A few months ago, when our home seemed a little contentious, I knew something had to be done.
So I walked into my bedroom closet and spied a mason jar full of tea candles, and the Spirit whispered to me that this was exactly what I was looking for.
The boys and I had an impromptu lesson about how the presence or lack of kindness brings more light into our home or causes it to diminish. I told them every time they spoke kindly or did something kind, they would get to take a light out of the jar. Every time a harsh word was spoken or an unkind deed, they had to put a light back into the jar. Patrick and I were not exempt and agreed to the terms as well.
Then I asked them what thing they wanted more than anything else right now (under $10). We wrote the dreams on a paper and taped it to the jar to remind us of what we were working towards. We decided that if we could get all of the candles out of the jar, we would have a celebration and then buy the things we wanted.
It took weeks to accomplish our goal, but even within the first week, I noticed a significant increase in the harmony of our home. The spirit of contention was replaced with a spirit of love. And we each worked hard.
The day all the candles finally were out, the boys and I had a celebration. We lit them and talked again about the increase of love we had felt. And then they each made a wish and blew out the candles.
Then we shopped online to find the treasure they wanted and to compare prices, and a few days later, Patrick took the boys to the store. It was a happy day....
