Happy Thanksgiving + My Gratitude List

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 
-Melody Beattie

This Thanksgiving, like every Thanksgiving, I have so much to be thankful for. Although our family has suffered a major loss in the last few weeks, which can often make it hard to be thankful, I am still extremely grateful for all that I have been blessed with. Because I think it's important to reflect on these things, no matter what else is going on in life, I've listed some of the many things that I'm grateful for this year, below:

1. Family, family, family. I cannot say how much family has meant to me this year. From the wedding to the recent funeral, family has played a huge role in both the happy and the sad moments of my life over the past few months. You can see two pics from the past few days with my wonderful family members above (from our trip to The Varsity here in Atlanta,"what'llyahave, what'llyahave, what'llyahave?"). They're simply amazing and my love and gratitude for my family has been overwhelming this year.
2. Friends. Ditto to all of the above. My friends = my soulmates. They're incredible.
3. My new husband (and longtime flame), Ben. So in love...even after 8 years. I am extremely grateful for our fairytale wedding  last month and for all of the exciting times to come.
4. Tranquil Space. TS = my hOMe away from hOMe. A truly amazing community that I am honored to be a part of (btw, the gorgeous flowers in the picture above are from everyone at the studio). 
5. Yoga, which has gotten me through both the highs and lows of the past couple of months--and of the past couple of years. It has and continues to change my life for the good. Thank you, yoga.
6. CrossFit. Although it drives me crazy sometimes, mainly because it's so freaking hard and has stolen most of the time and attention of my man, it means SO much to Ben and has allowed us to meet a wonderful group of friends. So yes, I'm thankful for it ;) 
7. Apples. Are you surprised? So grateful for these delicious little morsels.
8. My iPhone. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but this little item has added so much convenience, connection, and ease to my life that I just have to list it here. As my Dad said, "You're a creature of the 21st century, and you shouldn't be ashamed of your love of technology. As a yogi, don't you want to accept what is?" So there you have it. Super thankful for my phone.

What are you most grateful for this year, this day, this minute? What amazing experiences or amazing people have you come in contact with lately? Take a moment to make a list, reflect, or share your gratitude with others today. I simply love it that we have a holiday that focuses on being thankful--what a great chance to refocus on what is important!

Oh, and before I forget, here's another thing that I'm thankful for this year:  the following fabulous picture of my Dad that I found while going through pictures this week. It's from Spring of 1974, when he was 22 years old. He had just returned from a road trip in Europe (in a VW van), and as you can see from his hat, France made quite the impression on him...

Ob. Sessed with this pic. 

Now I'll close with one last beautiful Thanksgiving Day quote, courtesy of Sarah Ban Breathnach:

All we have is all we need. All we need is the awareness of how blessed we really are.

I hope you're able to focus your awareness on how blessed you truly are today. Happy Thanksgiving!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine