As I sit in this season of Thanksgiving, I find myself reflecting back on a recent post I wrote entitled “Gaps.” In that post, I shared about the spaces left in my life by the loss of people and pets who meant so much to me—those who shaped me, loved me, and influenced me in ways I’ll never forget. Those gaps are real, and they carry with them a weight of pain. Yet, as the holiday season approaches, I’ve realized something equally powerful: I am deeply grateful for the fact that those gaps exist at all. They are evidence of love, of connection, of lives intertwined with mine.
I’ve thought often about the people who stepped into my life and left such an impact. Their presence was a gift, and even though their absence hurts, I wouldn’t trade the gratitude I feel for having known them. Gratitude, I’ve learned, can live right alongside grief.
There’s a saying I’ve carried with me for years:
“What if you woke up one morning and only had those things you thanked God for yesterday?”
That thought always stops me in my tracks. It’s a reminder of how much we truly have, and how quickly we can overlook it until it’s gone. We are blessed beyond measure, and yet we forget.
This holiday season, my prayer is simple: that I remain in a constant state of gratitude—for what is, for what was, and for whatever comes. Gratitude doesn’t erase pain, but it transforms it. It reminds me that I am undeservingly blessed, and that every moment, every relationship, every gift is worth cherishing.
Thanksgiving is more than a noun. It’s more than a holiday. It’s a verb when lived out correctly. And that’s exactly what I plan to do—give thanks, not just in words, but in the way I live.
