We are looking forward to American Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and while you may not be in a part of the world that celebrates this holiday, the focus of gratitude is valuable no matter where you are or what time of year. I pray that your family will be reminded of gratitude this week. 

Around the Web

listen. seriously, just do YOUR best

Rachel at Finding Joy challenges us on our tendencies to compare.

• I think I mothered for the first half of my motherhood story completely afraid someone would discover that I had no clue what to do.
  I mean, trust me, I didn’t. Do any of us really? No matter how much we prepare and how much we read and how ready we are there comes a moment when we sigh to our friend, with tears in our eyes, and bravely admit we feel a bit over our head in this motherhood gig. Oh we don’t call it that. We sass it up for Instagram and joke about needing wine at night or wear shirts about chocolate and coffee, but in reality, we’re all kind of there, trying, trying, trying but feeling like the daily battle of dishes, homework and laundry might suffocate our self.
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Rhythms of Work and Rest

Rachel Donahue reminds us of the importance of rhythms in our lives.

• This summer was a busy one. We had a huge international trip to two different countries with four young kids in tow. (Yeah, I know. Don’t worry–we had help.) All this travel was exciting and fulfilling in ways we never expected as God allowed us to encourage and help a number of friends serving in hard places, as well as reconnect with friends in our old neighborhood.
  Upon our return home, all we wanted to do was crash, but we had given ourselves exactly three days to unpack, do laundry, and repack for the long drive to a conference near my hometown.
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Popular Middle Grade Fantasy Series

Betsy at Redeemed Reader has some middle grade fantasy recommendations for us.

• Kids banding together to help one another, particularly if the grown-ups are somehow unavailable = the biggest common denominator in middle grade fiction. Not every book fits this oversimplified definition, but many popular middle grade fantasy series certainly do.
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5 Readings for Your Thanksgiving Gathering

If you’re looking for a way to start off the day at your Thanksgiving meal, here are some suggestions for biblical meditations to prepare your hearts.

• This Thanksgiving, as you gather around the dinner table with your friends and family, consider reading aloud some biblical reflections on the topic of thanksgiving. We hope that these 5 Scripture passages and corresponding quotations will stir your heart to gratitude as you share a meal with friends and family, thanking God for his good gifts.
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Around the Warren

Pixar Parenting Rule #1

Glenn McCarty shares some of what he’s learned about parenting from Pixar.

• I was not raised as a woods-traipsing boy. Central Florida, where I spent much of my childhood, can give you a great deal on theme park tickets or a killer ocean view, but you’ve got quite a drive ahead of you if you want to find a forest to get lost in. It wasn’t until my college years when I first discovered the “pleasure in the pathless woods” and the wonder of camping, hiking, canoeing, and other outdoor pastimes. I had some catching up to do, but in the two decades that my wife and I have been together, we’ve managed quite a few camping adventures, and since our boys came along a decade ago, there have been a lot more.
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Pilgrims, Pies, and Poetry – Books for Thanksgiving

Julie Silander points us to a bevy of books for Thanksgiving.

• Homemade egg noodles. Cranberry jello with chopped fruit, served in a crystal bowl. Crescent yeast rolls, perfect for sandwiches made with leftover turkey. The sights and smells of the foods from my childhood have become synonymous with the Thanksgiving holiday. What we grow to know and love when we’re young, we carry into adulthood. Family traditions can be powerful vehicles of grace.
  As you’re planning your Thanksgiving festivities, consider adding a select book or two to your family’s traditions.
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Something to Do with Your Kids

Got a crew of kids at your Thanksgiving dinner? Try this paper boat Thanksgiving craft and tell the story of the Pilgrims coming across the ocean to the new world.

Something to Watch

Need to brush up on your history of Thanksgiving? Here’s some kids who can tell you what’s what.

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side.
-The Story Warren Team

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Carolyn Clare Givens

Carolyn Clare Givens is displaced Northerner exploring the foreign ways of the south.

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