If your children are late middle-school and above, the thanksgiving discussion may take on a different design. There would be positive power in simply having a discussion about what each sees as a positive part of being in a pastor’s family. Let the pastor keep silent and simply listen. When they have completed their thoughts, the pastor then develops a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the blessings they have received as a family.
If your family is open to a more creative design, you might want to have some discussion on what your family is thankful for and then invite each member to create a simple poem expressing their thanksgiving for the family. Depending on the nature of the family, you may want to suggest a particular form for the poem such as haiku, or some other type of poetry that is easy to follow. However, if a person is so inclined towards free verse or other forms, then they should develop their own poem.
Each poem could be the basis for family grace during the rest of the week.
