Being Grateful For The Little Things This Holiday Season

By Chris Puskar

Future Falcon Events
I know that everyone is in full swing with their gym classes, and I’m sure that volleyball is high on the list of the activities being practiced. Remember that next year’s Youth Volleyball Tournament will take place during the weekend of April 4-6, 2008. Nest 519, Middletown, Conn., will be that year’s host. Plans are still under way in organizing this event, and more details will be forthcoming. In the meantime, don’t forget that the deadline for entries in this year’s Junior Falcon Coloring Contest should be postmarked no later than November 9.

Complete details of this annual contest are available here. If you have any other questions, Communications Director Frank Winters would be more than happy to assist you. He can be reached through National Headquarters at 1-800-535-2071 or e-mail.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is the perfect time for families to get together, relax, enjoy a good meal, watch a football game and take pleasure in each other’s company. Whether it’s playing cards, falling asleep on the couch or just sitting around chatting, all families find their own ways to enjoy the time spent together. These are just some of life’s simple things that are deserving of our thanks.

It is easy to be thankful for the big things like a nice car and a good job. This year, take a little time to think about all the everyday things we should be thankful for, which are many.

We take for granted that we have enough food. We don’t worry that our food will last through the winter as the pilgrims did. (You can count on the grocery store for that.) We expect to have a home, be it fancy or plain, but that’s not a small thing for millions of other people (neither is electricity, heat and clean water). So perhaps we should take a moment to be thankful for our abode, be it ever so humble.

We should take a moment to be thankful for our spouse, children and friends. Sometimes in the everyday hubbub, we get so worn out that it is hard to see what good people surround us.

We should be thankful for the sunshine, autumn breezes and changing seasons. With winter fast approaching, we can also be thankful for our warm jackets and scarves.

These simple, everyday things that become a part of us and our routine are what we should be most thankful for, and one way to involve children, family members and friends in the spirit of thankfulness is with this charming “Ship of Thanks” game.

Make ships from paper cups with a triangle of construction paper placed inside for a sail. Have each child or adult write what he or she is thankful for on the sail and place the paper cup anywhere on the dinner table. After dinner, kids and adults read what is written on the sail by their plate and guess who wrote the message.

Another good way to involve your kids in preparing for Thanksgiving is to have them make a simple centerpiece of pine cones and colored leaves spread out on the middle of the table. Have them make some place mats using the leaves and colored construction paper. They could even come up with a Thanksgiving poem to write on the place mat. Since they can’t do most of the actual cooking, this will let them be a part of the preparations. Make it a fun group time for everyone who is joining you for your Thanksgiving feast.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving! Remember that I am thankful for all of the great people I have to work with and for all the great kids that are involved in Falcon activities!

For any questions regarding PFA Physical Education events, programs or other related information, you can contact Co-National Physical Education Director Christine Puskar by e-mail or by phone at (412) 831-6297.