For me, the best part of Thanksgiving is practicing gratitude. It is deeply meaningful to take a moment and reflect on what we are grateful for. Many of us even express this gratitude amongst family members around the table. I wonder what would happen if I made this a regular practice. What if every week, I set aside a time to practice gratitude.

This goes beyond being positive. Making a conscious effort to take stock of what we are thankful for forces us to consider another narrative for our lives. I imagine that sometimes this practice will be easier than others. In times of life not making a lot of sense, gratitude can breathe some air into our heavy chests.

Practicing gratitude has less to do with what you have and more to do with what you make of it. It’s easy to be grateful when life is all sunshine and roses. For most of us, this is not always the case. We might not be able to see what we are grateful for so clearly.

I encourage you to practice gratitude during those challenging days as well. Consider someone who is living with suicidal thoughts. You can still practice gratitude by being thankful for continue to be alive, and continuing to fight. When life is throwing many challenges my way, I try to be grateful for the lessons in patience, compassion, or willpower.

We all have something to be grateful for.