Food Bank Date

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery Pic is of my OLD vacuum cleaner which died last night right before Mikie came home. I was almost finished with that part of getting the house ready for his homecoming when it just fizzled. SO FRUSTRATING! Plus, I had expected the painters to come on Monday, but they called to say it would be Wednesday... so all of Roxie's furniture is in the living room, and her room is a "just been painted" mess right now. Needless to say, Mikie did not walk into a nice, clean house last night after five days away. However, he DID walk into a freshly painted house! And that's a good thing!

And the second picture in the Gallery is of my NEW vacuum cleaner. I can't wait to get it out of the box!

The third picture is of Roxie's hairdryer that also "bit the dust" this morning. Thankfully, we are now a two hairdryer family, so that little crises was avoided.

And just so you know everything isn't always "peachy" at Faulkner Farms (circa 1842), my car battery also went to Appliance Heaven first thing Monday morning. It's been a lovely week! (I've already had a talk with my dishwasher, washer and dryer this morning. They have got to hang in there until next our next paycheck arrives!)

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - Matters of the Heart

Our Pastor gave a great definition of the word "compassion" this past Sunday. He said, "Compassion is your pain in my heart." This, of course, means someone else's pain in your heart.

It's not hard to feel sorry for someone, or be concerned about a person's situation. It's not difficult to send a card, or pray, or fix a meal when a need arises.

As a wife and a mom, it isn't difficult to carry our immediate family's pain in our heart either. But to actually carry someone's pain in your heart (a friend, acquaintance or even people we see on television who are living in horrible conditions because of poverty, earthquakes or floods)... Well, that is a tall order. It is certainly something I have difficulty doing on a daily basis.

Once again, as a Christian, it isn't a choice.

"And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:12-13, 17.

It is indeed a very tall order... but not impossible. And during this holiday season, with all of the busyness, celebrating and visiting, I'm going to try very, very hard "to put on a heart of compassion." Not just during the month of Thanksgiving and the month of Christmas, but each and every day.

That's a good goal for me, I think. Yes, that's a goal worth trying to attain.

Blog Linkage - I don't have a lot of extra reading for you, but what I do have is good stuff.

1. Go to "a little bit of me" under My Blog List and scroll down to the post entitled "Happy Halloweenie!" dated October 31. Is this a great picture op idea for your little guys on Halloween, or what? I love it, and I wish I had seen the picture when my kiddos were small so I could have copied it.

2. Always go to Confessions of a Pioneer Woman and just read, read, read. She never disappoints... never!

Food Bank Date

I posted this "date" last year, but it's a good one... worthy of a re-post.

Ask your oldest child to accompany you on a shopping spree... to the local grocery store. This is one of those dates where you go through the house and gather all the change you can find in all your family's change-collecting places. (Make sure you have at least $15 before visiting the grocery store.)

The purpose of this one-on-one time is to buy canned goods for a local church, mission or fire station food bank. Call ahead of time to see what items the food bank needs and the times they will be open. Once you have all the information, you can plan the date.

Explain to your child where you're going, what items you're looking for and how the items will be used. While shopping, make sure you talk about the best prices to get the most items for the money you have to spend. Once you have finished shopping (buying a variety of canned goods), head to the food bank.

Before you walk into the food bank with your child, sit in the car and pray over the food you are about to donate. Pray for the families who need help and ask God's blessings on the meals which will be made. Walk in together and deliver the food.

Now it is time to spend some more time with your child answering questions he/she may have about why there are people who do not have enough food in their homes. It's hard for some adults to understand, so you can imagine children can have a hard time comprehending this situation, too.

This is a time to talk about being thankful for all of our blessings, and because of this hands-on date, this time it will not be "just words." You and your child will have done a little something to help solve the problem.

Have a beautiful Thursday. I hope you have a great day... and that ALL of your appliances keep on working. On Friday, I'll be discussing Weekend Happenings, all kinds of Randomness and updating you on what blew up at our house during the day Thursday!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda