Gratitude on a Complicated Day

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Time with people I love. A table full of food. A day built around connection and gratitude.

This year, I’m especially grateful. It’s been about 3 months since I have embarked on this Heart-Strong Adventure. And I am getting so much joy and fulfillment from it. It is the first time in my life when I have been completely in love with the process and unattached from where it might lead me.

To paraphrase my friend Chris Lombard, I am following my heart with a period after that sentence. No attachment to outcomes. No thought of where it would lead. Just trust.

But this is far from a solo adventure.

I am so grateful for Becca, my wife. She supports this Heart-Strong Adventure with all her love and heart. This has a significant impact on her life too. When I told her I wanted to step away from my paid work to dive deep into an exploration of love and fear, she did not hesitate. She encouraged me to follow my heart.

And I am grateful for all of you. I believe the best part of any adventure is the people you meet and reconnect with along the way. I have come to realize that when you lead with love, it opens the door for amazing people to come into your life.

For those of you who’ve been reading along, I want to express deep gratitude. For the thoughtful emails you send. For the comments that challenge me to think deeper. For sharing your own stories of moving from fear toward love. For trusting me with your time and attention.

This adventure isn’t just mine. It’s ours. Every conversation, every reflection you’ve shared, every moment you’ve let this work stir something in you. That’s what makes it real. That’s what gives it meaning.

And with all this gratitude, I’m holding something else at the same time. Mourning.

For many Indigenous people of the US, today isn’t a day of thanks. It’s a day of Mourning. A day that marks the beginning of loss, violence, and broken promises.

I can’t pretend that away. And I won’t.

So, I’m sitting with both truths today. Deep gratitude for the people in my life and the connections we share. And awareness that this same day carries profound pain for others.

It feels complicated. It is complicated.

And maybe that’s what it means to move from fear to love. Not choosing one story over another but making room for both. Holding gratitude without looking away from grief.

Wishing you presence today, whatever this day means to you.