Every Hour is Grace

10 questions to inspire you

“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.” – Elie Wiesel

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Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season. It’s a wonderful day to pause and express gratitude before the busyness of December arrives. It prepares our hearts for the Christmas season.

In my family, after we’ve eaten the Thanksgiving meal, we go around the table and share five things for which we are thankful. Because I don’t want to give trite responses, I will set aside time a day or two beforehand to ponder what will make it on the list. Some answers come easily (my marriage, family, health, and friends, etc.), but spending the time to reflect on the year helps me to come up with more specific things.

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“Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” – A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

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Sometimes we are walking through a difficult season, and making a gratitude list feels overwhelming or disingenuous. Perhaps there is now an empty seat at your table, or someone you love received a scary diagnosis, or you are dealing with financial difficulties. Maybe holidays with your family feel complicated, or your heart aches over certain circumstances. There are so many situations that may bring us down, so taking some time to reflect on joyful experiences, events, or even precious moments that happened this year redirects our hearts back to thankfulness.

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“Even in the trials of life, if we have eyes to see them, we can find good things everywhere we look.” – Joanna Gaines

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Ten questions to inspire your thankful list:

• What simple pleasures brought me joy?

• What abilities do I have that I’m grateful for?

• What was the highlight of my year?

• Who are the most important people in my life?

• Have I experienced any blessings in disguise this year—things that didn’t turn out as I’d hoped and yet turned out for the best?

• What opportunities have I had to serve others?

• What is one thing my body allows me to do that I’m thankful for?

• What’s improved about my life from this time last year?

• What cherished memory did I share with a loved one this year?

• Who inspires me and why?

I hope you will take a few minutes to jot down your gratitude list and share it with those you love. 🧡

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We gather on this day to be thankful for what we have, for the family we love, the friends we cherish, and for the blessings that will come. May God’s grace shine upon you and yours this Thanksgiving.