So here I sit in Leisure Village watching The Golden Girls. No, I’m not looking into a crystal ball. I’m visiting my parents for Thanksgiving. Tomorrow we will travel to my aunt’s house, over 20 of us. In the morning, I’ll be assembling three very plentiful antipastos because, heaven forbid, we can’t have an All-American Thanksgiving. There must be at least one Italian course. Pilgrims be damned.

There is something comforting about all of this. Families can be tricky, let’s face it. And mine is no different. But seeing some of my cousins, catching up, laughing, planning some Christmas visits, it’s all very traditional and somehow soothing. The turkey and stuffing add to the appeal, I must say.

So this is where I talk about being thankful. I have a friend who says we should be thankful all year, not just this week and he’s right. However, I’m still going to use this holiday to pause and reflect for a moment. I am so, so thankful to have found a spiritual path that has become a way of life for me more and more every day. Every other thing for which I am thankful comes back to that — health, creative gifts, abundance, love.

It’s that simple.