Thanksgiving Day Reflection

Today I slow down long enough to remember what I’m truly grateful for. I’m grateful for family, for the friends who have welcomed us in as their own, for my health, for breath in my lungs, and for the gift of life. This morning, as Barbi and I talked about gratitude, we reflected on the importance of counting our joy and noticing the blessings that surround us every single day.

Sharing a Thanksgiving meal with friends who have accepted us as family reminded me that love comes in many forms. We laughed, we told stories, and we simply enjoyed being present with people who care about us. That alone is enough to fill my heart.

In a world filled with negativity, division, and reasons to become bitter, I’m reminded today that I always have a choice. I can look at what’s wrong, or I can look at what’s right. And on a day like today, gratitude is the lens I choose. Gratitude aligns me with my purpose. Gratitude reminds me where my joy comes from. Gratitude brings me back to God.

I’m thankful for my wife, Barbi, for her love, her strength, and the way she walks beside me. I’m thankful for my daughter, Bella Love, for her joy, her fire, and her spirit. I’m thankful for my family, my friends, and the abundance God has placed in my life.

But I also know that Thanksgiving can be tough for many. Some families feel the weight of who’s missing at the table. Some carry the ache of loss, or strained relationships, or unspoken confusion. Even then, we still get to choose what we focus on. We can choose to count our blessings. We can choose to notice the joy that still remains. And today, I choose thankfulness in all of it.

I’m grateful all around… for what is, for what was, and for what God is shaping in the days ahead. Today is a day to remember what matters most and to celebrate the love that continues to carry us forward.