I often get frustrated at the Thanksgiving table when I ask what people are thankful for. Usually someone says something silly and then everyone else does. So now on a large piece of paper I draw a tree, with lots of branches and no leaves, to hang on the wall. I cut a variety of leaves from colored construction paper and leave them sit on a counter with a pen and glue stick. If this is done a week or so before Thanksgiving everyone who comes to our house can write something they're thankful for on a leaf and glue it on the tree. Then by Thanksgiving, we've had time to think beyond tangibles like food, family, God, friends, pets etc to intangibles like Truth, Love, integrity and then beyond to firemen, police, doctors ...Two gals had heard me talk about it several years ago at MOPS and brought examples of their trees. One gal drew the tree skeleton and they ripped brown paper bag pieces and glued them on, filling in the tree. Pieces were loose and it looked like bark. Another gal had gathered lots of colored aspen leaves and color copied them to cut out for the leaves.
This year I wrote 'gratitude' instead of 'thanks'. It's just something I've been pondering...It's an 'at the heart level' thing I think people today lack. Gratitude could change the world!
4 comments:
You left out the second 'i' in thanksgiving on your tree :) It made me laugh, so I'm thankful for that!
I never noticed that, and no one said anything. The picture is actually out of my powerpoint presentation for my "Cycle of Celebrations" workshop. So it's a number of years ago. I usually throw each year's tree away. Tho I'll sometimes write down some of the entries that are unique from past years.
Laughter is good. No one's added any leaves yet. I think we're all tired. Been a busy time. But I am thinking...Even if the visual just helps the heart, that's what's most important.
Monte looked at it and said he could bring in a real aspen little tree we could hang things on. But things get so cluttered for food space as it is on Thanksgiving, so I'm sticking with the wall.
I'm an art student, and I've been looking for a simple tree with branches to see how I should paint mine. Yours is the only one I found with perspective in mind; I like how it shows the branches coming towards the viewer. I also love the idea you have for people writing what they are thankful for.
Thank you for posting this. I'm not sure if you'll even get it since I'm 3 years late.
Got it. Thanks for your comment J. If you look at all my blogs, you'll see I consider myself an artist.
I can draw and have a good eye. The best thing I've ever done is when I did a sketch a day for a semester. I keep saying I'm going to start doing that, even have my sketch book ready. But at least I'm still living very creatively everyday!
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