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Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Elizabeth Banak

“Peter, take my hand!” – Gamora, Guardians of the Galaxy

A decade has gone by as if no time at all. Ten years ago today, I lost my mother to cancer, and I sometimes feel like I’ve lived an entire other life since then. And then there are those moments when it feels like it could have just happened yesterday. I lost my best friend, my cheerleader, my rock, and the woman who helped shape me into the person I am today. My children lost a grandmother. My father lost his beloved wife. The world lost an amazing woman. But today is not a day I choose to dwell on the loss or sadness. Those days are over, not because I don’t still feel pain or sadness at losing her, but because it’s been a long while now since I’ve focused on the joy and gratitude at having been lucky enough to have her in the first place. 

Jesus said in the famed Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” I never really understood that growing up, even with my catholic school upbringing. How can those who mourn and have suffered loss ever consider themselves blessed?  

But it takes experiencing loss to sometimes understand just how blessed you are, not for who or what you’ve lost, but for all the things you can seek to gain if you let yourself embrace grief to turn it into something even more poignant…Peace. Pardon the Marvel metaphor here (although I suppose it’s actually a simile if you want to get technical), but grief is a lot like the Power Infinity Stone, too great for one person to bear, but when shared among those we love, a conquerable burden. That’s what Jesus meant. Those who mourn will be comforted because they will not walk alone, not for a single step. That’s the part that will, over time, reveal a lasting peace. 

That peace comes in every text from a friend on this day letting me know they are thinking of me and my mom. It comes in extra hugs from my husband and kids today, hugs that come without words, just the shared knowledge that we all know why. It comes in a rainy trip to the cemetery that ended in sunny beauty. It’s being able to remember all the parts of my mom, even her faults, and realizing it’s never too late to embrace again all the things you thought you may have forgotten. It comes in sharing stories and traditions with the people I love that keep my mom alive in my heart every day.

In short, that peace comes by continuing to live on, not in perpetual mourning, but eventually in a shared and joyful grief with those around us who loved as we did, or helped share our burden, or said something kind, or made us laugh in a time of sadness, or held our hand as we cried, or perhaps just offered a sympathetic smile on a bad day. 

There’s so much hope in grief, but it takes time, patience, and a willingness to allow happiness again before we can see it. Those who mourn are truly blessed, not because we’ve lost, but because we endure. And if we let ourselves share the burden and take someone’s outstretched hand, we can eventually endure with a grateful and happy heart. 

Failure is always an option

Elizabeth Banak

“Sorry fellas, I’m afraid you’re just too darn loud.” Band judge, Back to the Future

Any goal or dream we strive for in life incurs the possibility of failure, and that failure can come in many forms. Whether it’s that project we screwed up at work or a childhood dream we never realized, failure never feels good. It’s an all too real representation that sometimes, no matter how hard we try at life, we just aren’t good enough. At least that’s the lesson so many take from failure. We say, “I did my best”… but then you know what they say, “losers always whine about their best.” That’s undoubtedly true. And sometimes being that loser is inevitable, even if we did offer our best. 

I’ve tried for over two years to land representation with an agent to get my book published. It’s been over two years of edits, query letters, research, hope, despair, and rejection. I’ve faced the dismal odds I know exist for someone like me to make it in the publishing world, and I can say with certainty that I didn’t beat those odds. I’m not the “all it takes is one yes” success story. I’m the “this isn’t the right fit for me” or the “I’m going to pass on this, but best of luck, blah, blah, blah” story. I’ve spent years waiting for someone to see in my writing what I do, that it’s good. And that I belong there. Ultimately, I failed. It’s humbling…and maybe even embarrassing. I failed and everyone knew I was trying. 

But a funny thing happened on my road of rejection. Far from the total dejection I fearfully expected, I’ve never now been more confident in my abilities. Not because I’m a moron who can’t see the writing on the wall that all seems to be telling me the same thing, “You’re not good enough.” But because each one made me work harder, do better, learn more, and ultimately to become better at my craft than I was before I started this journey. Every single one was an opportunity to take a good long look at myself and say, “Your best isn’t good enough anymore, so what else ya got?” And what I had was resilience, perseverance, and in an unexpected twist, the confidence to not only course correct and go on, but to ultimately change course altogether. 

