The Season of Gratitude & Grace
The closer we move toward the year’s end, the quicker life seems to press in. Deadlines stack up. The calendar crowds out quiet. Our feeds overflow with noise. Even our best intentions get worn thin. Most of us are tired in ways we do not always admit.
And for many, this season carries its own private weight. Hard work on old wounds. Strain in marriage or friendship. Areas of growth we should have tended long ago. Fatigue that sits deeper than the body. A world that feels restless and divided. It is easy to miss what is still good.
Yet this is exactly where gratitude does its work.
Gratitude is not a gloss over hardship. It is a way of seeing again. It draws our attention back to the small mercies that are already here. A spouse who stays close even when the road is uneven. Family who holds their place in your life. A pet who brings warmth to the room. Friends who return, and new ones who feel like they have always been part of the story. These are not small things. They are quiet evidence of grace.
As we step into Thanksgiving week, it helps to remember that gratitude is not a grand performance. It begins with a single clear moment. A pause. A breath. A naming of one good thing in front of you. Something real. Something present.
So take this week for what it is: an invitation. Look around your life and choose one simple expression of gratitude. Something honest. Something lived. Let it open your heart to the grace that has been carrying you, even in the long, uneven stretches.
The pace will keep picking up. The noise will return. But for now, set your attention on the gifts already in your hands. It is enough to begin.
“God gives where he finds empty hands.”
~ Augustine, Sermon 56
When Gratitude Becomes a Way Through
The older I get, the more I see how easily life crowds out gratitude. Most days feel like a grind of interruptions, notifications, opinions, and expectations. Even the moments that should be slow get pulled into the current.
And somewhere in that steady pressure, our vision narrows. We stop noticing what is still good.
This past year forced me to look closer at myself. I had to confront habits and tendencies I had ignored for too long. The kind of inner work that is uncomfortable because it reveals the places where character has thinned. I found myself asking why I felt the way I did in certain moments, why I reacted instead of listened, why I built walls instead of offering honesty to the people I love. None of this was dramatic, but it was real. It was the work of rebuilding the inner life, one honest look at a time.
And in the middle of that work, something unexpected happened. Gratitude started to steady me.
Not gratitude in the sentimental sense. Gratitude as a clear-sighted choice. A practice of naming what is good, even when other parts of life feel tense or unfinished. It showed up in small places. My wife’s patience when I wrestled with old patterns. Family who stayed steady. Friends who reappeared after years. New friends who felt like long-term fixtures from the start. Pets that made the house feel less heavy. These were not distractions. They were anchors.
Gratitude does not fix everything. It does not erase tension or remove the weight of personal change. But it changes how we walk through it. It expands our field of view. It reminds us that even in seasons of pressure and growth, grace is still present. Often quiet. Often overlooked. But real.
As we step into Thanksgiving week, it is worth remembering that gratitude is not about the perfect holiday or the perfect year. It is about seeing clearly. It is about paying attention to the gifts that are already here instead of waiting for life to line up the way we hoped.
So pause for a moment this week. Take inventory of the people who have held their place in your life. The small mercies that greeted you when you were not at your best. The quiet signs of grace that steadied your home, your marriage, your friendships, and your days. Let that recognition lead you into a true sense of thanksgiving. Not the frantic rush of meals and grocery aisles, but a deeper awareness of the good that has carried you through a complicated year.
Gratitude will not solve every problem. But it will strengthen you for the road ahead. And that is enough to begin again.
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
~ G. K. Chesterton
“After All” ~ The Choir
“Are we mere specks of dust
Floating in the Milky Way?
Are we here to learn to love?
I think that’s true either way.”
“After All” by The Choir (featuring Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer) has a theme of finding meaning and connection in human relationships and love despite the vast, indifferent nature of the universe and the transient nature of life. The vibe is dreamy, atmospheric, and hopeful, with a slightly dark or haunting undertone that emphasizes introspection.
The song reminds us that love stays through the strain. Gratitude grows in those moments when grace carries us farther than our strength could. “After All” is a quiet reminder that we’re held.
The Return of the Prodigal Son ~ Henri Nouwen
A quiet, searching exploration of grace. Nouwen takes Rembrandt’s painting and uses it as a doorway into the deeper work of being welcomed, forgiven, and restored.
It is a book for anyone who has been doing the slow inner work of honesty and renewal. A steady companion for this season of gratitude.
Podcast: The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett – “Moment 4: How I Discovered a More Grateful Perspective”
This short-form episode reflects on Bartlett’s trip to Mumbai’s slums and the
shift it created in his perspective on privilege, gratitude, and what really matters in life.
It’s a fitting listen for this week of gratitude and grace — a quiet nudge to pause, look at what is good, and let grace shape our view of rest and renewal.
Listen/Watch on YouTube →
The pace always seems to pick up this time of year. I feel it in my own days — the way small tasks start stacking and the mind moves faster than the moment. Lately I’ve been reminding myself to slow down long enough to actually see what is in front of me.
When I do, the day feels less crowded and a little more grounded. Gratitude tends to rise in the space that rushing leaves behind.
“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
~ Dallas Willard
I took the bike out on Saturday afternoon and noticed how quickly the season is shifting. The air was cooler, the light was lower, and twilight settled in faster than I expected. The trail forced me to slow down, pay attention,
and stay present. It reminded me how a simple moment outdoors can steady the mind and clear enough space for gratitude to take root. If you can, step outside this week and let the change in the air do its quiet work.
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
~ Psalm 118:24
Every day carries its own set of demands, but it also carries gifts that can be missed if we rush past them.
Gratitude begins with attention. Slow down long enough to see one good thing in front of you. Name it. Hold it. Let it shape the way you step into the week.
Choose a single act of gratitude before Sunday returns. Keep it simple and real. Let it be the small practice that steadies your pace and opens the door to grace.
Chase The Kangaroo 
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