My list, my prayers, my goals

I once read an article or an example in a book (can't exactly remember where I read this but it has stuck in my mushy brain) that spoke of a mom who every year went to the beach once a year and prayed over her family, her children, their strengths, their goals, the things that needed to be done, etc. She would make lists for herself and for her children...things that she wanted to do, wanted to learn, wanted to teach, wanted to get done. She would make prayer lists for each of her children that included things that she felt God had laid on her heart about each of them. These prayer lists may include prayers about struggles, friends, issues, school, wants, needs, etc. You get the picture. It was her time (just two days) to be alone, to focus, to be totally open and up front with God (not that we can't do this on a daily basis) to set some goals and get some focus. I, being the administrative type, love this. I have been thinking about this a lot. I will not get to go out of town but am thinking about asking John for a whole afternoon to go sit at Maclay Gardens (hopefully it will warm up a bit) by myself and spend some time in prayer and focus on some goals for my kiddos and make some prayer lists. This woman said things changed throughout the year, of course...she would go back to her lists and scratch something off or add something to it and the next year during her alone time she would reevaluate the goals and pray again about what her children needed most during the year....She gave her lists and prayer sheets to her children when they entered college so that they could see all the hopes, dreams, prayers, struggles, triumphs, tears, cries that she had brought before God...how cool is that!

I have some things that I have been mulling over since the turn of the new year and I am going to write them down...they are goals and aspirations for us as a family , for me personally, for my marriage, and specific things for each of my children. I won't spell them all out here but the thought of at least having a journal, a prayer list, a plan makes me happy! And on the top it will say...We want to be a fragrant aroma to God....!!! I would love to make this time of focus and prayer happen and would love to be able to go back and look at it at the beginning of next year and see what God has done in our life...I feel that I may be very humbled and very surprised!