Because here’s the funny thing about failure… unless it sticks, it’s just another bump or detour in the road. That road may not be leading you to the place you started off wanting to go. But those detours can be just as great, if only you learn from that path behind you. Failure is only failure once you give in. Failure is only failure if it kills your determination and drive. Plowing through the failure is hard, humbling, and ultimately somewhat soul crushing. But it’s also part of every journey that’s ultimately going somewhere incredibly meaningful.

So, now, I do this my way. I go out on my own and my success or failure will be all mine, and either way, it will be one of the most exciting and meaningful experiences of my life. My writing, my hard work, my determination, and my love for my craft will drive me to the destination of a journey I’ve been on since childhood. And I’ll get there. Not because I haven’t failed, but ultimately because I have, over and over again, to bring myself to this moment in time. And I could not be more excited and more ready than ever to make my mom proud! 

It’s okay to be afraid to fail. It’s okay to have self doubt. It’s okay to have moments when you want to give up. But always keep going, even if it means you limp along for a bit. Always persevere even in the face of failure and rejection, because that’s when it means the most. That’s when it will be most rewarding, when you have to dig deep to keep moving forward, change course, and push through. Whatever the end ultimately brings, I’ll bet you won’t find yourself saying, “Hey, you know I wish I hadn’t tried so hard.” Instead you’ll be saying, “Damn, it feels good to know that I at least had the courage to try at all!” 

Reaping the Blessings of Freedom

Elizabeth Banak

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” Thomas Paine

Every year, I sit down to write my 4th of July post and I think to myself, what I can write about that I haven’t already said in years past. Then I realize that a lot of the most important things we hold dear need to be articulated over and over again before they become part of who we are. This is especially true at a time when I see this country that I love on a slippery slope to tearing itself apart. Maybe it’s the cynic in me at war with the idealist, but I can’t help but fear that we are one match away from lighting the proverbial tinder box on fire. But as this cold war of ideas rages on, I’m never more hopeful than on Independence Day that we will do right by ourselves and by each other long enough to remember that whatever our differences, we are all Americans who value freedom above all else. The freedom to live, the freedom to worship, the freedom to speak, the freedom to think, and yes, the freedom to disagree.  

But 4th of July is not a day to air our grievances or elevate that which seeks to divide us. It’s a day to honor our great country and to remember those who came before us so that we may revel in the brightness of liberty until the end of days. Those brave men, who risked absolutely everything they had to sign their names to a document that marked them as traitors to the world’s greatest power, only did so because to do otherwise would have been a continued anathema to the freedom they knew in their hearts did not come from a king, but from God and from their own humanity. With a firm reliance on divine Providence, they pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the cause of self-reliance, limited government, and liberty. There are those that will argue that the flaw in America’s founding lay in the fact that it did not guarantee that freedom for all its people. While that’s certainly a fair point, and one that this country paid for in blood, it truly makes what happened in July 1776 all the more meaningful today. The Declaration didn’t make America perfect. But it made her greatness possible. It codified the proper relationship between man and government, laying the foundation for unprecedented freedom, even if it took too long to realize it for every citizen. Those first principles made the rest possible. America started as one crazy idea, relying on the Declaration as the first promise of a better future. But even more relevant to us is the fact that the Founders relied on the hope that those who came after would build on that freedom with each generation, entrenching the value of liberty so deeply into our national identity that it would eventually be realized for all in full measure. The continued price of that freedom is eternal vigilance, as “freedom is only ever one generation away from extinction.” Let not history remember our generation as the one that let it slip away. Today we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence for providing those first principles that still matter today. Those are the ideas – liberty, unalienable rights, sacred honor- that make the 4th of July worth celebrating “with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.” 

We are all parents today

Elizabeth Banak

There is no evil in this world quite like the kind that hurts children. It’s unspeakable what happened today in Texas and what has happened all too often in a society that clearly has something that ails it. There isn’t much to say that makes sense of this evil. It’s tough not to question why. It’s hard not to put God on the spot and ask why this evil is allowed to live among us. But it does, and we are left to confront it with our hope and faith that there is something redeemable about humanity. God willing, that hope is not in vain and that faith is one day rewarded. Unfortunately, the usual suspects will shortly begin exploiting this tragedy for their own gain before these victims are even buried. Then the blaming will start and, before long, these dead children will be pawns in a political game with no winners, but an entire society of losers who got stuck playing a game they never wanted. But before that happens, I am hoping people can come together in shared mourning of this senseless evil. Whether or not we have children, we are all parents today. 

