I'm writing about a great book that I have: The Heart of a Family: Searching America for New Traditions that Fulfill Us, by Meg Cox. Although this book seems to be out of print, I think it's a valuable book for families to know about. Traditions and rituals help give a family identity and this seems particularly important for families created by adoption. Cohesion and attachment to the family unit are valuable commodities.

Since Thursday and its accompanying turkey feast is coming fast, I thought I'd mention some suggestions the author gives for this holiday. For most Americans Thanksgiving means a turkey meal, but I would hazard a guess that for many Americans the namesake of this holiday - the giving of Thanks - is mentioned in token only. In our house we go around the table and mention one thing we're thankful for and then - bam - the eating begins.

Here are some ideas from the book:

• Using large sheets of paper, everyone in the family draws pictures of things they're thankful for. Keep the artwork for next year and display them side by side. Discuss the differences between last year's pictures and this year's.




• On a Thanksgiving Day hike, take food for the birds and other creatures in the forest. On the way, talk about being thankful and generous.




• Create a Thanksgiving tree. Using a branch or a potted plant, tape "leaves" on the tree that include notes of what you're thankful for. The "leaves" are cut-outs of handprints in colorful paper.




• Write thank-you notes to the people you love and those who've helped you throughout the year. Send them.




• Create a Thankful Box, in which family members put slips of paper telling what they're thankful for. After supper, read the papers out loud.

I love these ideas! I particularly love the Thanksgiving tree, since it's so visual and I think my boys will like it. Do you do anything particularly memorable at Thanksgiving (besides gorging on great food?)