"The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for."
Norman Vincent Peale

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the words thankful, blessed, and grateful will be everywhere. On t-shirts, wall decor, mugs – every woman with an affinity for farmhouse decor across the country will likely have something with one (if not all) of those words all over it. And I’m not knocking that, at all! They are often beautiful decor pieces, and I have several things myself that fall under this category.

But have you ever noticed that the more you see something, the more normal it becomes? And in turn, the less value it has? The concept of Thanksgiving has become so heavily commercialized that it’s almost as if we, as a society, have forgotten what gratitude really is. No, I’m not talking about superficial gratitude. Despite how precious all those school craft projects your little ones might be bringing home, there is a lot more to Thanksgiving than a hand-print turkey and a few short words about how we’re thankful to have perfectly-seasoned dressing this year (unlike last year when the lid popped off the seasoned salt, Aunt Judy!).

There are so many ways we can practice gratitude. Problem is, in a world where stress is prevalent and money is a resource many of us just don’t have in spades, how can we feel grateful? It’s so difficult to remember to feel thankful for what we have when we struggle. But it’s not impossible, and the act of being grateful actually changes our entire mindset.

I realize that’s a big thing to ask. But believe me, as someone who has gone through a very difficult year, practicing gratitude truly has been a game-changer.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
Chronicles 16:34

Our church is teaching a series called Gratitude Changes Everything, which is a series I have been loving. The entire series is focused on moments throughout scripture where people have gone through horrible things and faced true tragedy, but throughout those times, they praised the Lord and felt grateful. And that mindset shift changed their lives. Suddenly they weren’t miserable, but they were at peace and content in the Lord.

This is one of those times where I feel like God is speaking directly to me through the message. Often times our church will go through a series of sermons that feel like God is sitting there talking to me and me alone, and it’s astounding. This series has been incredible, and a super eye-opening lesson.

We live in a world with struggles. Our fast-paced society is spinning faster than we can process, and it leaves us stressed, anxious, and depressed. And this is where focusing on the good things becomes paramount. When you look at the world through sunglasses, everything seems dark. If you look at the world through a clear lens, you see the beauty around you.

Or some other kind of fortune cookie nonsense.

The point is, if you take a step back and look at the full picture, you’ll start to notice the good.

As you move about this season of thankfulness, and we approach the holiday season where life becomes hectic and chaos meets us at every corner, think of all the tiny moments throughout your life that bring you joy. Moments that make you truly happy. Make a list! They can be simple or have deep, lasting meaning.

Here’s my list of things I’m grateful for, and how they have shifted my perspective in this season of my life:

