My youngest son was messing around in my wife's jewelry cabinet the other day, most likely looking for something shiny to complete his Michael Jackson outfit.(Don't ask).
A few minutes into his search he came over to me with his hand out.
"What's this, Dad?"
"That's a patch."
"What's a patch?"
"Well, a patch is used when you get a hole in a piece of clothing, like your jeans. You take the patch and put it over the hole and then you sew it in place to cover the hole up."
Insert reality check from a 4 year old here…
"Dad, when we get holes in our clothes, we just by new clothes."
In that very moment I felt the weight of how amazingly blessed we are. My kids have never had to wear clothes with patches. Their reality is that when something in worn, they just get a new one. If a toy is busted, they don't have to use their memory and imagination to recall how great the toy was, they just get another one. I think we have 3 DVD's of the movie "Cars" because the first 2 got scratched over time. I guess what I am saying is that I sometimes lose sight of the fact that my family just doesn't want for much. The patch granted me a teachable moment with my son. We talked about how in some places in our world, some kids his age don't even have clothes to put a patch on. For 10 minutes I talked with him about how grateful we need to be for all of the blessings the Lord has showered us with.
I don't want my kids to feel like it is wrong to have things, and I don't want them to feel guilty for having things, but I do want them to appreciate what they have. I want them to understand the importance of not forgetting about others less fortunate than them, and I want them to thank God daily for all they have, not just on Thanksgiving day. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for all of the usual things. Health, my wife, my kids, and our friends, a good job, a roof over our heads, food on the table, and clothes on our back. But this year, I am thankful for a patch too. A patch that gave me a moment to share with my son the importance of giving thanks.
This Thursday, I hope you give thanks for all you have…..and then do it again on Friday….and again on Saturday…and...
