Blessing Bags

We are settling into the semblance of a routine with our new school schedule around here. Truthfully, I think it is more of an adjustment for me than it is for the kindergarteners! They have adjusted nicely and don't seem too tired at the end of a full day of school. We have been trying to get to bed early to handle the earlier wake up time and that seems to be working so far! Luke and I have been enjoying our days alone, but he is at a bit of a loss with the removal of all of his instant playmates. Preschool starts this week so I know that he'll be glad to get back into a school routine as well. He's officially the big man on campus in preschool in the Pre-K class this year!

Recently we took the time to make blessing bags to put in our car. I was inspired by this blog on Marriage Confessions. It all started one day when Adah walked into the family room with this sign ...

Ok, I'll admit that at first I laughed because it's hilarious. "I am Hugey"??? It was pretty funny. But I knew what she was trying to write, "I am Hungry." We often see people standing at intersections with signs about how they are hungry, penniless or homeless and the kids always ask what the signs say. We talk about how some people aren't as fortunate as us and may not have enough money or resources to buy food, clothes, or housing. Their response?? They always, always want to help.

Well, after Adah's episode I decided to make good on my promise to help the people that we see. We headed out to assemble blessing bags to offer these individuals. We shopped for and assembled bags containing things like soap, toothpaste/brush, non-perishable food items, and so on. Each of the kids also drew a picture and/or wrote a note to put inside each bag. They had fun putting them all together one afternoon.

So far, we've given away two of our four bags. The kids love to give them away and it's been nice to teach them a lesson in service in a physical way. Inherently, I think that kids are helpers, and these bags have been a tangible way for them to feel like they are helping someone else. Anything I can use to teach our kids the qualities of empathy, compassion, and love is definitely a positive in my book!