Category: Fall

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9 Reasons to be Thankful

9 Reasons to be Thankful

With Thanksgiving in sight, we all begin to make an honest attempt at being thankful.  Have you ever considered that thankfulness is a skill that we can develop?  The more we practice, the easier it is to think of the various ways in which we have been blessed.

Some people practice extensively during November.  Each day, they do their best to post on their favorite social media one thing for which they are thankful.  Still, there are some who don’t give much thought to just how much we can be thankful for.

One aspect that we sometimes do not consider during this season is thankfulness is not just FOR something we have received.  Thankfulness is also TO whoever provided it.  Ultimately, all that we have is provided by God.  So here are 9 reasons to be thankful to God every day.

You Woke up Today

We are all grateful for life, but sometimes we don’t consider that each day is given.  There are many around the world who are not nearly as fortunate.  Don’t let this opportunity for being thankful get away.  We are blessed with another day.

Health

We are not always thankful for our health until something goes wrong or we witness others suffering. We can be thankful to God for our health, for providing doctors and science, and even for His healing.

A Roof

We may not live in our dream home, but we have a roof over our head. It is both a necessity and a privilege. With so many homeless, those of us with a home can be thankful both for the home and what we have in it.

Jobs

Work is work, but we need to be grateful for the Lord providing us with work to support ourselves and our families. There are many who either cannot work or do not have the opportunity to work.  God places us in our occupations and for that we are grateful.

Loved Ones

It is easy to take those closest to us for granted. Tell your family you love them, and thank God that they are near.

Food

We are blessed with not only nourishment and energy, but more choices than ever before.

Transportation

This one might sound a little funny, but have you considered how the early settlers used to travel?  Distances that took them months to cover can now be reached in just a few hours. Transportation helps us make money as it carries us to our jobs.  It helps facilitate relationships as we travel to one another to visit.  It’s never been easier to travel, and we have plenty of choices.  Take a moment to thank Him for transportation — as funny as that may sound.

Good Friends

There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and His name is Jesus. He also provides us with true friends in our lives. Be thankful for these people and for God who put them in your life.

The Scriptures and the Freedom to Read Them

Not every person in the world has the freedom we have to even own a Bible.  We have the opportunity to both own and read our Bible without fear of punishment.  Because the Bible is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), when we read it we can trust that it is His way of speaking into our lives.  Take a moment to be thankful for the liberty to read your Bible. Do not take it for granted.

 

This Thanksgiving, remember not only to feel thankful for what you have received.  Also give thanks to the One who provided it.  If you have opportunity, you might even share some of what you have with others who are less fortunate.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving season!

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5 Tips to Keep Your Home Safe this Halloween

Home Safety Tips for Halloween

Halloween kicks off the holiday season with festive and “spooky” decorations, fun costumes and treats galore. But with fun and festivities come increased risks around your home that can ruin what is meant to be an enjoyable holiday.

The good news is, you can avoid the risks with these simple Halloween home safety tips.

Keep your porch well-lit and clutter free

If you plan to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, be sure the walkway to your porch is free from cords, ropes, and other clutter that can could easily trip a young ghost or goblin.

Make sure that you keep your walkway and porch well-lit so visitors can see and avoid tripping on flower pots and any decorations or debris.  Turning on your porch light and adding additional lights, if needed, can help you avoid any accidents.

Be careful with open flames

Festive decorations can be one of the most enjoyable things about Halloween, but can also pose risks.  Candles with an open flame can be a fire hazard in your home. Keep paper decorations far away from candles. If you put candles in your carved pumpkins, do not leave them unattended.

Keep pets away from trick-or-treaters

Your furry friends may want to join in the fun of greeting trick-or-treaters at the door, but it’s best to confine them away from young strangers in costumes.  While your pet may be very friendly, the excitement of having the doorbell ring frequently and having youngsters reaching out for candy, could stress your pet and cause them to jump or even bite.  Avoid this situation by keeping Fido away from the front door.

Keep your Decorations and Gags Safe

If you plan to dress up your yard with Halloween decorations, make sure they are not sharp, dangerous in any way, or meant to alarm anyone who visits your home.  Decorations are meant to be fun, so make sure they are just that!

