Time for our feast?

Since Thursday, when The Girl learned she'll be enjoying a Thanksgiving Feast at school, I've heard countless times, "Is it time for our Thanksgiving Feast?" My responses have varied:

"Not yet."
"A few more sleeps and it will be."
"You'll know when we get to school."
"Lets look at the calendar."

What it has taken me five days to realize is this: Three year olds have NO CONCEPT of time.

And you know what I think about that? Good. For. Them.

How different our lives would be if we could live life away from the calendar and clock!

It's no coincidence that the sermon we heard on Sunday was about a passage of Scripture that addresses this very topic:

 ¹ "There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

^2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace."
-Ecc. 3: 1-8, The Message

I'm so thankful for seasons, and time. There have been seasons in my life that I wished away, and others that I begged the Lord to slow. This morning, rather than being annoyed that I was going to hear this question for another day, I decided to stop and enjoy the sweetness of her JOY for this holiday. I might even go so far as to call it a teachable moment. (Perhaps for both of us?)

Over the years I've taken a few notes from my older siblings parenting skills. Making "chains" has been very effective for counting down with my nieces. So, this morning, we made The Girl's Thanksgiving Feast countdown chain.

Will the question no longer be asked? I doubt it. But at least we can practice counting along the way. (Her, the links. Me, the deep breaths.)





You need: construction paper, markers or crayons, scissors and tape!

Step One: Find a calendar and count down how many days until the big event!

Step Two: Cut strips of paper from construction paper.

Step Three: Number the strips of paper. (Write the numbers large and let your preschooler outline.)

Step Four: Write what you're thankful for on each link.

Step Five: Draw pictures or color to reiterate child's "thankful list."

Step Six: Link up the chain and let the counting begin!