Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family. As you prepare to travel, cook, host, visit, etc. I hope that your weekend will be filled with more than just football on TV and polite dinner conversation (or hostile conversations). In an age where technology is causing us to lose the ability to engage meaningfully, I wonder if we can some time – whether at the dinner table or otherwise – to share a bit more deeply, to get a glimpse into one another’s hearts?
If that sounds too abstract for you, let me give you an idea. I have really enjoyed Ken Sande’s weekly blog, RW360 (Relational Wisdom). He always has very practical and relatable discussions about living with more empathy and wisdom in our relationships. I found his Thanksgiving encouragement to be really encouraging.
He suggests 10 Ways to Connect More Deeply at Thanksgiving. Here’s 10 conversation starters he gives.
Tell a story about a person God placed in your life …
- Who loved you in a way you’ll never forget.
- Who showed you amazing kindness or forgiveness.
- Who kept you from making a big mistake.
- Who changed the course of your life.
- Who reassured you when you were afraid.
- Who taught you an important lesson by example.
- Who has been especially loyal to you or others.
- Who is a remarkably good listener.
- Who inspired you by standing up for what is right.
- Who gave you courage to do something difficult.
I’m going to print out his PDF, and have our friends pick a number from 1-10 to answer. We’ll spend a little time before dinner sharing our answers, sing “God is so Good” (my dad’s favorite), and then eat.
How will you engage meaningfully this Thanksgiving? Leave a comment and share an idea below!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks Mitchel. I am totally stealing that idea and printing the PDF for our gathering tomorrow!
Wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving and let me know how it goes!
Kinda late response but the I wasn’t sure what everyone would think of the idea, but the Thanksgiving relational conversation questions were well received. I got together with some of my step family members this year. Everyone participated and we definitely shared at a much deeper level, getting to know one another better. Could become a good tradition I think. 🙂