There are no words of comfort to bring to those parents who have lost their children in such a tragic and senseless way. Their pain is unimaginable. Their suffering is immeasurable. But if there is one thing we can do to honor those who died, it isn’t to lay blame anywhere else than where it belongs or live in fear or anger. Instead, let’s remember that despite our differences, our precious children are always the best of us. We need to let their innocence, blind trust, and unconditional love be the things that drive us every day to be the best version of ourselves. It may mean instead of anger and division, we lead with kindness and shared understanding that but for the grace of God, it could be any one of us living that hell today. It won’t bring that those that were taken, but it may just show us all that perhaps our society isn’t as broken as it seems. Maybe it will be a remarkable first step in helping heal those hearts that are broken tonight. Perhaps we can humble ourselves so that instead of thinking we have all the answers, we work through our children to help make our little corner of the world a little brighter, a little more hopeful, a little more understanding, and, if we are a lucky, a lot less like we feel today. 

May we all send prayers for healing and hope to all those who suffered such a terrible loss today. May God bring eternal peace to those departed souls and grant the rest of us the strength and wisdom to make the world they left behind a better place in any way we can. And may we find the courage to be grateful for our blessings and the hope to carry on to a better tomorrow.

The one with the Mother’s Day Reflection

Elizabeth Banak

In a chaotic, scary, and often broken world, it’s tough to go through it without a mom still around to be that guiding light. Even as a grown woman with my own children, I will always pine for those days of waking up on Mother’s Day, hoping to make my ‌mom feel special. That probably won’t ever go away, but when I see my children getting up with that same excitement and energy, I know how truly blessed I am, even if I have to say Happy Mother’s Day to a headstone. But that’s the thing about Mom’s. The good ones never truly leave us. They live on in their children and grandchildren as a continuous reminder that a Mom is sometimes more than just a person. Sometimes a mom is a legacy built on years of endless love and support that lives on long after they are gone. And while I can’t say I parent the exact same way my mother did (let’s face it, the 80’s and 90’s were just a different time!), I truly hope that I have taken the best parts of her guidance, patience, love, and selflessness and passed them on to my own kids. 

Being without a mom on Mother’s Day makes me endlessly thankful to be surrounded by so many amazing moms from whom I draw strength daily. These women, my sisters and sister-in-laws, mother-in-law, friends, aunts, cousins, and coworkers, are all a beacon of hope and light in a world that doesn’t have enough of either. None of us are perfect. As moms, we are often ‌so afraid of what we may be screwing up that we easily forget all things we are doing right. May we learn to take cues on our success not from what society says, but from those who know the fruits of our labor. Today we should look into our children’s eyes and see in them what they see in us. Not the sum total of all our failures, but the outright certainty of all our success! We aren’t all doing it the same and we don’t all have the same vices or virtues. But the thing that binds us together is unconditional love for the children who can sometimes stretch our patience and sanity, but for whom we’d still lay down our lives. Motherhood is also definitely a sisterhood, and I am blessed to be part of it with so many exceptional women.

So, once again I wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there. No matter which one you are, and I suspect we all might be a bit of everything, I wish you all the love and support that every mom deserves today and always!

To the Perfect Mom: You exist in your own imagination and boy, are you amazing!

To the Perfectly Average Mom: You may or may not pack the perfect lunch or say the perfect thing every time, but you’re pretty sure the kids will survive just fine either way.

To the Endlessly Energetic Mom: You never met a project you didn’t volunteer for, and other moms often look at you in wonder and say, “Damn!”

To the Worrier Mom: You cringe every time your littles walk out the front door because the world is a scary place. 

To the Yeller Mom: You’re seen, you’re for sure heard (especially in the summer with the windows open), and you don’t mind if people know that sometimes those kids you’d lay down your life for can be real assholes! 

To the Worn Out Mom: You are tired as hell but still kill it day after day for your family because that’s just who you are and you couldn’t stop even if you tried. 

To the Endlessly Patient Mom: No matter what, you always seem to have poise, grace, and understanding in any situation, and who other moms look at and say, “Ha, yeah maybe in another life I could be that amazing!”

