Instilling values

In an age where "lets get the better and bigger thing" is rampart, how does a parent instill values and principles in the minds and hearts of their children. That the next toy car or a new doll will not make them any happier in the long run. That "small" can be beautiful. That "humility" can be endearing. That being a child in their childhood is okay and that there is no need to act and talk like an adult before their time.
It makes me loose hope at times. But I am learning to take one step at a time. To respond to a hello with a hello. To remember to thank the birthday girl/boys's mom after enjoying the party she invited you to. To wait patiently till his birthday for that new wonderful toy he is been waiting for. And finding that the wait made the gift all the more wonderful.

Christmas starts and ends with Christ

In all the hullabaloo that surrounds Christmas, I sometimes loose sight of what this holiday is all about. And now with 2 kids its even harder to remind them and me that its not about Santa's visit or decorating the Christmas tree or baking the traditional fruit cake. It’s about a Christ Jesus who came as a little baby in a manger in a little obscure village town called Bethelehem.

Why did God have to send Jesus? I read a beautiful analogy in a book by C.S Lewis , "Surprised by Joy". If Shakespeare had to meet Hamlet (the character), it would have to be Shakespeare’s doing. Hamlet could initiate nothing. Shakespeare would have to be Shakespeare in the play as well as the author writing the play. It would bear some analogy to incarnation.