May 2008 

      Sharing the Faith:  Roots and Wings

      Spring is here!  The flowers are in full bloom, birds are singing and it’s a great time to be outdoors.  It’s the month of Mother’s Day, dance recitals, music concerts, awards ceremonies, end of the year parties and Memorial Day parades.  Here are some ideas for nurturing faith and values in your family:

• Encourage children to pray by taking time as a family to give thanks to God for the things for which they are thankful.

• When you grant allowances, foster a healthy understanding of stewardship by dividing the amount into church offering (10-30%), savings (10-30%), and spending (30-90%).

• Remember single parents.  Offer to watch their children so they have time to run errands or just have time to themselves. 

• Celebrate mom on Mother’s Day.  Make special cards, serve her breakfast in bed, sing her a song, make her a book of coupons redeemable for back rubs, chores, hugs, and the biggest slice of pie! 

• Use Memorial Day as an opportunity to remember those loved ones who have died.  Go through old pictures and share stories and memories.

• Remember those who are serving in the Armed Forces, especially those overseas away from family.  Make up a box of special items (a list can be found on-line, such as playing cards, batteries, gum, phone cards, etc.) that can be sent to someone you know who is overseas.

• Talk about:

              If you could do anything you wanted to for a day, what would it be?

              Name one of your best friends.  Why is that person special to you?

              What is your favorite room in the house?  Why?

• Go for a picnic!  Go on a hike!  Go for a bike ride!  Plant flowers!  Play tag outside!  Play at the park!  If you have a GPS unit, go geocaching (which is a high-tech scavenger hunt.  You can find caches on the internet at http://www.geocaching.com.)  Or, go on your own scavenger hunt to see how many different kinds of bugs you can find.  Go bird-watching. Draw pictures on the sidewalk or driveway with sidewalk chalk.  It’s a great time to be outside!

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