To the Nice Mom: You don’t get angry about bad grades as long as the kids tried their best, you will help clean up messes you had no part in making, and you always understand (even if it means you have to bite your tongue clear off!). 

To the Mean Mom: No one wants to be you, but let’s be honest, you are pretty much the bedrock of ordered society!

To the Judgmental Mom: Because, well, sometimes you just can’t help it!

To the Non-judgmental Mom: Because, thankfully, sometimes you see the struggle and can say, “Yep, been there!”

To the Mom Too New to Know Yet: Godspeed and God Bless on your journey to self-discovery!

The one about Judgment

Elizabeth Banak

Why are you the way that you are? – Michael Scott

What is the dumbest thing you judge other people for? Mine: people who have their windshield wipers on at a rate not commensurate with how hard it’s raining. Wtf people?! How do you handle the constant back and forth of dry, soul sucking scraping as the wipers protest furiously gliding across nearly dry glass as they squeak and streak in agony during a light drizzle and yet somehow not realize relief from the suffering is only a switch away?? I’ll never understand. There are varied settings for a reason! 

But all joking aside, the point of thinking of the absolute dumbest reason to judge another person is to hit home the fact that everyone does it. It’s part of human nature. And to be honest, not all judgment is bad and we make those types of judgments every day, some to our everlasting advantage. Judgment saves lives, judgment creates well-being. Judgment means we make choices that benefit us. And yes, sometimes that judgment is about people. The point being that judging people isn’t always bad on its face. The fact isn’t that we judge others, it’s what that judgment tells us about ourselves that’s important. Judgment tells us what we value more than it tells us what we don’t value in another person. 

Most people judge because it’s easy. It’s easy to form an intent without facts, it’s easy to say “oh I’d never do that!” It’s easy to claim the moral high ground when you have no idea what motivates the other side. Judgment draws a line between people of right and wrong, good and bad, virtuous or not… which are the wrong things to focus on. Your judgment might tell you about the type of people you want in your life, or a thing you’d never do that someone else did. But what it doesn’t do is reflect on the person you are judging. Our judgment only ever reflects on us. It’s what we value, where we draw a line, what we would do or not do. Sometimes that judgment may reflect well on us, and other times, maybe not so much. That’s not to say judgment without understanding is a good thing. And that’s not to say being more judgmental is a good thing. It’s to hit home the fact that there’s a time and place for judgment about people and we all know the line. But in a world where people are now judged for literally everything they do, even sometimes from years ago, now is a good time to remind ourselves that most of the old adages are still true about walking in others shoes or living in glass houses and casting stones. Not because rash judgment makes us hypocrites, but because often we don’t know what the hell we are talking about. 

It’s easy to judge people as degenerate morons because they irritate us or disagree with us. In some ways, it’s therapeutic in the same way that everyone thinks they are the best driver in the world while everyone else is basically a plague on humanity behind the wheel. It’s a self-esteem booster. And especially in the age of COVID, hyper-partisan politics, and social media, it gets easier and easier to claim you have the moral high-ground, the scientific superiority, or the more virtuous heart. 

It’s also easier to make a snap judgment about someone, thereby dismissing them completely, than to try to understand them. Understanding takes time. It takes communication. It takes opening your mind to the fact that there are opinions, feelings, and values other than what you may hold dear. And what’s even scarier is the prospect that you may find out you haven’t been right all along! And even if you don’t come away in agreement, because chances are you won’t, it’s still a lot harder to judge someone once you’ve understood what drives them. 

So to all the degenerate windshield wiper users out there, my humblest apologies. I can’t promise you won’t annoy me next time I drive in the rain, but perhaps I’ll rethink my conclusion that the whole of your existence is measured by the timing of your wiper blades.

The one about Cancel Culture

Elizabeth Banak

“Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.” John Milton

There are those who will tell you cancel culture isn’t real. That it’s a boogeyman made up by bad actors to try to ‘crybaby’ their way out of consequences. I’m sure there is a small part of that that is accurate. But if you’ve been paying attention the past few years, you know that’s not truly what’s happening. Public shaming has become the new American way brought to you by some of the same people who would look you straight in the face and swear up and down that they are part of the ‘no judgment’ crowd. Anyone out there celebrating when someone loses their job, has their life turned upside down, or gets dragged through the perpetual outrage culture of social media is part of the problem.

