As I thought about writing my annual Thanksgiving piece this year, I found myself reflecting on the special people in our lives — the ones you may go weeks, months, or even years without seeing, yet when you reconnect, you pick up right where you left off. Those who carry a certain kind of energy and make you feel love. Acceptance. Peace. Understanding. People whose presence gives you that safety and permission to exhale. Those who call us forward — and spark something in us, inspire us or challenge us to grow, stretch and evolve. Those who help us reflect and discover what matters. I feel immensely blessed and grateful for every single one of you. Thank you!

As time keeps speeding by, I’ve also been thinking about the concepts of resilience and time and how our relationships help us navigate both. I should probably pull up that essay our son wrote on time and the meaning of life 5 years ago — which was basically just a brilliant persuasive argument to get our fluffy mop of a dog 😉.

But time remains an interesting idea to me. So many of us focus on the limitations of this precious resource. We say we don’t have enough time. We need more time. Where does the time even go? Are we happy … and using our time the way we want to be?

With each passing year, I continue to learn that our time and our lives aren’t just about being happy or having everything go well. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Life is about making an impact in big and small ways…even when it’s hard. Life is about growth — and growth because we choose to, not because we’re inadequate. And choosing growth means accepting and acknowledging that discomfort is part of the process. Each of us will have our own hero’s journey. Or many of them.

It’s not about dismissing what we’ve been through. It’s been rough. We’ve had some big challenges this last year. Emotionally. Physically. We’ve been tested. And I know there have been moments where we wondered if we were going to make it. But we have. We are here.  But we are strong. And we have legacies and examples to draw on and remind us to keep strengthening our minds and bodies and choosing growth and love.

And no matter how much time we get, there will always be enough time to make an impact, in big and small ways. Enough time to bring strength, compassion, inspiration, and energy and kindness… to ourselves and to each other, no matter what’s happening. You have each done this. And I celebrate who you are and the impact you’ve made on me and so many.

I know my kids are tired of hearing me say this, but we always have a choice — moment to moment — in who we want to be and how we show up- no matter what we’re going through. We can choose growth, appreciation, connection, wonder, and awe along our life’s many heroes’ journeys.

Instead of focusing on what’s wrong or annoying about people and situations, we can stay curious and learn. We can try to find the humor. We can look for the lessons. The ones we admire most aren’t those who avoid adversity, but those who meet it as an opportunity to grow and lean into the amazing family, friends, colleagues, and community who surround us. They remind us to connect, to enjoy those connections, and to keep finding gratitude in the simple act of being together through all of it.

So I’d like to weave these ideas together for my poem this year — and as we ride out the bumpy roads together and celebrate every win: I’ll remind you again that I’m beyond grateful for each of you. May you find the pause — and continue to remember that we always have more than enough time to be there for one another, to offer hugs and appreciation, to get out of our own heads and slow down enough to notice the wonder, the awe, and the miracles in front of us. Most of all: in each other.

To the ones who love us and feel like home, no matter how much we’ve struggled or far we’ve roamed.

The steady hearts who help us to see – that we’re loved, accepted, and safe to be.

To time – that can either fly right by or move too slow, and all the ways it can give us space to grow.

Even when days feel busy & timelines tight, Remembering we can still choose to be and see the light.

To every bump that’s shaped our way, and taught us strength & resilience for today—

To gratitude and love for the mind that spins so fast, chasing every future, holding every past

To pause, to breathe, to soften the pace, and find a tender place of acceptance + grace.

So here’s to love in every form, to steady strength through every storm.

For all we’ve weathered, and all we still plan to do—I’m so grateful to be on this journey with each of you.

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!