One of our favorite family traditions happens while we’re eating Thanksgiving dinner. Once the food has been laid before us, in its entire delicious splendor, we say a prayer of welcome and thankfulness. Then serving platters are passed around and food is heaped on every plate. As we begin to dig in, savoring all

the work and the blessing of having such food before us, our tradition begins. One by one, each member of the family and any guests present, share something they are thankful for – on a personal level.

As natural as that may seem, there can be some hesitation. That hesitation is usually based on experience with the group and one’s level of comfort sharing personal thoughts. Now we’re not expecting any deep dark secrets to be revealed – we just don’t let anyone get away with being thankful for the gravy or mashed potatoes.

There are some ‘ground rules’ for listening as well. To honor each other and make everyone feel safe, we strive to listen well, not make jokes where jokes have not been invited and celebrate each other.

One of my brothers recently had a big victory in his life after a long year of struggle.

He called yesterday and asked; “Can I go first?”

I am looking forward to tomorrows feast and celebration with my family. Best wishes to you and yours!

What is your child’s learning style?  There are three basic learning styles; visual, tactile, and auditory.  Take the test and get immediate results: Is your child a visual learner? 

Bette Fetter Founder and CEO of Young Rembrandts and Author of Being Visual [email protected] Follow Bette on Twitter