On this week that we celebrate Thanksgiving, I cannot think of a better way to honor this holiday than to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.

When I stop and really think about all the people who have made a difference in my life I am overwhelmed with how blessed I have been. From my ancestors who established a legacy for me to try and live up to, to my parents who brought me into this world and raised me with good values, to my family members, to my husband, to my children, to my mentors, to my business associates, to my neighbors, and to my friends…my life has been blessed tremendously by these people and I am forever grateful to have you in my life.  I am grateful for the example you set for me and for the things you teach me. I am grateful for your patience and forgiveness you extend to me when I fall short. I am grateful for your support and kindness when I need someone to lean on. I am grateful for your laughter and the happiness you help bring into my life. I am grateful to call each of you my friend.

I am grateful for strangers that come into my life and teach me things through their example and who make me feel accepted, cared for, appreciated, understood, and loved. I am grateful for the person who smiled at me as they passed me on the street because they made me feel accepted and valued. I am grateful for the man who helped lift my suitcase into the overhead bin on my flight when it was too heavy for me to do alone because he made me feel cared for. I am grateful for the email I received from a stranger letting me know my daily writing had made a difference in their life because they made me feel appreciated. I am grateful for the person at the intersection who paused so I could get in front of their car when I about to miss my turn off because they made me feel like I was understood.  I am grateful for the stranger who put their hand out to help me when I had stumbled to the ground because they made me feel loved. Yes, I am thankful for every stranger who has impacted my life for the better because not only did you make me feel special, but you served as a reminder for me of the person I wanted to be to others.

Most of all, I am thankful for God, my Heavenly Father and for His son, my brother, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for their unconditional love and endless mercy. I am thankful for the challenges they have helped me get through and I am thankful for the blessings they have bestowed on my life. I am thankful to know that they are always there for me, even when I fall short and don’t deserve them, they are always still there, wanting the best for me and eager to bless me with the things I stand in need of in my life.

Life is fragile and we never know just how long our own time on this earth will extend. It is my hope that we would each take the opportunity this week to thank each person who makes a difference in our lives. But then it is my hope that we won’t wait another year to extend that thanks, but that we will all make an effort to do it on a regular basis so that if our own time on this earth were to come to an unexpected end, that we would be at peace knowing that we had expressed our gratitude and thanks to all of those who have made a difference in our lives.

Thank you so much to all of you for being a part of my life and for all you have done for me. God bless each of you.

With Love, Amy