Thanksgiving is by far my favorite time of year. The weather is cooler and the leaves are changing and people tend to have a more grateful heart wherever you turn. I love November because there are a million things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and people tend to show it a little bit more.
Even when life around us seems a little different we can still find so many things to be thankful for! So, if you find yourself in a slump wondering what there is to be thankful for right now we have created a list to help you start to discover the millions of small and big things that are amazing all around you.
What are the things you are most thankful for?
15 Things to Be Thankful for this Thanksgiving
Family
Family comes in all shapes and sizes, but they really are the thing that I am most thankful for. The love that you receive from a family will help you throughout your life and overcome any bad day or struggle.
They are the ones that pick you up when you fall and cheer you onto victory. I would not be who I am today without my family. Do you feel the same way about your family?
Kids
Through this year I have found a new appreciation and love for kids. On a bad day, their smiles can change your day from frustration to sunshine. There is nothing better than their hugs and kisses and their reminders of how much they love you each and every day.
Spouse
Your spouse is the one that is always there for you. Of course, you might have those days that you are madder than a wet hen at them, but the love that you have for one another is what gets you through those days more than anything.
Your spouse is your partner in crime and the one telling you it’s okay to take some time for yourself because you desperately need it.
Friends
A close second to family are friends. Friends are the ones that you can vent to and remind you that everything is going to be okay in the end.
They are the ones who show up at your door if you don’t pick up the phone and drop off your favorite dessert on your doorstep just because.
Friends are the ones who always give you a shoulder to cry on and stay up laughing with you well into the night.
Nature
My son loves the outdoors and I have always hated it. But this Thanksgiving I am thankful for nature. He has taught me to look deeper into it.
He reminds me to smell the pretty flowers in the parking lot with him and to pick up the leaves and see what we love most about them. He shows me the rocks he collects daily.
He has really taught me how important it is to go on outdoor scavenger hunts and appreciate all that is around us big and small.
Goals
Goals this year have kept me going. So often at the beginning of the year, I was living in a stagnated state of “when things get back to normal”, I think we can all relate.
But after months of accomplishing not much of anything I decided it was time to put one foot in front of the other and start moving forward.
I set goals for myself and my family that were both small and big and as I did this I began progressing and finding joy in life again.
Dessert
How can we not be thankful for dessert this Thanksgiving? I am a sucker for a bowl of ice cream as well as fancy pies! Dessert is a must in my eyes!
Amazon Prime
Oh Amazon Prime…. How I love you so much! No other place can I order something on a whim and have it delivered to me within two days or less. I mean let’s be honest, it’s the only place I was able to find yeast to make bread for about 6 months of the year.
Jokes
Jokes have gotten me through the rough times of the year. It is an easy way to lighten the mood when life gets a little more stressful. We always have some good jokes in our back pocket to share with others.
Mistakes
I am especially thankful for mistakes. My mistakes. I am not perfect. Never have I proclaimed to be perfect, but my mistakes in my life have gotten me where I am at.
My mistakes have made me a better person as I learn from them, grow, and change.
The mistakes I have made have also taught my kids lessons. When I screw up as a mom, it gives them the opportunity to know that I am not perfect. It teaches them to forgive and to forget. This will hopefully serve them well to quickly forgive others and love even more throughout their life.
Weekends
Rejoice for the weekend! This is where we put all cares aside and we have fun, explore, and spend time with our family.
Sure it is not always fun and games and there is work to be done around the house, but the weekends are for staying up late with the older kids, taking late-night Whataburger runs, and creating memories because all too quickly they will be all grown up and the only things that will be left are the memories you created with them.
Tomorrow
As Annie always sang, “The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow. There’ll be sun. Just thinkin’ about, Tomorrow… The sun’ll come out tomorrow, So ya gotta hang on’til tomorrow…Tomorrow tomorrow. I love ya Tomorrow, You’re always a day away. (Lyrics by Andrea McArdle)
You know those days where nothing goes right and you are like why? Well, tomorrow brings us new chances and new opportunities. It gives us the chance to fix what is broken. Tomorrow is a blessing so we should always be thankful for our tomorrows.
Fast Food
Oh, fast food how I love you! Anyone else love fast food as much as I do?
It might not necessarily be the food I love so much, but it is the idea of convenience in a paper bag that requires minimal cleanup.
This Thanksgiving I am probably more thankful than in years past for fast food because it was my saving grace in 2021.
Don’t feel like making lunch for the whole family? Oh let’s just get fast food.
I need a quick soda, I will just grab one on my way home. Or the best… “I have made breakfast and lunch for you all today, I don’t want to stand in the kitchen again, let’s get fast food.”
Thank you fast food for always being there for me this year!
Online Shopping
How can we not love online shopping? There is a reason why the mailman and the delivery drivers know my name by now.
I am thankful for the convenience of seeing something on sale and with a few clicks of a button it is on its way to my house. There really is nothing better than online shopping.
Love
Mostly I am thankful for love. Without love where would you be? Where would I be?
Love is the thing that makes the world go round. Without love we are nothing.
So this Thanksgiving I am thankful for love. I am thankful to love and to be loved unconditionally. Love is the reason why I wake up every morning and the reason I smile as I go to sleep.
Love helps us learn to understand people better who’s views might be different than ours. Love teaches us to have compassion for others. Love is the reason why we are able to forgive each other.
With so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving take some time to reflect and think about what you are thankful for.
Share those things with the loves you love the most! Be sure to also tell us in the comments the thing you are most thankful for!