There are so many wonderful things about the Thanksgiving holiday – so much more than just a meal. Many of our favorite memories with both family and friends have happened around this time of the year. But even stronger than the time spent together with loved ones is the realization of how powerful true gratitude can be. It is such a game-changer. Even the strongest negative emotions seem to melt away when we really focus on the things in life we are thankful for. We absolutely love this holiday purely for the purpose of it – spending time realizing and being thankful for all the positive things in our lives. Everyone has things to be thankful for – here are our top 10.
#1 – Faith
We wouldn’t be truthful if we didn’t list this one first. It is what drives and guides our lives. Because of it, we have answers and hope, peace and purpose, support and joy. We are forever grateful to our savior, Jesus Christ, for His incomparable gifts!
#2 – Family
We are thankful every day for the blessing of being husband and wife – in life together, helping each other, and being committed to the promise we made to keep it that way. Our children bring us such joy and, as we do our best to teach them, we realize how much they actually teach us. Our parents have imparted knowledge, given us guidance and training, and have supported us in so many parts of life. It’s impossible to ever thank them enough for all they have given us, both physically and emotionally. Our grandparents, both here and gone, have loved us and shared with us their wisdom and experience. Our brothers, sisters, and all the in-laws we’ve gained add color and richness to our lives and have, no doubt, helped shape the people we have become. Then there’s all our precious nieces and nephews, there’s aunts and uncles and cousins… We’ll stop there and just say again, that we have so much gratitude for every member of our family!
#3 – Friends
Here and there, throughout our lives, we are privileged to meet those special souls. The ones who agree to those crazy adventures. The ones who remain close, no matter the distance. The ones who stand by us, pick us up when we fall, and cheer us on as we try again. They listen. They laugh. They love. They don’t need to, they want to. They’re souls we can trust. They’re irreplaceable and we try to give thanks every day for their presence in our lives.
#4 – Hope
Hope helps us keep looking forward and reaching for the goals we have set in life. What a dreary existence we would have without something to hope for!
#5 – Ability
We are blessed to have the ability to do so many things we love (photography, woodworking/carpentry, sewing/crafting, designing, outdoor adventures) and are thankful for the knowledge and strength that makes doing those things possible.
#6 – Comforts & Luxuries
The standard of living in our country is so high that we rarely stop and consider how well we live. So many little everyday comforts are taken for granted. We appreciate all the big and little things we enjoy – our heated home where we can take a warm shower whenever we want, readily available food (and coffee), clothing we can so easily replace when needed, vehicles we can travel thousands of miles in comfortably, emergency services available to save our lives, and luxuries at our fingertips like the ability to buy something across the country and have it in our hands in two days without ever leaving our house!
#7 – Work
Sure, it’s easy to dread getting out of bed Monday morning. But when we stop and think about it, we really are thankful for the work we do. We have been blessed with amazing clients and are grateful for the opportunity to provide them with something to cherish for the rest of their lives. Our work is so much more than just providing for our needs – it allows us to help others, which we love doing!
#8 – Core Values
We are thankful for strong values to guide us through life – things like responsibility, integrity, and kindness. We are thankful for those who have instilled values in our lives and also thankful for opportunities to demonstrate them to others.
#9 – Forgiveness
Try as we may, we are not perfect. There are so many mistakes still to be made in this imperfect world and we are grateful for being shown and being able to show forgiveness.
#10 – Love
If there’s one thing we wouldn’t want to live without, this would be it. Without it, we really are nothing. It guides us to patience, kindness, generosity, humility, forgiveness, and truth. It allows us to believe and trust, hope and endure. We firmly believe love is the most powerful driving force behind anything good in this world.
Thanks, as well, to our friend, Jared, for the new family photos!
And there you have it. One more thank you – for all our readers. We hope you have a wonderful holiday!
Warm wishes,
Chris and Jeannette
