Feeling Thankful for These 10 Things!

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Thanksgiving is of course a time to reflect upon the things for which we are thankful. But like I told Faith the other day, I think we both thank God every day for the blessings he has bestowed upon us.  Each night, we read a scripture together (it's usually one Faith has memorized such as Psalm 23 or John 3:16-21). After our scripture, we recite "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). At the end of that verse, we add our little cheer, "Do good deeds! Say nice things! Be kind!"  This little cheer is just a way to remind both of us, that's how God wants us to act every day. Then we pray, which often begins by thanking God for all that He has done for us and then we pray for others. But the other night after prayer time, I asked Faith to tell me some things she was really thankful for. I told her what I was thankful for as well.  This year, we are feeling especially thankful for ...
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Singing Her Heart Out

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I will never forget one of Faith's first programs ever. It was during her preschool days, and she was tense and nervous the whole time, startling every time someone clapped. She really didn't look like she was having much fun. 

Then she began to gag, and I knew if I didn't do something, she would throw up all over the place. I bolted towards her, grabbed her out of the chair and hurried into the bathroom with her. I didn't have her venting tube with me but her aide brought me her feeding tube so I could at least try to get air out of her tummy so that she wouldn't throw up. Thankfully, it worked.

In kindergarten, Faith didn't have any near throw-ups during a program, but she still continued to be stiff and nervous and startled when everyone clapped. It was a little hard to watch and I wondered if sticking her in front of a large audience just to be in a school program was the right thing to do. There were times both me and her dad wanted to run up and rescue her.

With a little help from her music teacher, Faith even said her two lines!

Last night was different. Maybe Faith has gained confidence or maybe she is just much more comfortable doing things with her classmates. Whatever it was, I could not stop smiling as I watched her sing along to the songs. 

Some words she sang so loud that we could hear her voice and when the audience clapped, she barely flinched. It's a wonderful change and I know as she continues to grow and mature, she will continue to amaze us not only at school programs, but in everything she does.

Check out the video below and watch her sing part of "The Bear Went Over the Mountain." 


 


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