Patriot Day 9/11

**This post was sponsored by Family Christian. All thoughts and ideas are mine.**

As you read this, Patriot Day will be less than a day away. I kind of waited to post this because, if you are anything like I am, it has snuck up on you. It always sneaks up on me, even when I want to be prepared!

I have a plan for Patriot Day this year and I am sharing my plan with you. Feel free to use it or adapt it. I am sharing it in case someone needs a plan so that you can honor the memory of those who died but also honor the lives that are put on the line every single day to protect and help anyone who needs it.

Bible:

Matthew 25 – This passage contains two parables of Jesus: 1) the ten virgins, and 2) the talents. Particularly delve into the passage of the talents in verses 14-29. We will be discussing what “talents” we have that God has given us and how we use those. I plan to have the girls brainstorm what each other is good at. (I realize that ability is not the use of the word talent in this passage but we are utilizing the story to talk about the girls’ abilities, focusing on whether they use then to benefit the kingdom or hide their talents out of fear.)

We will also review what Jesus is telling his listeners in verses 34-40: look for ways to help others because sometimes the need is right in front of you and you just don’t see it.

Considering these verses, each girl will create a Talent Plan. This is a plan that details a single talent of their choosing and how they will use that talent for blessing someone else. I have created these printables to help the girls:

Click here to get a PDF of these pages.
Talents PDF

Talent Plan PDF

History:

We will view the same video that we took a look at last year. It can be found here.

We will discuss the historical view of 9/11 and the people behind the murders. We will talk about the people that lost their lives that day and those family and friends who lost a loved one. We talk about these people; they get left out of the discussion about that day but they are still having to live every day with that loss.

We will look at the timeline found here.

I’ll also pull out a scrapbook that I made from a visit to Ground Zero that I was able to make with my mom and sister in 1993.

All of this is important for the girls to know and remember. They need to know who to pray for and what to pray. J prays every night for the “bad people to turn and be good.” The terrorists are some of who she is praying for.

Citizenship:

The girls recently had the opportunity to help a sister in Christ celebrate the fact that she received her American citizenship. Mrs. Lou worked hard to be called an American. Her story is amazing. The girls were priviledged to hear Mrs. Lou talk about the hard work it took to get to America, the overcoming that was required, and how proud she was to be able to now call herself an American. But with this priviledge, Mrs. Lou recognizes that she has responsibility: to help others in her country of birth. To hear Mrs. Lou talk about the work she and her husband do and the ways they hope to expand that, well, we want to help. It would be a wonderful way to help remember those who lost their lives as Americans and those who put their lives on the line every day in America.

Remember:

I always ask the girls to create something to help them remember important events or history discussions. Last year, the girls created some beautiful reminders.

I am sure they will do the same this year. I will use Family Christian’s boards on Pinterest to help give the girls some inspiration.

This year, we will have a twist to our reminders, though. I am going to ask the girls to create remembrances to give to the first responders in our community – our firefighters, police, sheriff, and EMTs. These folks lost brothers and sisters in the terrorist attacks that day and they still put their lives on the line every single day. They don’t stop to ask who the person needing assistance is. They don’t make decisions based on anything other than the fact that the person is in need. And that ties right back in with Matthew 25:34-40 – When we do something for those who need it, we are doing it for Jesus.

Some suggestions: cards, store-bought and individually wrapped items, and bottled water or Gatorade. I am almost certain that one of the giggly girls will ask to make treats for the firefighters, law enforcement, and/or EMTs. Unless you know for sure, considering the climate in our country, it is probably best to not take homemade treats without checking with your local departments and firestations. But, maybe we can use this idea from Long Wait for Isabella, another Family Christian blogger.

If you have a special person you would like to honor, Family Christian has some great gift ideas. Check out their store local to you or shop online.

Whatever you choose to do, don’t skip Patriot Day. The future of our country is being challenged daily. Teach your children and press forward in memory.

At Home.

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Tagged: Bible, Family Christian, holidays