Is it just me or is nobody doing that “Thankfulness November” challenge on social media this year? I, personally, have never fully committed to it (classic Enneagram 6 - “What if there is one day where I can’t think of something to be thankful for? Will I just choose something ridiculous like breakfast cereal? Will I skip that day? Will I lie and pretend to be thankful when I’m not really feeling it? Better not commit to this whole month, way too much at stake!”). But I definitely remember years past where my social media was filled with people listing something every single day of November that they are thankful for.

Not this year, though.

I wonder if it’s because this year has been harder… heavier… are people genuinely less thankful this year?

Or maybe we feel like we aren’t deserving to say what we’re thankful for - when there’s so much hurt all around us. I’ve noticed that when people ask me how I’ve been, I find myself lowering my voice, whispering, “actually - I know this year has been hard for a lot of people - but 2020 has honestly been one of the best years yet for us as a family.”

Gratitude is risky. The moment you say what you’re thankful for, you’re vulnerable to the loss of it. We’ve convinced ourselves that if we don’t acknowledge our joy through thankfulness, we’re somehow protecting ourselves from inevitable heartbreak.

This feels more true in 2020 than it has ever felt before. Is it possible to navigate the thin line between being aware of hard things without crossing over into fear? Is it possible to feel thankful and joyful with what we have right now without feeling a sense of impending doom?

I would propose it’s not only possible, but more essential now than ever before. 2020 has already taken so much from us. Why let it take this away too?

We beat 2020 by mining the gemstones from the dirt. And then polishing them and admiring them and putting them on display.

Yes there has been heartache. Yes there has been pain. Yes there will continue to be hurting and long days ahead. But letting the light shine in on what we have right now is our only way forward.

Morgan Harper Nichols says it beautifully ::

“You are on a long journey called life, so why not pay attention to the flowers and the honeybees and the birds singing along the way? Why not take note of where the Light pours in, on the most ordinary days?”
MHN

may this note from me be the permission your soul needs to let down its guard and wholly experience gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my sweet family and the irreplaceable, incredibly life-giving, additional time we have gotten together this year.

XO,