I came across Give with Thanks on Instagram (@thesmallseed) and the second I read about it I knew it was something I wanted to participate in as a family.
As we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas it's easy to get lost in everything you have to do: Christmas cards, family pictures, gifts, planning parties, planning festive activities, etc. Don't get me wrong, these are all good things, but there is something that we could add to that list to make it even better.
SERVING OTHERS.
"If you really want to receive joy and happiness, then serve others with all your heart. Lift their burden, and your own burden will be lighter."
Ezra Taft Benson
This is one of my favorite quotes and I have found it to be true! When I serve those around me, whether I know them or not, I am happier and my burdens are lighter. Making the choice to shift the focus from me to someone else puts my own problems and struggles into perspective.
I want to teach my children from a young age the importance of serving those around us, whether it be a smile, a compliment, paying for the person behind you, or bringing dinner to a friend in need. The possibilities are endless.
I have been blessed more than I can say by people who have served me. People who have taken time out of their lives to do something kind for me and my family. I have received meals, gifts, free babysitting, kind notes, smiles, compliments, simple phrases said to me like "I love you" or "I'm here for you" and so much more. Each act of service never went unnoticed but instead lifted me up and made me want to be better and give more to others because we are all in need of something. We are all struggling in one way or another. And if we choose to focus on serving others instead of on ourselves, we will be blessed. We will be better and we will be happier.
The Small Seed has come up with the most creative way to incorporate service into our busy everyday lives. I won't go into too much detail since you can check out their website
HERE. But they have created lessons, printouts, a visual tracking system, and many ideas of things we can do to serve those around us. You can download everything for free!
I decided to print off the tree in the biggest size I could. I put it right over my kitchen table so that we would see it often and would remember what we should be focusing on. My little family had so much fun coloring all the leaves. Our tree started off empty but slowly and surely is filling up with leaves. Our goal is to have our tree completely covered.
I hope that anyone reading this will take the Give with Thanks challenge. There is no better way to spend our time than by being kind and lifting those around us!
We hope that as you take this time to serve others that your lives be filled with happiness and peace. Remember that serving others is not limited to November! We can continue to make time throughout the whole year to lift others through kind deeds and acts of service.
Here is the link to The Small Seed's website one more time.
Happy November!
Have fun serving those around you. I know we will!
