Thanksgiving: A Goal and a Plan

Last night I dreamed my "To Do" list for the week.  Pen scratching, pages flipping, smoke pouring from my pad, the list went on and on and on.   I awoke in a bit of a panic half listening for the fire alarm.

So, this morning I sat with my cup of coffee, my Bible, my legal pad, and my computer tuned to the Prayer Room.  As I prayed about the day ahead, Philippians 2:4 leapt off the page, swirled and danced around me, and settled into my heart.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests,

but also to the interests of others.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests.  This is good for me to hear, and for you too, I'm guessing.  My interests are important.  So often we, as women, are so consumed with the interests of others that we fail to think about our interests.  But if my own interests don't match the interests of my husband and my children, I'm going to be the one doing all the work to make it happen.  That's not fun.

So, as Bill, and then each of the kids wandered in, I asked,
"What is important to you about Thanksgiving?"

So, from their answers, I came up a Family Goal for Thanksgiving Day

A relaxed day of THANKFULNESS with family, fun, and food.

Let's try that again.

A RELAXED day of thankfulness with family, fun, and food.  

Relaxed is the tough part, right?  And, the goal is not for everyone else to have a relaxed day, but for me too.  So, we've got a goal.  Now we need a plan.

With Philippians 2:4 in mind, I scratched out a plan.

Monday
Cleaning Day!  All the kids are responsible for their own rooms and one room in the house.  This evening I'll finish the grocery shopping.  Honestly, with the cleaning, we'll just get done what can get done.

Tuesday
Not much happens.  EXCEPT, I pick up our oldest, Sara Maria, from college- YEY!  I'm so excited for time in the car with her to process life.   Grace works all day at the YMCA, and the other kids will spend a fun afternoon and evening with Aunt Ann and Grandmom.

Wednesday
Cooking Day!  Beginning early in the morning, I'll pass out our family recipes to the kids, the ones they told me are must-haves for Thanksgiving.  We will turn on our favorite CDs, claim territory in the kitchen, and go to it.  Fun!  But, this is what I really wanted to check out with the kids.  I wanted to know what dishes are important to them.  I don't want to waste my time and energy making food that is only important to me.  And, I want their commitment.  If they want it on the menu, they need to be willing to help cook and clean.   Here's where their interests really are my interests.

Thursday

Time to enjoy a RELAXED day of THANKFULNESS with family, food and fun!  

• We'll enjoy family - Grandparents, Aunt Ann, Uncle Chris, and the Dillon cousins will join us.
• We'll have fun - Cranberry Thanksgiving, Turkey Bowl (football), walks, board games, and LOTS of laughter.
• We'll have food.  Yes, we'll have food, dishes that are attached to family history and prepared together. 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests,

but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4

Looking to the interests of others, my family, our guests, and also my interests ...  We've got a goal.  We've got a plan.  I'll let you know how it shapes up.

What is your goal for Thanksgiving?  What is your plan?  I'd love to hear from you!