Thanksgiving Morning Encouragement From My Heart to Yours...

Good morning, Reader — and Happy Thanksgiving. Before the day begins, before the table fills and the house gets loud, I wanted to send you a little encouragement to carry with you into this holiday.

Lately, God has been teaching me that thanksgiving doesn’t always grow in perfect seasons… it often grows in the ones that challenge us the most.

Sometimes gratitude feels natural. Other times, it’s something we practice — something we look for intentionally, like choosing to notice the light breaking through a cloudy morning.

Over the past few weeks, Reader , God has been shaping my heart through something very close to home. My daughter — she’s 11 — has been walking through some hard friendship moments at school and church. It’s that age where belonging feels everything, and the smallest changes can feel overwhelming.

There were so many times I wanted to jump in, protect her, or fix the situation. But in my prayers, in my quiet moments crying out to God, I sensed Him saying:

That reminder changed everything for me. Because as much as I want to guide her, God is the One who truly shapes her heart. His timing, His wisdom, His process — all of it is better than what I could ever rush or arrange on my own.

A verse came to mind during one of our conversations:

Jeremiah 29:5 — “Build homes and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”

God said this to His people when they were far from where they wanted to be. He didn’t promise immediate escape. He invited them to grow right where they were.

So I told my daughter:

“Even here — in this uncomfortable season — you can still grow. You can still become who God is forming you to be. God can make something beautiful bloom even in a hard place.”

And she understood. I watched it land in her heart. And slowly, I’ve seen her approach things with a new calmness. Not because everything suddenly resolved, but because she opened her heart to what God wants to teach her right now.

That’s the quiet work of gratitude, Reader . It changes us from the inside out. It helps us see God’s presence in places we didn’t expect.

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✨ A Thanksgiving Morning Practice

Before the day gets busy, take five minutes and write down:

1. What is God asking me to remember?

(A moment of His faithfulness.)

2. What grace can I recognize today?

(A blessing that is easy to overlook.)

3. What promise is God inviting me to hold onto?

(A truth He wants to anchor you.)

This simple pause helps our hearts shift from hurry… to awareness. From expectation… to gratitude.

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🎧 Coming Tomorrow: A New Episode

Tomorrow, I’ll be releasing a full episode on this very theme:

“Growing a Heart of Thanksgiving — Even in the Challenging Seasons”

It’s a gentle Bible study with:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:18
• Jeremiah 29:5
• Philippians 2:13
• Psalm 103:2
• James 1:17
• Colossians 3:15

…plus more of this story, quiet encouragement, and an invitation to grow in gratitude wherever you are.

It officially airs tomorrow — but you may listen to it now if you’d like (by just clicking on the link above).

Sometimes the message reaches us exactly when we need it.

I hope it blesses you the way God has been blessing me through this season.

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With love and gratitude,

Alexandra ✗⚬ﾒ𝟶

May this Thanksgiving be filled with peace, presence, and the awareness that God is working — even in the unseen, unexpected places.

If someone comes to your mind as you read this, feel free to forward it to them. Sometimes a simple encouragement is exactly what someone needs today.

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