Keep Halloween a fun and festive night for you and your neighbors!

By following a few, simple Halloween home safety tips, you can enjoy the spirit of the season while avoiding unnecessary risks and expense. Keep your home safe for your family and your trick-or-treaters!

 

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4 Driving Tips for Halloween

Halloween Driving Safety

Halloween is always a festive day for both children and adults. Costumes, candy, trick-or-treaters; there’s plenty to enjoy when this “spooky” day arrives every October.

With so much celebration and kids on foot on Halloween, especially after dark, it’s important to be extra careful when you get behind the wheel.

Below are 5 Halloween driving safety tips to help you make sure Halloween is safe for you, your passengers, and the trick-or-treaters roaming the streets.

1. Don’t drive with a mask.

Masks can be a fun part of any costume. If you are dressing up and your costume requires a mask, make sure to keep it off until you arrive at your destination. Masks can obscure vision and cause unnecessary risk to you and others!

2. Use caution in neighborhoods

While you never want to speed through a residential neighborhood, you’ll want to be especially careful on Halloween.

Families with youngsters are out trick-or-treating, crossing streets and walking in driveways. Drive slower than normal to make sure you are keeping the little ghosts and goblins in your neighborhood safe.

3. Avoid using your phone while driving

Cell phones are a driving distraction that always should be avoided.  (See Part 2 of “10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving.”)  On Halloween, it’s even more important! With children out on the streets and more traffic, you’ll want to make sure you keep eyes on the road.

Put your cell phone in your glovebox while you drive to avoid the temptation to check it while driving.  To help with sounds coming from your glovebox that might make you curious, turn off your phone or if you have an iPhone with iOS11, put your phone in “driving mode” before putting it in the glovebox.

4. Use your turn signals

You should always use your turn signals, but be extra vigilant about using them on Halloween. With the increased foot traffic, it’s important to signal when turning to avoid an accident with other cars and pedestrians.

Keep Halloween a fun and festive night for you and your neighbors!

By following a few, simple Halloween driving safety tips, you can enjoy the spirit of the season while keeping yourself, and others, safe.

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Halloween Safety

Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween can be an exciting time for children and adults. It can also potentially be dangerous. Following simple safety tips can keep you and your loved ones safe. Check out these tips to play it safe on Halloween, so you can enjoy the festivities and have a good time.

Plan Your Trick-or-Treating Route in Advance

Know where you plan to go before you leave your house. Planning your route out ahead of time will prevent you and your little ones from walking to far and realizing too late that you are a long way from home.

Increase Visibility

Add reflective tape to costumes or treat bags. Drivers expect to see trick-or-treaters out on Halloween, but make sure you and your children are visible. Carry a flashlight to light your way and make it easier for motorists to spot you.

Find the Right Costume

Choose a costume that is easy to move around in. If your child plans to wear their costume to school it should fit comfortably and in no way interfere with any normal daily activities. Costumes that limit mobility can make for a long and difficult evening of trick-or-treating. Make sure no part of the costume drags on the ground. This can make it easy for the child wearing the costume to trip, but it could also trip up people walking as part of the same group. Make sure shoes are comfortable and suitable for walking around your neighborhood. Masks can be fun to wear, but try to avoid masks altogether as they may make it difficult to see or even breath.

Be Mindful of Props

Some costumes require a prop to pull the entire look together. Make sure the prop is safe and easy to carry and there are no sharp edges. It needs to be light enough that your child can easily carry the prop along with their treat bag while out and about. If your child plans to wear their costume to school make sure they can carry their costume prop on the bus and during class.

Inspect Candy

When you return home from trick-or-treating inspect all of your child’s candy before they are allowed to eat anything. Any items that appear to not be in their original packaging, or if the wrapper is unsecure should be thrown away.

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween

Halloween can fun and exciting. Putting these Halloween tips to use can help keep you and your children safe and reduce the risk or harm or injury. Safe decisions around how you celebrate Halloween allow you to enjoy time spent with loved ones.