As this Thanksgiving week comes to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about something my Pastor said on Sunday: We shouldn’t just give thanks — we should practice “Thanks-living.”
It’s one of those phrases that sticks with you, and it certainly stuck with me this week!
Looking back, I can say this was a full week — not just with tasks, but with people, blessings, and a few lessons mixed in. And as usual, I may have packed a little too much into it. Last weekend alone, I helped with a pancake breakfast at church, taught a class, baked eight pies for a pie sale (and two chicken pot pies for dinner), attended church, took the kids to horse riding, and took two of our grandkids for a Christmas light drive-through. I loved doing all of it — but I’m also aware I have a habit of saying “yes” when I probably need to slow down. This resulted in extra ibuprofen, me moving really slow and having to wear tennis shoes all week long.
We also celebrated a couple of birthdays this week. On Tuesday, we enjoyed celebrating my best friend’s birthday with her at Outback for dinner. It was such a blessing to pause, laugh, and spend time together.
And today — Friday — is my daughter-in-law’s birthday out in California. Even though she’s far away, we are so grateful for her and the family she and my son are raising. Thanks to technology, we were still able to “see” her and share the day from across the miles.
Thanksgiving this year looked a little different for us. My dad is in Florida, and my oldest son and his family are still in California, so we missed having them here in person. But we connected virtually, and I’m grateful for the ways God keeps families close even when miles separate us.
Our house was still full, and that’s something I never take for granted.
My husband helped clean (thank goodness for that!), my daughters-in-law helped cook, and my sons and grandkids filled the home with energy and noise — the good kind of noise that reminds me how blessed we are.
There’s one more piece of this week that has been sitting in my heart, and I feel like it belongs here too. Every year around this time, I find myself thinking about my grandmother. Before she passed away in 2016, we always spent the week of Thanksgiving at her house. It was our tradition, and she was the heart of it.
I was very close to her, and even though years have passed, I still miss her deeply — especially during Thanksgiving week. I’ve found myself tearing up over the last couple of days, remembering her kitchen, her hugs, her voice, and the way she always made everyone feel loved and welcome.
Grief has a way of resurfacing at the holidays, even when life is full and busy and joyful. And that’s okay. Missing someone is just another way of remembering how much they meant to us.
This week has reminded me that thanks-living includes being grateful for the people who shaped us — even the ones who are no longer here to sit at our table. I’m thankful for every memory, every holiday spent in her home, and all the little pieces of her that still live on in me.
This year, more than ever, I found myself reminded that it truly doesn’t matter what is on the table…It matters who’s around it!
And even with some seats empty, God has been so good to us.
After all the celebrating and cooking were done, I tried to settle into a calmer rhythm for the rest of my time at home. I am really hoping that we can finish all of our decorating over the weekend and I might try to bake some cookies…I know, I know…slow down, but who can resist cookies?! My goal is to slow down enough to actually soak in the moments instead of rushing past them.
That’s what Thanks-living looks like to me: noticing the blessings that are easy to overlook, appreciating the people right in front of us, and letting gratitude shape the way we move through our days.
📖 Scripture for This Week
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
🙏 Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for the blessings of this week — for the people we celebrated, the family gathered around the table, and even for the distance that reminded us how precious connection truly is. Help us carry a spirit of gratitude into every day, not just Thanksgiving. Teach us to live thankfully, love generously, and notice the small moments where Your goodness shines through. Amen.
Thank you for pausing with me today. I pray this weekend brings you rest, joy, and moments to simply breathe and remember how deeply blessed you are.
May we all practice a little more Thanks-living — not just this week, but always. 💛 really enjoy the people around you. May we all practice a little more Thanks-living — not just for Thanksgiving, but for every day God gives us. 💛
Moments of Devotion 
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