We tried a bit of a reflective sentence starter during our thanksgiving together and it went something like this: What is something you are truly thankful for this past year?

And the following answers were given: 

I'm thankful to have spent my anniversary with my wife in Paris

I'm thankful to have met and married the love of my life

I'm thankful to have become part of a new family and new traditions

I'm thankful that our families were all able to get together during the wedding in August

and I didn't really get much time to answer mine. However, after almost one year of blogging more consistently than I ever have in my life, my thankful wish is quite simple: I am thankful to wake up each and every day and truly and authentically be reminded how lucky I am to still be here writing this message to all of you. Something I have learned from reflecting almost every day for a year is the simple truth that when we are forced to bring attention to positivity and potential dreams and little moments that pull our hearts towards something even more beautiful-we are intentionally much more thankful to be alive and healthy and well and celebrating life with the people we care about the most. I think I always thought I was thankful before this year but I wasn't really. I think I practiced that "single day" here and there of being thankful but then running the race that is life. Well this year, part of the race has been learning to stop and give thanks for all that has happened and all the whimsical moments that have taken place on the race that has now slowed down to more of a journey towards more beauty and more whimsy. And without that stumble of last year's Holiday Break, my single cup of thankfulness would have never multipled into what has occurred this year - overflowing cups of multiplying whimsy with packets of thankfulness sprinkled in every cup. And so I leave my Thanksgiving dinner tonight with a twinkle in my heart and the realization that every day deserves multiple refills of gratitude. I'm forever thankful that 2019 has brought me just that.