one year down

I can't believe a year has gone by already. I can't believe that there are only 23 more days until Christmas and 29 more days until 2010. It's gone by so fast. So much so that I barely remember the details of this last year.
Every year right around this time the Birds and I do a cleaning session that involves us going through their toys. Toys that are still good but aren't really played with go in for donation. Toys that a broken go into the garbage bin. Normally Daddy helps decide the fate of some of these toys. The Birds will run between the Sgt and I and look for support in their argument about why this broken toy should stay in the toy box, or why this toy that they haven't seen in three months should stay with them, and normally the Sgt. or I will sit them down and talk about the blessings that we have and the reality that so many others don't have the same thing. We'll hold them in our lap and tell them about how some children all over the world don't even own one toy much less a whole box full, and normally with a few sighs they give in. This year it wasn't a fight or a push at all. I asked if they wanted to do it now instead of waiting and they surprisingly supported my idea.
I love that my children understand that Christmas is about giving and not getting. I love that we have taught them to be thankful and not greedy. They may forget that from time to time (my kids are perfect) but when they remember they really make up for it.
How fast they are going. How much they have changed in just one year. What a difference a year makes. I can't wait to see what next year will bring.