This post was originally drafted last week.  But in the wake of things happening in New York, around the world and the general state of disgust that I feel for the attitudes of the world – I feel that it’s necessary to pull the moral of the story and the punch line to my little tale right here to the top.  I want it not to be missed, even if you decide not to continue reading on.

We are responsible for teaching our children how to live.  It’s our responsibility to share the messages of truth and show the difference between right and wrong.  We must lead by example and it’s more important than ever to show them how to spread love and kindness, leading by example and creating community/town/world where we all want to live.

 

The Christmas tree was taken down last week.

I’d like to say that I waited so long to take it down because I like to prolong the spirit of Christmas.  But that’s only a partial truth.  The rest of the story is that I really dislike the task.  Removing each ornament, carefully wrapped and packing them away, unwinding the lights and taking care that they don’t end up tangled for next year and then the slew of needles that follow behind all of the these things, staying in your house and socks until July.  None of it is nearly as fun as putting the tree up on a cozy winter’s night.

But I decided it was time to stop putting off the inevitable.  And as I slowly started pulling each bauble off of the tree, my girls jumped in and said “can we help?”

I always encourage them to be “helpers” but its been awhile since I’ve seen this eager spirit of giving come through.  So the three of us tackled this task in record time, leaving the final part to dad – removing the sadly undecorated fir from our cozy home and into the cold winter air. 

The day got me thinking about being a helper.  When was the last time you helped someone without being asked?  Family excluded (because I hope we’re helping our kids, our spouses, etc without giving it a second thought).  However, I realized I can’t remember the last time I helped a complete stranger.  I sincerely hope that I’m doing it subconsciously, small acts of kindness that are second nature and I just have failed to notice.  But what if that isn’t the case?  What if my girls don’t have the “helper attitude” because I’m not setting the right example?  That would break my heart.

Your kids learn what you teach them.  It’s our responsibility to teach them the right and wrong and they watch you.  I can’t change the laws.  My little voice isn’t going to stop people from hating, not cherishing life or thinking that they know more than our Creator.  But in my house, I can be both seen and heard. So it’s more cruitial than ever to lead by example and show them how things should be done, even if that’s not necessarily the message that the world is telling them at the moment.

 

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