Revelations from Our Family Meetings

     The death of our pet mouse Critter ranked as one of the worst events of the year, I learned at an annual family meeting. And getting flannel sheets was one of the best events.     
     I’d never have known these without our annual family gathering, a practice we’ve followed for more than a quarter century to kick off the New Year. My husband Duane brought home this idea, and these meetings became a safe place to reveal our deepest feelings because everyone had a voice. We even moved after our discussion one year because four of us said that’s what we wanted.     
     Our girls have flown from the nest and are raising their own families now, but Duane and I still brew tea and sit down together for this conversation. We look back  - sometimes in grief and sometimes in gratitude - and we look forward with prayerful expectation. This is what we each consider prior to sharing:
1. Surprises this past year were:
2. The best things that happened to me and our family this past year were:
3. Some of the hard things in 2019 were:
4. This past year I learned or grew in:
5. This year I hope to grow in the following areas: Physically, Spiritually, Relationships, Education
6. For vacation I’d like our family to:
7. I’d like our family to spend money on:     
     It’s amazing as I look through notes from past years. Some of our toughest situations simply evaporated. Some had to be worked through. And some dreams did come true.     
​     I wish you the best as you ponder your past and plan for your future.