This day finds me with many chores to accomplish so I actually had to set up a schedule for me to get them all completed. The first thing on my list was my prayer time and then my time with a cup of Door County Hazelnut Creme Coffee. I think my list is in order.
Psalm 19:14 May theses words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.
Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving in this part of the world. It is a national holiday dedicated to being thankful. People will travel many miles to visit with friends or relatives. Elaborate dinners are planned and eaten. Some will enjoy a football game or three as well as huge slices of pie.
People will put a lot of effort into this day, especially the planners and the doers. Events like this are a lot of work and the perfectionists in the group will see to it that every last detail is correct and in place and on time. I can tell you that my wife worries about dust and the fact that even places that no one will visit while in our home has to be dusted. If I set the dinner table which I have done every year since we were married a thousand years ago, she will rearrange it a little.
There have been a couple of times in this life where I just wanted to take those plates and send them on a flying saucer ride. When Rene moved them around for the third time I almost lost it. It's then that it came to me that these holidays can be too stressful and what was about to come out of my mouth would ruin the day. It was best to humble my ego and drink a huge glass of shut up juice. Satan wanted a family day ruined and was going to use my mouth, temper and ego to do it. I almost opened the door for him.
I have heard of many holidays that have been looked forward to, but in the end people can't wait to forget them. Some even have said that it was so bad that they will never forget them. You see a day can be ruined by a slip of the tongue, loosened by a little wine perhaps, and then the downfall of the day begins. Kids get a little hyper and the lamp tumbles. Mom or Dad loses their temper and too much is said in front of the company. You should not have fed the little dudes all of that sugared pecan pie. Or the subject of politics creeps in and the two sides argue over anything or everything. The perfectionists drive the non conformists crazy and the non conformists drive the perfectionists to convulsions. But usually the the whole thing could be avoided if we guarded our tongues and worked to provide language in all settings that honors God. Or better yet refrain from speaking without thinking about the consequences of your inability to drink a cup of shut up juice.
Holidays are meant to be enjoyed, not to be annoying. Plan ahead. Don't be in a rush. Strive for perfect without being obnoxious. Play nice in the political sand box or better yet avoid politics at all cost. Cheer on your team without dancing on the table. Correct your kids in a way that they will remember what they did, but are not totally humiliated if front of others. Eat what is in front of you and don't complain. Complainers should do the cooking next year. You know the buttons that when pushed can cause a nuclear reaction, so don't push.
There are my instructions for keeping things from going insane. But the easiest of these is to season our language with a shake of "What Would Jesus Say"
God bless. Don't put the fork on the wrong side of the plate.
Marty
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