Today I am driving with my family up to visit with my sister in North Carolina. Going to her house on Thanksgiving used to be the norm for our family when the kids were younger. But when they hit college age, getting them home from school became the main focus. Jumping back in the car to spend one day on the road driving up and another driving back did not seem like the best way to use our time. But this year at least four of us will be traveling again to join with my sister and her extended family for Thanksgiving. We do the normal things - eat lots of turkey and dressing, watch football games, check out the sales, and nap.

More and more, I am grateful for times like these that remind me of the most important things in life. Slowing down to eat a meal, sharing in-depth conversations, and just being with one another are things that are becoming rare in our high-speed, digital world. So my Thanksgiving is simply for time to slow down and be present in the moment -- without worrying about what needs to be done next. In the Bible, we call this time "Sabbath."

My prayer this Thanksgiving is that you would find time to enjoy the present. The late Joan Rivers had a saying: "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is God's gift. That's why we call it the present." Enjoy the present and give thanks to God for that gift.

Prayer for Today 

If you are traveling, or if someone is traveling to visit you - here is a blessing and a prayer you may have heard:

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.