Cultivating Thankfulness

We don't live in a palace or drive fancy cars. Disposable diapers are a luxury, we rarely eat out and I refuse to pay more than 11 cents for an ounce of cereal. You wouldn't really believe all the frugal adventures that happen here behind the scenes.

But we still have so much to be thankful for, and our humble home is above and beyond the wildest dreams of the millions of people who live in under-developed countries or those torn apart by war or left dry from drought.

Recently we started a new tradition. For Sunday night dinner, we have rice and smoothies. The rice is to remind us of those who might only eat a cup of rice a day (or less), and the smoothies are so the kids don't go to bed hungry! Not every meal we eat needs to be fabulously amazing. Sunday nights are simple and a time to remember that we are blessed with plenty of good healthy food and a roof over our heads.

Yesterday at church was Missions Sunday, and we heard some great stories from trips taken all over the world this summer. The most memorable was hearing about the youth group's trip to Nicaragua. They ministered to children who lived in the city dump. We told Viggo about it and he was pretty shocked. He asked lots of questions and you could almost hear the wheels turning in his head! I hope that someday he can go somewhere and experience true poverty so that he really knows there is much more to life than acquiring stuff, and to meet and help those in need, and to really thankful for all the blessings God has given us - and to share those blessings with others. Nate and I hope that for all our kids.

So if you are here for Sunday night dinner, come hungry and prepare to be thankful!