My Favorite Times of the Year

When the leaves begin to change and fall, I immediately think of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love this time of the year to be with family and friends. Sometimes it can be crazy with so many little ones running around, but they love seeing each other. Recently, someone gave us a week away at a lake in the Pocono mountains. This was not just for Jim and me, but also for all of our children and grandchildren! Almost all our children went, and all eleven grandchildren were there. They were so excited about being together all week! Our grandson’s birthday was celebrated while there. We bought five Nerf swords for each of the boys. Well, they loved it! One rule was that they must play outside. When one of the swords broke, they ran to Poppy (Jim) to fix it. He fixed them using duct tape. They loved playing with those swords! We played board games, had scavenger hunts, skipped rocks on the lake, went on hikes, and did a lot of eating. The one thing that really touched my heart was how well the children obeyed their parents. When one child was not obeying, the parent took the child aside and told them why they were being disciplined and how they could change to correct the problem. That child then chose to obey and get back into the fellowship of the family time. There was no screaming at the parents, or mean words. They chose to obey. It was so refreshing to see them showing respect to their parents. How our children behave in public begins in the home and with the example of the parents. It is so important to teach and train our children to obey and respect God and authority while they are young (Prov. 19:18). “Oh, that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children for ever” (Deut. 5:29).