Today being American Thanksgiving, I thought it appropriate to share my thoughts on gratitude. While those of you south of the border gather around the harvest table and give thanks for all that makes your lives abundant, my reflections will be quite simple. In fact, my gratitude can be summed up in two words: my family.

My amazing husband is truly my best friend and my partner in love and life. There’s nothing better than the kind of unconditional love that presses in through good and bad {and the truth is, we’ve had plenty of both}. He’s that kind of guy in spades, and I am very grateful for his love, encouragement and belief in me.

Our now nine-year-old and insanely tall, sweet boy has personality in spades and a wicked sense of humour. Life is just a bigger adventure with him in it, and his perspective continues to teach me to see the world with fresh eyes and a sense of possibility. I am a better person for being his mom.

We are all three very different personalities, really, representing a fascinating spectrum of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, pragmatism and dreaming, adventurous spirit and the need to just nest and snuggle at home and be together. I guess you could say that we are continuously finding a balance in the way we do life with each other, always learning and growing because of the way we give each other wings while being rooted and grounded in love.

If all I had was my sweet family, I would have enough. But I am blessed beyond that with amazingly supportive friends and creative collaborators who draw out the best in me {and I hope I do the same for them}. From friends who love to join me on foodie adventures in the kitchen, design excursions on the road, hands-on projects and spontaneous, creative discoveries to amazing talents like Gabriela Hansen who took these beautiful family photos for us this year, the simple truth is this: I. Am. Blessed.

As Marcel Proust said, “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” In this bountiful season of harvest, that is the garden most worthy of cultivation. So go love your people, friends. Let them know the difference they’ve made in your life. Plant seeds of hope. Harvest joy together. Give thanks by giving love, for it is the loved ones in our lives who make us who we are.

xo
s.