Learning to say “Please” and “Thank You” is one of the earliest lessons [most] of us are taught. I’ve been saying “thank you” for as long as I can remember, but I think I spent most of my life up until now, not really understanding the depth of what it means to be grateful.

Sure, I thanked God for the good things he had given me, but sitting here today, looking back over the last year and a half I see how much I was missing. I now know how to thank him for more than just the good things.

Can I be completely honest with you? The last year and a half have been absolute hell. I can’t sugarcoat that truth. Losing my dad so quickly was devastating. Leaving behind a really sweet life up north was painful. Taking my mom to the ER the first time was terrifying. Hearing my mom’s diagnosis was heartbreaking. Spending most of this year in the hospital watching my mom fight for her life has been beyond taxing.

Now that my mom is doing better, you might think that it’s “easy” to be filled with gratitude this Thanksgiving and in that, you’d be right. But how about the rest of it?

It hasn’t been an easy road, but I can honestly say that I am grateful for all of it. It will never be okay that my dad isn’t here today but I am so grateful that he didn’t have to watch the love of his life battling cancer. Sometimes I miss my old life, but I’m so grateful that I wasn’t far away from my mom when she got sick. I wish my mom would have never gotten cancer, but I am grateful that it has given all of us a true and deep understanding of how valuable life really is.

Thanksgiving this year brings with it a peace that I’ve never experienced before. I’m grateful for every fear, doubt, hurt, and tear that has brought me to this very moment. I’m most grateful that I have a God that owes me nothing, but still redeems every pain and hurt in my life and makes something beautiful out of it. Every single thing in my life stems from that truth.

My heart is filled and overflowing with gratitude today.
I’m grateful to have had 25 years with the best dad I could have ever hoped for.
I’m grateful that my mom is alive and here with me today.
I’m grateful for my my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew, that are such a source of joy in my life.
I’m grateful for my grandparents who are a constant source of love and support.
I’m grateful that I have been blessed with some of the best friends on the planet.
There are so many things that I have to be thankful for, but the source of this gratitude is found in the relationships in my life. I am so richly blessed with great relationships.

I am thankful for every person that has journeyed with my family during such a difficult season. Please know how grateful we are for you. Sending you much love and gratitude today and always. Take time in the busyness of the holidays to really be present with the ones you love, and when you hug them, hold onto them for just a few more seconds…

Happy Thankgiving.

With so much love,

Leslie Danielle