The year flies by, and here we are at Thanksgiving! Time to take stock of what we’re grateful for—in a world of turmoil.

Wars seem to be everywhere—and the dangers of their escalating loom, even as we hope with all our hearts for peace.

Hurricanes have devastated the South this season—just a couple of months ago, New Orleans, and all of Louisiana, was struck by Hurricane Francine. Then, Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which largely passed us by, exceeded Francine in damage done by orders of magnitude.

But there are always things in our lives to cherish with gratitude.

We have our feast to look forward to, our beloved family and friends to celebrate with.

We have our work, we have purpose, and we have life itself.

As we count our blessings, let’s remember to celebrate, and be grateful for, the beauty of this world—nature gives us so much of that, as well as the food we eat—and the enormous variety of beauty we can see.

Mountains, valleys, rivers, oceans, trees, flowers, prairies—the beauty of the animal kingdom, from majestic stags to the tiny flying jewels we call hummingbirds. And let’s not forget our pets, if we have them—don’t they bring joy and comfort to our lives?

Let’s be grateful for the beauty of smiling, loving faces around us at the table, and make sure we do our part to inspire and encourage those smiles and that love.

Let’s be thankful for the children who are our hope for the future.

Let’s be grateful for every child’s smile we see. For every uplifting song we hear. For every heart we’ve somehow managed to miraculously touch, and every heart that’s touched our own.

Let’s celebrate with the fullest hearts, and the greatest and most wide-spreading gratitude we can muster. Let’s be thankful for everything on our tables, from the Turducken to the oyster dressing to the centerpiece to the salt and pepper shakers, tablecloths and napkins, plates and silverware.

For everyone whose love makes our lives better places to live.

What are you grateful for, this Thanksgiving?

Please click here to email me directly – I’d love to know what’s on your gratitude list this year.

Until next time –

Peace,

Eric