Gratitude! I happen to believe that a daily dose of gratitude is necessary to feed the soul. This year's holiday will be the first time that I will NOT be with family. My kids are spread out from Northern California to Tennessee. My sister is in Georgia. And that's it! That's my family. So, I'm very grateful for the relationships and friendships I have built within my community. My good friend, Heidi, immediately reached out and invited us to join her family. We have another good friend who is also an "orphan" and Heidi reached out to her, too! Heidi is an amazing friend and her home is warm, inviting and comfortable. So how fortunate Skip and I are to be celebrating with such wonderful people. I'm grateful to live in a beautiful, warm city on the West Coast. Today, Nov 21st, the sun is shining on the water, the temperature is holding at 70 degrees, and we're all healthy!

However, that being said, this is the time of year where every advertisement leads to the commercial "gratitude" of retail madness. Don't get me wrong, I love shopping as much as anyone, but there has to be a way to just pause it and think about what the true meaning of gratitude might be. Opening the stores on Thanksgiving Night, seems a bit too much to me. How about for every toy we buy for our kids, we purchase one for a child who may not get one. How about while shopping for holiday meals, we purchase, donate one for a family that can't afford a roof, let alone a meal. How about service at a shelter before you sit down with your loved ones. These are the things that occur to me . I would love to know what you think.

With that being said. I wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday. Please take a few moments and look at your own life and recognize the gratitude all around you!