thankful

Thanksgiving is upon us, so I’ve made my list and I’m checking it twice:

Mashed Potatoes (the Make Ahead recipe),  Cider Baked Turkey (purchase the juice), Butterhorn Rolls (for Gratitude Rolls),  Pumpkin Bars, and I must remember to cut out the card stock for the Leaves of Thanks tradition.

Ok, full disclosure. For the last 15 years, this has been my list, but this year, after five years of horribly bad, losing football seasons,  we’re 99% sure our son’s team is heading to a playoff game on Thanksgiving weekend. For everyone else’s sake, let’s continue on like I wrote a few years before. 😉

There are so many things to do as I rush to ready ourselves for our grand feast: a feast to feed the tummies of so many of our loved ones. Yet as I rush, shop, clean, cook, bake, and referee, sometimes I forget to just breathe, and savor the moments we are creating.

While I want to feed tummies, more importantly, my desire is to feed souls.

Feed them: soul, heart and belly

As we rush to make sure everything is just so, let’s not lose site of the most important elements.

Remember, we don’t HAVE to, we GET to and that one word perspective shift changes everything.  It changed me! 

Will you join me in re-evaluating our check list and prioritizing the essentials for your weekend?

I’ve scribbled my new “To-Do” List and I’m checking it twice.

Feed Gratitude.
As I nurture this quality, joy thrives.

Feed Flexibility
Our best laid plans may not happen. Guests will be late. Food may get cold, but in the scheme of things, it’s nothing. I open my hands and offer my attempted control.

Feed Patience (Lots of Patience)
A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel. Proverbs 15:18

Feed Laughter There’s nothing better than cultivating an atmosphere of deep belly laughing after a satisfying meal. Laugh so hard that tears run down your legs. 😉

Feed Contentment
With all the Black Friday Sales, it’s difficult to remember the balance of “need vs. want.” We truly have everything we need.

Feed Compassion
Even though Old Aunt Sue has shared (probably rambled) the same story for the fifteenth time, make her feel as if it is the first. Making her the star of the show for just one day will uplift and encourage her in ways that no one has in a long time.

Feed Encouragement.
We’re fragile. A blessed word makes hearts soar.

Feed Forgiveness.
This is the year. Lay it at His feet. Let our Lord carry the burden. Extend forgiveness. Experience freedom.

As I savor the moments of family time this weekend, my “To Do” List reminds me: 

Feed Them.

So will you join me? Let’s slow down and remember to feed their soul, their heart, their imagination, their creativity, and of course, their tummy.

When the turkey is gone, and the mashed potatoes are cold, all that is left are the shared moments and memories of doing Life together, and I want to make the most of them, don’t you?

What could be added to your new “To Do” List?