Thanks and Giving
About this time every year, my family engages in a battle of sorts—will there be sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie on the dessert table for Thanksgiving? In my family, you are expected to choose a side and be prepared to give your best argument in favor of your choice of pie and why that particular pie should hold space on the highly esteemed Thanksgiving dessert table. Now it’s fair to say that the best way to resolve this age-old battle would just be to have one of each pie on the table, right? But what would be the fun in that? Because after all, Thanksgiving is all about family and food and fun and fellowship. Thanksgiving is about the traditions and rituals; the warm and fuzzies; the special memories that make our family unique and that connects us and keeps us connected enough to gather again next year at this time. Thanksgiving is all about bringing awareness to all of the blessings bestowed upon us and expressing gratitude to our loved ones and the Creator.
Thanksgiving is also about giving. Sometimes, we place more emphasis on the thanking part and less on the giving. We may be intentional about giving to our church or community (i.e feeding the hungry or volunteering at a shelter), but can you imagine what it would look and feel like to create a family Thanksgiving ritual whereby we gift ourselves to our friends and family? That action requires intentionality and an abundance of love.
Living the Protective Factors: How We Keep Our Children Safe and Our Families Strong and the Living the Protective Factors Affirmation Cards is a fabulous way to offer the gift of self to your family and friends. At Be Strong Families, we recognize that LOVE is a verb; love requires action. Our way of loving is to assist and support parents and families with keeping their children safe and their families strong by building the Strengthening Families TM Protective Factors. In our book, Living the Protective Factors: How We Keep Our Children Safe and Our Families Strong you will learn practical tools for how to take care of yourself and strategies for how to build a healthy relationship with each of your children. And as a bonus, each tool and strategy offered has a corresponding affirmation card to support it! The tools and strategies offered are all grounded in our five research-based protective factors: Resilience (Be Strong & Flexible); Social Connections (Parents Need Friends); Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development (Parenting is Part Natural & Part Learned); Concrete Support (We All Need Help Sometimes); and Social & Emotional Competence of Children (Communication). One of the tools referenced in our book for you to partake in are the questions listed for reflection and conversation. One personal favorite of mine is Affirmation Card #45 Dedicate Family Time.
Here, you can take a look inside the Book (and see the corresponding Affirmation Card). Imagine that your after-dinner Thanksgiving family ritual is a sharing circle where you have this conversation about your best memories of family time. You might also consider purchasing the deck of affirmation cards and encouraging each family member to select a card that speaks to them and share how they will embody that affirmation and the impact they hope it will have on your family.
Whether it’s sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie on the dessert table this year, I think we all can agree that a heaping serving of LOVE is what we all most desire. The love and embrace of family – the people in our lives that we cherish and that unconditionally love and support us, and appreciating spending quality time sharing ourselves with one another- that’s what thanks and giving is all about!
From our family to yours, we wish you Peace & Blessings and a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Article written by Dena Chapman