I’ve been busy preparing for Thanksgiving, drawing up the menu, shopping for food, getting tableware and decorations ready (did you know you can just spray paint dollar-store charger plates and voilà?!) and throughout it all I’ve been struck by how wonderful it is to be able to do this all. And how grateful I am for these wonderful people in my life.

I’ve been feeling a little frustrated at what feels like a lack of direction in my life lately (who AM I?! Ha…) but then I thought yesterday, maybe what I need right now is to simply remember the good things in my life. Gratitude. That is a good exercise.

Food — enough money to not be hungry, living close to a store where I can just pick it up and put it in my cart. Home, material comfort — much more than we really need, I know.

Family — those beautiful people up there, and the ones who raised me and set me on good paths, the ones I shared homes and college apartments with. The ones who shaped the ones I love. Dear friends who brighten my life every day.

Faith — a knowledge of Heavenly Parents who love me, a Savior who made everything possible and a faith community where I can grow and learn. Truth, with a capital T, that makes things clearer when I doubt. The Spirit that teaches me, stubborn as I am.

We made this cute little gratitude rock with Adelina the other day, you pass it around the dinner table and say what you are grateful for.

She loves it, and it’s been a simple way to start to teach gratitude. But it’s so much more than just saying nice things: gratitude is an attitude, a way of seeing life for the things we have rather than what we don’t. It’s knowing when to feel content and when to strive for more without forgetting the good we’ve already achieved. Growth without shame.

I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving holiday!