Thanksgiving - Stuffing & Kindness

One of my favorite things about the Thanksgiving meal is stuffing. Really, we don't eat this marvelous creation often enough. Note to self - great side dish to use more often. As a child I hated stuffing. It was big pieces and soggy, and all those spices... Mom made us kids Stove Top just so she wouldn't have to hear us complain. My kids have the same opinion. I look at my kids and know that someday maybe they will change their mind too.

Now technically, I don't make stuffing. I make dressing so it gets more crispy. I'm a texture eater and slimy/soggy is the worst texture to eat. However, it was always called stuffing, so shall ever more be referred to as that.

I've got two favorite recipes that I tend to go back and forth between based on my mood. Yes, I'm admitting that I'm moody. I know - newsflash right ;)

The first is a tangy Sourdough Bread Stuffing and the other a sweet/savory Apple & Sausage Stuffing. This year I'm leaning towards the apple & sausage option, but I'm going to throw in another recipe this year. I'm going to try making a gluten-free option with a great bread from Sami's Bakery that we've found (FINALLY one that my son LOVES). I'll try to make it kid friendly by chopping the bread up small, and tossing it with simple seasoning, oil, and sausage. Hopefully it will be more successful that past years...

As we focus on the meaning of the Thanksgiving, the boys and I talked about kindness tonight. That's a tough topic for 6 and 4-year-old brothers who would rather fight than do anything else. Then again it's tough at any age.

After a great devotional the other day on this character quality (coming from Colossians 3), we "clothed ourselves in kindness." The boys put on their favorite costumes and I tried to figure out what they were clothed as. The ninja was pretty easy. The Canadian Cowboy was a bit harder to figure out. That little man has one heck of an imagination.

From there we talked about people knowing that we are a child of God by our kindness. They see us for who we are. We can choose to clothe ourselves in kindness and look like God - or we can act without kindness. It clicked with them and they were kind (mostly) for the rest of the night. Here's hoping that it still sticks with them when they wake in the morning...