I’m not sure what problem we are solving when expressing the “wrong” opinion, making a mistake as a younger person, or simply advocating for your own choices makes you unfit for polite society. Aside from the obvious creeps, degenerates, and criminals who deserve their fate, the vast majority of the people being cancelled are no such thing. Cultural “book burning” can’t be the answer to the problem of the perpetually offended. Before you go and start celebrating another person you don’t agree with getting his or hers, I hope the life you’ve lived is perfect because when there aren’t any of those people left to ban, cancel or rake across the coals of cultural purgatory, or willing to stand up for fear of losing their jobs or livelihoods, there won’t be anyone to stand up for you when your time comes. And it will come. It always does and all you have to do is read history to know it. The ones leading the charge of the cultural purge are not friends to any American who values the spirit of free speech. Grace, understanding, forgiveness, kindness, and patriotism are all going out the window to keep this country divided and stifle differing opinions because we are all stuck in “gotcha” land. And the worst part is, we didn’t even need the hand of government to help stamp out freedom of speech. We are doing this all to ourselves with the clear goal of making people too afraid to speak out for fear of the consequences, not from government, but from our fellow citizens.

There are those that will argue that if you choose to live life in the public sphere or on social media then you assume the risks of that decision and that no one is immune from consequences of exercising free speech. That’s certainly fair. But the line we have drawn now says that anything that offends another person isn’t allowed. Anything that makes people uncomfortable must be silenced. Anything that questions the approved narrative is best not heard. Is that really the world we want to live in? Because it’s surely where we are headed.

We’ve handed over the reigns of cultural power to some pretty misguided people at best and truly awful people at worst. And they won’t stop. Not until they tear the country apart by its very foundation, some by natural consequences of their ignorance or indifference and others by the design of their malice and intent. And maybe you think that’s an overreaction and, if so, you’re free to ignore it. But do so at least with your eyes open. These people are no friends of freedom. 

The one about Betty White

Elizabeth Banak

The laws in St. Olaf are very stringent. Their motto is, “Use a gun, go apologize.” ~Rose Nylund

Much digital ink has been spilled about the passing of Betty White, a true national treasure, at the ripe old age of 99. Being that I grew up on the Golden Girls and that my mother was enchanted with the Mary Tyler Moore Show, which we watched on Nick at Nite reruns together, my appreciation for all things Betty runs pretty deep. America lost an icon… a woman dedicated to making people laugh until the very end, and who will, if we are all raising our kids right, will be making future generations laugh for years to come. She was paired with some of the truly greats in comedy and leaves behind a legacy that will likely be unmatched for some time. As the last of her cast mates from Golden Girls to pass, Betty’s continued presence in the limelight, her unfailing humor, and her irrepressible spirit have done so much to cement that show as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. Imagine being part of something still so culturally significant 30 years later. 

Betty’s sad, though not quite unexpected, passing is bittersweet. Bitter because we lost someone great who never forgot what made her who she was or why everyone loved her. Her family and friends lost a beloved soul that they will hopefully mourn with a smile. But at the same time, the sweetness comes in the tributes I see to her legacy. In the fact that her death is bringing people together, and oddly enough, giving me a bit of hope that maybe we aren’t all as divided as it seems. I have to believe she would be proud to know that she was a uniting force in the world. And maybe it’s not enough to overcome what ails us. But it’s a heartening moment to realize that at the right time and for the right reasons, maybe we would be able to do it. Perhaps that is the uniqueness of comedy, that ability to bring us together, make us laugh, and give us hope or even just an escape from the everyday. That’s what Betty White did her entire career and it’s why she will be remembered for years to come. 

Betty White will always remind me of watching Mary Tyler Moore with my mom late at night. She will remind me of my college roommates, with whom I watched reruns of Golden Girls with and laughed at every single one. She will remind me that an entire series I have on DVD is just itching to be dusted off and watched all over again. But most importantly, she will remind me that comedy isn’t something that just makes you laugh, but that also feeds your soul when you share it with people you love. Comedy makes memories. Comedy heals. And comedy, when done the way Betty did it, is often truly unforgettable. 

Rest in Peace, Betty. Your legacy, and the legacy of the greats who went before you, lives on in all those who enjoyed your humor for so long. Thank you so much for so many years of making us laugh. And here’s to hoping that big St. Olaf in the sky welcomes you home with open arms!

