A Month of Giving Thanks

We ended October with a fun Halloween celebration.  Now we have an entire month to concentrate on how much we have for which to be thankful before we celebrate the actual Thanksgiving Holiday.  When I begin thinking about it, I wonder if a month is long enough to show my gratitude for all for which I am thankful.  I hope you will take a little time every day to make note of at least one thing for which you are grateful.

As I ponder how many, many things there are for which I am thankful, one returns to me over and over.  That one thing then multiplies into so many others.  For as long as I can remember, I have loved babies.  I don’t mean that I thought they were cute, or that I liked to play with them, though both of those are certainly true.

I now know that babies, creepers, toddlers, and preschoolers were then and are still my passion.  As a child, I was tireless when wee ones were around.  Even in elementary school, I was, as a seventh grader, chosen to help the first grade teacher with a little girl during lunch who had physical and developmental challenges.  I looked forward the entire year during the time she was in school to being with her.

I volunteered to baby sit every chance I got.  I spent an entire summer caring for three young cousins in their home all day and at times, all night, as well.  One was an infant and the oldest was not yet four.  I turned 13 that summer.

Eventually, I got married and had three children of my own.  I also became a nursery/toddler/younger preschool director during Sunday School at my church.  I was the preschool choir director, Mission Friends leader, Vacation Bible School teacher of younger preschoolers, and eventually the nursery and prekindergarten teacher there.

During that time, I also taught on a state-wide level during Bible and Missions Week at Eagle Eyrie in the younger preschool department for a week each summer.  While this isn’t all of which I was involved, it does show that my passion led me along the way.  It served as my motivation to begin operating my family-based preschool day care.

Once my children were on their own, I found work as a Family Support Worker (FSW) with at-risk first-time moms working in their homes to teach parenting skills, child development, nutrition, budgeting, etc.  If I’d written a job description for what I was interested in, was educated for, had experience in, and included my passion, it would have been as an FSW with Healthy Families.

When I approached Averett about writing a weekly article having to do with babies from before birth to age five for the Southside Messenger, he gave me the chance to do so.  Looking back, it is clear to me that God was leading the way all along.  Thankfully, He used the people and experiences around me to prepare me every step of the way.  I thank Him daily for giving me the opportunity to live my passion.  Happy Parenting!

© 2014 Brenda Holland-Robinson