Plugged In: Rev. Michelle’s Blog

Gratitude in the midst of life… October 5, 2026

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that seems to come with an expectation. Be grateful. Count your blessings. Look around the table and give thanks for all the good things in your life. And there is nothing wrong with any of that. Gratitude is a beautiful and life-giving practice. But I have come to believe that Thanksgiving can also be a difficult day for some of us.

Because life isn’t always easy. For some, the Thanksgiving table has an empty chair where someone we love used to sit. For others, family relationships are complicated. Some are facing illness, loneliness, financial uncertainty, grief, or simply the exhaustion that comes from trying to keep going. And sometimes the pressure to “be thankful” can make us feel as though we aren’t allowed to acknowledge the things that hurt.

But maybe Thanksgiving doesn’t require us to pretend. Maybe gratitude and grief can sit at the same table. Maybe we can give thanks for what is good while still acknowledging what is hard.

I think about the people who have shaped my life. The people who have loved me, challenged me, encouraged me, laughed with me, cried with me and walked alongside me. Some are still here. Others live only in memory now. But their presence has become part of the person I am.

I am grateful for the ordinary things, too. For conversations that last longer than expected. For a cup of coffee shared with a friend. For laughter that catches us by surprise. For music. For beautiful autumn colours. For the comfort of home. For my fur babies. For the people who check in simply because they care. For those moments when we realize that, despite everything, there is still something beautiful happening around us. And perhaps that is where Thanksgiving becomes most meaningful.

Gratitude isn’t necessarily about having a perfect life. It is about learning to notice the gifts that are present in an imperfect one.

There is a wonderful story about a teacher who asked her students to write down everything they were thankful for. Some wrote about their families. Others mentioned pets, friends, vacations or favourite foods. One child simply wrote, “I am thankful for today.” The teacher asked why. The child answered, “Because today is all I have.” There is something profound in that. We spend so much time looking backward at what has been and forward at what might be that we sometimes miss the gift of this particular day.

This Thanksgiving, perhaps we don’t need to produce a long list of blessings. Perhaps we simply need to pause. To breathe. To notice. To say thank you for the person sitting beside us. Thank you for the memory that still makes us smile. Thank you for the strength that got us through yesterday. Thank you for the possibility of tomorrow. And if today is a difficult day, perhaps our Thanksgiving can be smaller. “Thank you for getting me through this day.” That is enough.

Because gratitude isn’t about denying the pain of life. It is about refusing to let the pain become the only story we tell. The biblical tradition is filled with people who discovered that thanksgiving could exist alongside sorrow, uncertainty and even fear. The Psalms, in particular, remind us that faith does not require us to choose between honesty and gratitude. We can bring God our tears and our thanksgiving. Our questions and our praise. Our grief and our hope.

So this Thanksgiving, I want to give thanks—not because everything is perfect, but because life continues to offer us moments of grace. A kindness. A friendship. A memory. A sunrise. A meal. A conversation. A second chance. A reason to laugh. A reason to keep going. Maybe that is what Thanksgiving is really about. Not pretending that life is always good. But recognizing that even in the midst of everything life brings us, there is still goodness to be found. There is still love. There is still beauty. There is still grace. And there is still something worth giving thanks for.

Happy Thanksgiving. May we have the courage to acknowledge what hurts, the eyes to notice what is beautiful, and grateful hearts for whatever gifts this day places before us.

Blessings,

Rev. Michelle

Find past posts at https://revmichellebrotherton.com/

St. Paul’s United Church- St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Facebook Page.

Please visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stpaulsucbowmanville.