1. A community of believers to walk with me through life.
   While this last year has been difficult, I can honestly say it has changed the way I view my life. We rooted ourselves in our church. We serve every week, and we joined a life group and bible studies. And through every hardship we have faced this year, we have never been alone. There was always someone in our church willing to help, praying over us, and just giving us a loving security that only comes from fellowship.
2. A husband who never stops loving me and always makes me laugh.
   Seriously, this man is a God-send. I met Tyler in middle school, and we started dating during our freshman year of high school. We began talking seriously about marriage a year into our relationship and got married right after high school. Over ten years later, we are still going strong, and I can honestly say he is my rock and I don’t know what I would do without him. This man has seen me in some terrible states, and he loves me through it all. He supports me, encourages me, and he always makes me smile.
3. Food in my refrigerator.
   When money is tight, grocery shopping can be a scary thing. We’ve been there before, and have no shame in admitting that. So even if it’s full of food that maybe isn’t super nutritious, or if it’s food I don’t love all that much, I’m just happy to have food to eat. My children are fed and happy, and my needs are met. That’s all I could truly need.
4. Long-distance video calls.
   As someone born and raised in Alabama, with my family all clustered around me within walking distance to my house, leaving home once I got married was hard. But military orders sent us over fourteen hours away from home, meaning FaceTime calls became a regular occurrence. Ten years later, despite having moved much closer to home, I still video chat with my family all the time. Can you imagine a world without that? I can’t. And I’m so thankful.
5. Pumpkin spice.
   Some of you are no doubt rolling your eyes, and that’s fair. But I’m really not kidding. It may seem silly, and it’s such a simple thing, but I connect memories to food. A lot of my most precious memories have a flavor or scent attached. Whenever it starts to cool down, and the demand for pumpkin everything kicks in, I fall right in line with all the pumpkin spice addicts. Because to me, that’s the start of fall. I love making my homemade pumpkin white hot chocolate every year for me and my oldest son. I love getting to buy special treats for my family while I’m at the grocery store, because it brings them joy. And that brings me joy.
6. Gaming with my family.
   I have a huge passion for video games. So does my husband, my sister-in-law, her husband, my sister, my dad, even my nephew. It’s become an easy way for us to connect with our loved ones. And even though it’s a frivolous activity we are fortunate enough to be able to partake in, we are so grateful. I can’t tell you how many hours we have spent playing a game and laughing until we cried with our family – and they all live hours away. We played ghost-hunting games through most of the Christmas holidays last year because we were having so much fun with our family and friends. So yeah, it may be silly, but we’re honestly grateful to have that way to connect with them.
7. Music.
   As former band nerds, my husband and I obviously had a passion for music. I can’t explain the joy I get through music. Singing worship songs is my favorite part of our Sunday mornings, because I just feel the music so deeply in my soul. Grateful to have music and a God who blesses people with musical talent.
8. A roof over our heads.
   Literally. Our town got pretty rocked by Hurricane Helene, and we are so grateful that our house made it through. Our roof, which was only two years old, did get a bit of damage, but it was a quick fix. And after we saw the damage in our neighborhood and town, we were just glad to be alive. Our roof provided us a safe place during the storm, and for that I am grateful.
9. Coffee on a cloudy morning.
   I often tell people that I turn into a bear when it gets cold. I just want to hibernate! Eat yummy food, cozy up on the couch, nap, repeat. I love a good cup of coffee on a gloomy day. I love being able to grab a blanket and look out the window at the changing leaves, and just enjoy a simple moment to myself. It’s something I don’t take for granted.
10. Quiet afternoon nap-time.
    I’m sure all you parents out there agree that a highlight of the day is when the toddler is napping, right? I adore my boys. They’re such a blessing, but they are also exhausting. My youngest spends his morning coming up with new and creative ways to give me gray hair, most of the time succeeding, unfortunately. When nap time rolls around, I’m usually wiped out. So having that time to work or read, or even just lay on the couch, is a simple moment of gratitude.
11. Autumn colors, flowers, and blue skies.
    God, you are such an artist! Look at the beauty that surrounds us every day! Just think about how the God that made the universe, who made every single star in the sky, the God who made breathtaking sunsets and cloud formations and wildflowers and sandy beaches and grassy hillsides in the country – think for a second about how that very same God saw how beautiful his creations were and didn’t find it complete until he created you. Isn’t that an astounding thought? This world needed you. I’m so grateful for the beauty the Lord has given us in this world, and thankful that He also thought I needed to be a part of his masterpiece.
12. The sound the wind makes in the trees.
    Easily my favorite sound, hands down. When I lived in California, I was close to the coast. There were no oak trees where I lived. None. And I realized how much I adored the sound of the leaves rustling together in the wind. Gosh, I love it. If my soul had a sound, that would be it.

Seriously, I know some of the things on that list were probably goofy. Maybe to you, they didn’t make sense, but I am truly grateful for each of those things. As I go about this season, I can take comfort. Sure, sometimes the world really sucks. Sometimes life is just so, so hard, and there are days that you can’t find any positivity in. But as Thanksgiving draws near, think about how many good things you have to be grateful for.

Gratitude is a marathon, not a sprint. Your mindset won’t shift overnight. Believe it or not, gratitude takes practice and patience. But if you actively focus on the good things, being thankful won’t be all that difficult.

And then, at Thanksgiving, when everyone is going around sharing what they’re thankful for, it will actually take you a moment to decide which thing you want to focus on. Now, wouldn’t that be a blessing?