Today I’m grateful for all the messings and all the blessings.

11.30.2024

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Okay, so let’s just acknowledge right up front, that ‘messings’ isn’t a real word. But I like the rhyme, so we’re going to go with it.

I struggled to know what to write about on this final day of November. Not because I wasn’t thankful for things that happened. It was actually a beautiful day with lots of greatness within it. But I was feeling this need to sum up the month in some sort of profound way. I’m not sure why, but I was. I even went back and reread my Day 30 postings from the past several years for inspiration. There was a common theme throughout them – some version of how I’d had some hesitation about committing to this challenge for another year, and how I was grateful in the end that I’d done it. While this is true once again, there are only so many times and so many ways to reflect on that. I don't promise anything profound or inspirational here. I gave up on that and decided to just write what was on my mind.

The other thing that was bothering me about this Day 30 post has to do with the fact that social media tends to be a highlight reel. We only share the good stuff. And by me intentionally posting 30 days in a row about something I’m grateful for, I don’t want to perpetuate the social media cycle of projecting a highlight reel when in reality, life (for all of us) is not all full of sunshine and roses. I’m hopeful that this hasn’t been the case, but it just felt kind of weird to tie the month up in a nice bow and not acknowledge the messy part of reality. It’s there for sure.

What I think I’m trying to say here, is that November 2024 hasn’t been all sunshiny. It hasn’t been all cloudy though, either. There’s been a little bit of each in almost every day.

But what this #attitudeofgratitude thing has been about for me, and the biggest reason I have done this for 6 years now, is that it helps me remember that in the midst of those bad days and the frustrations and disappointments of real life, God continues to show up with unexpected blessings. Honestly, sometimes I forget. But in November, I try really hard not to.

So, for this final day of November I am indeed thankful for all the blessings I’ve written about for the past 29 days, and for many more that I didn’t write about. But I’m also really, really thankful for the messy parts of life too – for the sickness that forced me to slow down, for the horrible day that made a friend’s act of kindness all the more sweet, for the aging dog that makes me appreciate his snuggles, for the wrong turn that brought a surprising smile to my face. And on and on. Without the clouds, it’s easy to take the sun for granted.

Thank you, God, for all the blessings amidst all my messings. And thank you, God, for all the messings that make me appreciate your abundant blessings.