“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.” — Sarah BanBreathnach

Thanksgiving is the beginning of the holiday season. The holidays are a time of celebration for many — good food, lots of parties, gift-giving, family and friends, — but they can also be a time of mass consumption with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday just around the corner.

I’ve been reflecting on this a lot recently, and while none of this is anything original, I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts.

A Time for Gratitude

For those of us in the U.S., this is Thanksgiving week. It often becomes a day of overeating. I mean who can resist the Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and the pies. Oh the pies… Pumpkin is my favorite!

But what should Thanksgiving really be about, besides family and friends? It’s about giving thanks, and too often this fades into the background of all the food.

So I’d like to take a moment to give my thanks:

I am deeply grateful for my husband, Gary. He loves and supports me in all of my crazy ideas.
I am grateful for my mom, my sister, my brother-in-law, my nephews, and everyone else I’m lucky enough to call family.
I am thankful for everyone I am honored to call friend. Each one of you enrich my life.
I am truly, truly grateful to all of you, my readers, for your continual encouragement on this blog, for making my dreams of doing something I’m passionate about come true, for making this job an incredibly fun and gratifying job. I am blessed to have all of you.
I am blessed to be healthy, to have all my needs and desires fulfilled, to live a joyful travel-filled life.
And I’m grateful for my cat, Jasmine. She has been my best friend for the past fifteen years. She listened to all of my hopes, desires and fears before there was a Gary.

What are you grateful for? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Take time this week, and all through the holidays, to cultivate the gratitude habit. It can change your life.