out the gifts, paid for them, and brought them home and wrapped them.

Photobucket

When you give to others, they are not the only ones who receive a gift. You get one too. This year my children have received the gift of giving to others.

Comments

  1. Leah CourtneyDecember 22, 2008 at 8:13 PM

    Isn't it great? Kathyrne made some of her own gifts this year and she was sooo excited at the gift opening of my family to have them open hers. She almost didn't even care when she got to open her's!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lisa @ Life with 4!December 22, 2008 at 9:00 PM

    that is so wonderful, Terri!
    my kids also have learned this lesson, especially Kaycie. The boys spend money as fast as it hits their hands but not Kaycie... she has saved up almost $100!! (7 years old!)
    She has decided to use some money to buy gifts for friends and family. We went to the dollar store today and she did some shopping and the other day bought some things at Goodwill. She came home and did her own wrapping.
    She is so excited, she can hardly stand it!!
    I love the "gift of giving"... it's so great!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. 50s HousewifeDecember 22, 2008 at 11:13 PM

    How sweet! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wendy/TheCozyYellowHouseDecember 23, 2008 at 11:56 AM

    How awesome to dee they have been watching and listening all these years to you and Dad!! Be very proud of the job you are doing!:0) Merry Chrismas Terri to you and your family may you be fully Blessed!!~Wendy

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 23, 2008 at 3:47 PM

    Hi Terri,

    What a sweet day for all of you! They will be filled with such anticipation to see everyone open their special hand picked gifts!

    Blessings,
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  6. DianneDecember 24, 2008 at 5:12 PM

    Beautiful thought and a wonderful lesson learned by your children, Terri. I think that it is wonderful that they have had opportunities to work and earn their own money and that they get to experience the joy and pleasure of shopping and giving to others. Wonderful life lessons. It sounds like they are already reaping some of the benefits of the Christmas Spirit.

    Tell them that I love them very much!

    Love,

    Mom

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love your comments and encouragement! I can't always respond back but do read each comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Oh What to Do; I'm Sixty-Two!

-
Image
Today is my sixty-second birthday and it's hard to believe I've achieved that....um....seasoned age! My first thought this morning was one of not being sure that I like it. However,  as I thought I about it, I decided to take joy in the fact that I've reached an older age. Because age comes with benefits. Benefit #1 - I'm a bit wiser.   When I look back at some of the decisions I made when I was younger, I cringe. With age has come the ability to slow down and think things through before I make major upheavals in my life. I've also discovered that getting worked up about certain things is just an absolute waste of emotional energy. Benefit #2 - I'm enjoying my life.   As I've aged I've learned all kinds of skills and hobbies and can honestly say that I'm never, ever bored. I love all the different things I'm able to do and it's fun! Benefit #3 - I've learned to appreciate my relationships. With age I've learned to work on developing a...
Read more

Eating to Live

-
Image
  Despite the unexpected busyness and interruptions, I have been plugging away at my weight loss as well as writing the plant-based, whole food cookbook. Recipe testing fell by the wayside the past two weeks, but I've still gotten a good chunk of the book done. I also got on the scale this morning for another one pound loss which makes a total of 61 lbs. since I started this journey back in July. It's second nature at this point and I have so much more energy and feel healthy. The only negative is that because I've lost so much weight I'm seeing some sagging, crepe-papery skin happening. Yuck. Some of that is age and I need to figure out some toning exercises. It's definitely a life-style change, but a positive one which I'm so thankful I started on. The pictures above are a small selection of meals I've eaten the past two months and many of those will be included in the book.  This will be a printable e-book as I find that will be the easiest and most cost ...
Read more

When the Unexpected Pops Up

-
Image
On Thursday afternoon, just as Dan and I were getting ready to leave for a meeting, we received a phone call from our son. He was sitting on the side of the road with a blown engine in his car. The problem is he lives 3 1/2 hours away. After back and forth phone calls he called a tow truck and got it towed to a garage. He ended up renting a car and headed here for the holiday. We've been working with him to figure out his next steps because he still owes thousands of dollars on the car which will also take a significant amount to replace the engine. His rent is going up in the new year. His seasonal job ended and he is trying to find something else, but needs a car for that to happen. His car still has not been looked at by the mechanic. It is all more than a little overwhelming. Long story short, we extended an invitation for him to live here temporarily so he can get out from under all of this. It would save him money on expensive rent and utilities.  The timing was right since h...
Read more