Blessing of the Backpacks 2016

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Today marked our 5th Annual "Blessing of the Backpacks" gathering neighbors the day before school starts. May all of these wonderful kids be a blessing in the lives of others in the coming school year! 


Roman smiling with pride with his Spider Man backpack 


Last Hurrah of Summer! 

Taylor and Nicole reading the "blessing of the backpacks" to everyone

This card was given to all of the kids to put in their backpacks for the year,
 and it also served as their ticket to get ice cream. :) 


Even though it may be a gathering the kids flock to because of ice cream, it's my hope that over the years it will be a reminder to them that they are called to be blessings in their schools through the years wherever they go! 

To bless means to say good things. We have to bless one another constantly. Parents need to bless their children, children their parents, husbands their wives, wives their husbands, friends their friends. In our society, so full of curses, we must fill each place we enter with our blessings. We forget so quickly that we are God's beloved children and allow the many curses of our world to darken our hearts. Therefore we have to be reminded of our belovedness and remind others of theirs. Whether the blessing is given in words or with gestures, in a solemn or an informal way, our lives need to be blessed lives. -Henri Nouwen 


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