Students and Parents,
I’m writing to remind you that we
will not be meeting at the Shire this Wednesday night … I hope and pray
that all of you will have a great Thanksgiving with friends and family
remembering God’s faithfulness in our lives. I want to encourage you to look
for ways that you can be a blessing to others as you get together this
Thanksgiving. To help you with ideas of how you can do that, I’m pasting
below some thoughts on how you can do that from an article that I came
across. Hope it’s helpful.
NEXT WEDNESDAY –
SERVICE PROJECT NIGHT: We will
be meeting at 6:30 pm at the
Shire on November 30th. Please be prompt as some students will
be going elsewhere for one of the service projects.
-------------------- Ideas for being
a blessing this Thanksgiving!
Okay, we all know what the holiday
will be like. Lots of food, football on television, odd ancient relatives with
more hair coming out of their ears than on their head, and, between the kisses
from over-perfumed aunties, lots of boredom. But did you ever think that maybe
this holiday YOU could make a difference on the enjoyment meter? We know that
the tendency is for you to disappear into your own world on your smartphone or
portable computer thingy, or just hang with your dopy cousins and be bored
together. So, these ideas will help make your Thanksgiving the best one you’ve
ever experienced and endear you to your family members.
• Ask older people to tell you
stories about their life. What was living on a farm like? What was life like
for you during the war? What was it like to use a pay phone? How was being a
teenager in those days different than today? Did you really see the Beatles
play live? Etc. You might find hidden treasure sitting on your living room
sofa!
• Be the designated photographer.
Shoot photos of family members – especially the ones you don’t see often. Get
everyone’s e-mail address and email copies of your photos to everyone.
• Clear the table, do the dishes,
take out the trash – but do it intentionally. Recast yourself as the “Busboy” –
you’re trying to BLESS the adults, so take the initiative and get things
cleaned up before anyone can even ask to do it. You’ll be amazed at how much
fun you can have doing these kinds of chores with a go-for-it attitude!
• If someone beats you to the Busboy
job, then you choose to be the “Waiter” or “Waitress.” Refill people’s drinks,
bring out more appetizers, ask whether anyone needs anything… all the actions
that good waiter or waitress would do to earn a tip – but you do it to bless
everyone else!
• If people will be watching
football, volunteer to make things a little more interesting. Here’s an idea to
try: take “bets” on the game (not just win/lose, but maybe point spread, or
will this next play be a run or a pass, etc.) Figure out a way to track the standings
of the participants. The grand winner gets his or her car washed by you!
• Organize some Thanksgiving games
for the little kids. The adults will think you’re a hero! Here are some ideas:
Pin the Tail on the Turkey, Turkey Trivia (You can find Thanksgiving trivia or
quizzes online.) Create a flag-football game with the little kids that you play
in the backyard. Play “Marco-Turkey” – it’s like “Marco Polo” that you play in
a swimming pool, but you play this in the garage or smaller roped off area. Blindfold
one “Pilgrim” who has to tag the “turkeys” (the other kids who are crawling
around on all fours.)
When you do some or all these ideas,
you’ll transform your Thanksgiving experience. You’ll probably discover that
the best part of the holiday has nothing to do with feasting, turkey, football,
or cranberries. You’ll discover the joy of blessing others, of connecting with
family, and of making lifetime memories.
Happy Thanksgiving!
