As we wind up a year of unprecedented uncertainty, I’ve clung to the comfort found in tradition. Tradition brings us together, albeit this year virtually, and nothing brings us together like expressed gratitude.

In light of the distress 2020 has besieged upon us, a healthy dose of gratitude is needed by all. The passing down of customs and beliefs is as unique to us as individuals as our fingerprints. It grounds us and bonds us together through generations.      

With the holidays pressing closer, Thanksgiving is more meaningful and my cup of gratitude is running over.  But this year, simple blessings are most abundant, rather than the extraordinary.  

I find myself grateful…

…for emails and text messages that keep me connected to friends and associates.  Facetime calls chronicling the everyday, are an important event. Birthdays are monumental. 

I’m grateful for technology, books, and friends who keep in touch.  I’m convinced grocery pick up is the greatest modern convenience of all time. The ability to watch an entire season of shows, marathon-style, is something I’d never done before 2020, but I’m not ashamed to admit, I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve embraced multiple podcasts, added Skillshare, and couldn’t exist without Venmo, Zelle, and Paypal.   

Add to this, the joy of growing and strengthening relationships with those in my inner circle.   A simple evening around the fire pit, complete with hot dogs and s’mores, is esteemed greater than a black-tie event. Sharing Instapot recipes with my brother has been fun and don’t even get me started with memes.   

Yes, 2020 has been wrought with discord and anxiety, but in the midst of it all, it has given us the opportunity to clearly discern what is most important: Faith, health, family, and friends. Whether you sit around your Thanksgiving table with those you hold dear or they Skype, Facetime or Zoom into your holiday activities, may you find gratitude, the heart of not only Thanksgiving but your entire life.