The one about bubble lights

Elizabeth Banak

It’s Christmas Eve! It’s the one night of the year that we act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be. ~Francis Xavier Cross

Bubble lights are basically the lava lamp of Christmas… just as retro too. If you’ve never seen one before, a bubble light is just what it sounds like, a bulb with a long tube filled with water that bubbles when lit. That’s it. Nothing incredible or particularly memorable. Except that bubble lights are pretty much the most amazing thing to ever grace a Christmas tree! I won’t even argue with anyone about it. It’s a fact (cue the fact-checkers!).

For me, the magic of bubble lights isn’t so much what they are, but rather what they remind me of when I see them. Looking at one is kind of like replaying memories from childhood about Christmas in my head. I remember very few of the presents I received as a kid. But I will never forget once the tree was up, staring at a stupid bubble light and having that feeling of excitement wash over me. I will never forget sitting at the top of the stairs with my siblings waiting to hear the music that signalled we were allowed to come down on Christmas morning. I’ll never forget putting up the Christmas village with my parents as they added a new house every year and I struggled to figure how to make all the lights work with their janky old extension cords without starting a small fire (this is still an issue to this day for the record!). I’ll never forget watching Scrooged with my brothers about 30 times between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’ll never forget all those Christmas Eve’s with a table full of food and bread pudding and thinking it was the most amazing day of the entire year. We all have those memories… those throwbacks to our childhood that we somehow try to recreate to make just as magical for our own children. Our tree still has bubble lights, and we make the kids wait to hear All Around the Christmas Tree before they come downstairs.

It truly is the simplest traditions that often mean the most as we look back on past Christmases and say, “Ah those were the days!” That’s because what our good memories offer us is that intrinsic feeling that Christmas ignites. It’s such a special time of year and for so many people it celebrates the birth of the Savior and, in that, a ray of hope that never dies. Because Christmas, what it represents, what it stands for, stripped down to its core is eternal hope… that ultimate desire for good. Hope is the reason humanity succeeds, the whole reason we strive to be better and do better. Hope is the beacon lighting the way to the future. Perhaps that’s why we often look so longingly and lovingly at the past. It’s the chance to see that hope we had as children realized into the life we have today. It may not be perfect and it may not be easy or exactly what we expected. But it’s wonderfully ours to live and continue to hope for the next good thing, no matter what life throws at us. 

At Christmas, I think we all strive a bit more to live that hope in kindness, generosity, and laughter. So whether it’s a bubble light, Christmas mass, a favorite movie, a song, or a plate full of food that takes you back to those days when unfettered hope made you so happy, strive to live that hope again at Christmas. Be the adult the kid in you always hoped you would be, even if only for a few hours. It’s the least we can do in gratitude for the Ultimate Gift we were all given on this day. Merry Christmas and God Bless!

The one about Thanksgiving

Elizabeth Banak

I have often found that people going through the worst of times are often the most grateful. That seems counter-intuitive, but like most things, gratitude is easier to feel when you’ve overcome hardships to arrive at a place where you can be grateful, maybe not for what you endured, but for those who were with you while you had to endure it. It’s easier to be grateful when you have the perspective of what it means to lean on others even if it was hard to do, or ask for help even if you didn’t want to, because those moments humble us. They make us realize that we all need a little help to make it through, no matter how strong, rich, weak, or poor we might be. 

In a world that can really suck sometimes, the idea of an entire day devoted to being grateful is a true gift. Not just because we should stop and take time to be thankful for what we have, but because gratitude is a gateway to happiness. It is a foundation for a life less about being mired in the bad times and more about celebrating those things that lift us up, give us hope, and help make us whole. 

Gratitude isn’t always easy. Sometimes we have to look incredibly hard to find that glimmer. But it’s always there. Maybe in a kind word from a friend, or a hug from a child, or a simple text from a coworker. Maybe it’s nothing spectacular at all. Maybe it’s receiving a gift you never expected. Or mourning a loved one while remembering all the joy they brought to your life. Opportunities for gratitude are around us everyday, in ways big and small. Opening our eyes to them is sometimes the hard part. But there is nothing more rewarding than that feeling of being grateful in the face of good times and bad, not just because it’s Thanksgiving, but because when we make gratitude a way of life, we will find more moments for which to be truly grateful. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!