December: Respect

OK...I'm getting caught up on 2006, finally!!! Life is a constant game of "catch up!" Anyone else deal with this never ending game???

We had a great Christmas 2006! It was my family's turn to come to NYC. My parents & twin sister & my brother in law came and stayed for a few days. We hit the town to see the Christmas sights & lights (Rockefeller tree included!! Beautiful!) Everyone should experience a New York Christmas sometime!!!


Our focus, personally, this month was the issue of respect. Easier said than done. It's easy to hope for "cookie cutter" children who always say and do the right thing with a "Yes Maam" or Yes Sir." But, truth be told, these things do not come as naturally as the "Hey!!! He touched me!!!" or "Moooooom!!!!" yelled from across the room. I won't just stop with the kiddos, either...It's easier for me to bark out commands or show my disapproval when a room is not cleaned than to work it out calmly! Respect does not come easily! It is a challenge...and taming those feelings which lead to venting our emotions can be hard!

So, intertwined with our list of "how we show respect in our home..." you'll find hints of our real struggles!!! Have fun as you can probably identify with some of them. At least tell me you see some of these in your home...humor me...that way I'll feel "normal?" Ha Ha.

We show respect in our home by...
trying to out-do one another in showing honor
not hitting brother & being nice
not biting sister & sharing
not yelling in anger
doing what you're told to do, when you're told to do it & doing it with a happy heart
regarding others as more important than yourself

Our very own family recipe is...
*a mile of Christianity (being like Jesus)
*100 feet of kindness
*10 yards of honor
*20 miles of selflessness
*a marathon of obedience

We chose to focus on the "distance" terms in our recipe since respect takes endurance to master! Run, Run, Run!!!