Gratitude and Blessing Tree Craft

There is a little girl whose toy box is not overflowing with toys but is full enough to keep her occupied for hours.  She is not a spoiled little girl.  But after playing when her mom tells her it is time to clean up, this little girl would rather see her toys given away or thrown away than put them away herself.  Literally.  As I watched this child refusing to put her toys away for her mom and telling her mom she could throw them away, I thought to myself, this child is just not grateful for her blessings

The more I thought about this particular situation, the more I realized it is not an isolated problem.  We live in a time and place where even though "times are hard," we as a society are more comfortable than many kings of old.  Most of those around us can afford to have the things we want when we want them (or shortly thereafter).  We gather to ourselves all sorts of gadgets and goodies.  Then we see a friend with an even better gadget, and we begin to feel deprived, and forget to be thankful.

I know another little girl whose mother plans innumerable outings and fun activities to do with her, but the girl is not allowed to participate in some activity or other, she throws it in her mother's face and calls her mother mean and swears that her mother never let's her do anything fun.  There is also a man at my church who was out of work, and when he found a job it was clear that things were looking up.  But after a month or so, he began complaining about all sorts of other problems and was certain that things were just going to get worse.

I know that in my family, too, when we first receive a blessing, we are mindful of it for a time.   We do pray and thank the Lord for the good He has given us.  Nonetheless, I see that the gratitude is not long lived.  Before I know it, we are moving on to the next thing we want or focusing on the next problem that needs to be solved.  And it can begin to look like the man at my church is right.  There is always another problem around the bend…Why is it that despite the many blessings we have, we can only see what is lacking?

In 1Thessalonians, Saint Paul tells us to "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (5:16-18).  How do we instill gratitude in our children and in ourselves?  How do we remind ourselves of the many blessings that surround us when we are in the midst of difficult times, or when we see others with so much more than us?

Clearly, it is important to be mindful.  Yet, that is not so easily done.  I need reminders about all sorts of things just to get through my day and accomplish something.  Here, too, reminders would be helpful.  This time of year, we're usually pretty mindful as we approach Thanksgiving.  My daughter's school is focusing on gratitude as their character-building trait of the month.  Many people make "Gratitude Trees" for Thanksgiving.  But once Thanksgiving passes, we tend to stop being so mindful. 

So, in addition to creating a “Blessing Tree” with my children, I have decided to create a gratitude tree poster to hang year-round.  Placed near an icon corner, it would be a clear reminder during daily prayers of the many things for which we should be grateful and thank the Lord.  I usually have a craft with instructions, but a quick Google search reveals a multitude of ideas for creating your own, if you so choose.  And this is but one reminder; I would love to hear what ideas you have for remembering to be grateful for your many blessings and reminding those close to you, as well.

Blessing Tree Craft

Supplies:

• Toilet paper roll
• Brown, yellow, red, orange, green construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers

Directions:

1. Cut brown construction paper to the size of the toilet paper roll.  Put glue onto the roll and wrap the construction paper around it. 
2. Cut more strips out of the brown construction paper for branches.
3. Cut leaves out of the other construction paper, and write things your child is grateful for.
4. Glue leaves to branches and then glue branches to the inner edge of the tree.