Thankful Thursdays - 8/28/14 - Planning

Do you love to plan, or are you a 'by-the-seat-of-your-pants' type? Even if you are smack dab in the middle of the spectrum, planning is something we all need to do. I know, life doesn't always let you stick to your plan... but it's still a good idea to plan.

I was thankful for the opportunity to plan this week, even when life threw us a major curveball. The curve? The internet went down, and we needed a new modem, and we had to wait on our provider company... get the picture? It's quite hard to re-adjust your life to a no-internet status when you've gotten used to it, AND when you're trying to get blog things accomplished!

Yet, I can still be thankful for planning. Even though I didn't get to print out a map I thought I wanted, didn't get to Google my questions about harvesting potatoes, and even though you're reading this "Thursday" post on a Saturday afternoon, I was still thankful for planning.

Not having regular internet service forced me to follow what I put down in my paper planner to do every day this week. 

Hmm. I think we got more accomplished, at least more of what I had planned to accomplish done because of not having the distraction to go look things up.

(And yes, I know there is a library just a few blocks away, and yes, I could have let the girls Google things on my phone, but I decided to follow where God was leading... and His plan was even better!)

Today, our internet is working (hurray!) Yet we still chose to stick with the written plan, which included a long family bike ride this morning. The internet was still here when we got home. 

Planning is not always my favorite thing to do, yet I have come to understand the wisdom in making plans. If God decides to change them, I want to be available to hear His direction, but if He does not, I want to know where we're going. As parents we don't plan to fail, yet we often fail to plan!

Your plans might be extremely detailed, or quite vague, yet they are STILL plans! Without any plans you drift, and your children may drift with you, or away from you. With plans, everyone has an idea where your family ship is headed. 

I want to encourage you to make some family plans, outside of just school plans. They may not all come to fruition, but the ones that do may just be beautiful! Then you'll be thankful for planning too!