Friday, June 17, 2011

Thankful Thursday - thankful for a dirty table

I know I'm a day late but as you can see by the number of posts around here I'm not keep up well as it is. If anyone follows at all, you are already used to my ups and downs.

I had planned to write about something else entirely but this morning I was cleaning off our dinning room table because it was covered in crumbs and spills and I just couldn't help but smile. Why am I thankful for this dirty table. Because every night (well nearly every night) we sit as a whole family and eat at it.

This particular table is actually also my husbands table from his childhood home and I don't have to think hard at all to remember my own childhood counter where we had so many family meals. Let's face it, my kids are one and five so the meals don't last long and they aren't always happy... But we eat good food, we talk, we plan, we laugh, we have meals with friends and family, and we play right here. So yes, a dirty table makes me smile!

Monday, June 6, 2011

I am a lowly stonecutter

My husband recently brought back a book from his childhood very similar to this video (this is the author but it was made before the book was published. The book is just slightly different and has even better images, I think). It is such a treasure to find this tale of what happens when you want more all the time.

My older daughter loves to read it as her last book of the night. Even with a sort of sad ending and an amazingly deep message she still enjoys hearing the story over and over. I think the simple messages of power, greed, desire, and dreams is enough to help us start terrific conversations about why we always seem to think we want more, but in the end it often doesn't get us any closer to happiness.

I highly recommend the Stonecutter if you need to talk as a family about these types of issues. Maybe a small reminder that our own desires to improve our lives often have us wishing for more, but having more is not in fact always the answer to our prayers. Are there other children's book out there that touch you too? This one certainly does make me reflect every time we read it together. I hope you enjoy it.