Our "Instead of Box" was made out of an old ice cream cone carton.
It came to me one day after reading a story in Mother Teresa's book "No Greater Love" . It was about a little Indian girl who after recieving the first bar of chocolate she had ever had gave it all to Mother Teresa asking simply that she share it amoungst the poorest of children in her orphanage.
I thought of all the sweets, chocolates and ice creams my girls have throughout the year...
Recycling the ice cream cone box seemed a fitting way of helping my children think about the contrast between their lifestyle and those of their neighbours in developing nations. Children who sre raised in orphanages like the ones Mother Teresa and her community of sisters cared for.
We glued pictures from the Gospel for Asia magazine onto the box and prayed for the children and people in the pictures.
Every time we put a coin in the box we would make sure we'd remember those souls, seemingly a world away, yet our God given neighbours in need.
So this weekend..... "Instead of " a train ride at the adventure playground we put our pennies in the box.
"Instead of " lollipops on a visit to the local shop we put our pennies in the box.
And it's not just the girls.... Their are many small things that I can exchange... A latte, for a child's smile, another new pair of boots, for a satisfied belly, one of our late night take outs, for an old woman's uninterrupted sleep on a comfortable bed.
The girls, (and I) have found the "Instead of" Box, to be a real and tangible way of understanding the gospel message of giving.
Sometimes we can get so forgetful about all the "extras" the little bit here and there we spend on ourselves and our children unnecessarily. A small reminder to be thankful, to give a little up for love, is the gift this little box brings...
"Doing small things with great love" was Mother Teresa's motto. Here is a small way of integrating this motto into the heart of our home.
