A Post-Thanksgiving Reflection: Grateful for the Struggle, the Shift, and the Blessings Born From Both

If you had told me a year ago that I would be standing here—stronger, clearer, and more myself than I’ve ever been—I’m not sure I would’ve believed you. This past year pushed on every tender part of my life. It cracked open things I wasn’t ready to face, rerouted plans I thought were settled, and stretched me in ways I didn’t expect.

And yet… it became the most transformative year of my life.

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and the world feels just a little quieter, I’ve had the space to look back with softer eyes and what I see surprises me in the best way:

I’m grateful for all of it.

Not just the blessings—but the struggles.

Not just the joy—but the challenges.

Not just what worked out—but especially the unanswered prayers.

In hindsight, I can see those difficult seasons didn’t just change me…

They cleared the path for the blessings I’m experiencing today.

Grateful for the Tough Stuff

We’re taught to give thanks for the obvious gifts—family, health, opportunities, the people we love, but there’s a deeper kind of gratitude that comes from acknowledging the storms we walked through. This past year held moments that tested me. Moments when I questioned my direction, my strength, my capacity. Times when life felt too loud, too heavy, and too unfair. What I didn't see at the time was that within each challenge, something was quietly shifting.

I became more grounded.

More intentional.

More aware of what I deserve and what I can no longer accept.

Those hard moments strengthened my voice.

Sharpened my intuition.

Helped me release what wasn’t aligned.

Without even realizing it, those difficulties became the very bridge leading me to where I am now—a time in my life that feels safe, peaceful, aligned, and right.

Grateful for the Unanswered Prayers

It’s strange to feel thankful for what didn’t go the way I hoped. For the “no’s,” the delays, the detours, and the closed doors. For the moments when I pleaded for clarity and got silence instead. But now I can see the purpose in the pause.

Some unanswered prayers were protection.

Some were redirection.

Some were timing.

And all of them, in their own way, guided me to blessings I didn’t even know were coming.

It’s humbling to realize that if certain things had worked out the way I once wished, I might have missed what was meant for me all along.

Grateful for the Blessings Now Taking Shape

There is a unique kind of hope that rises after a year of transformation—one that feels steady because it was built from vulnerability, tears, truth, healing, and lived experience.

I feel that hope deeply right now. The difficult seasons made space for new ones. The chapters that ended weren't losses- they were transitions, creating the perfect space for the chapters unfolding now.

Today, I’m grateful for the blessings unfolding in my life—quietly, beautifully, and in perfect timing.

Blessings that feel earned. Blessings that feel aligned. Blessings that feel like the gentle answer to a chapter that once felt impossibly heavy.

If You Find Yourself in a Difficult Chapter or Year…

Please know you’re not alone. I'm here to tell you some seasons don’t look like blessings until long after they’ve passed. Some seasons stretch you beyond what feels reasonable. Some seasons rearrange your life so something better can arrive. Transformation rarely happens in comfort. Keep a journal, hold onto hope and know this too shall pass. One day you'll see how your troubles helped transform you and you'll be grateful for your challenging chapters. You can feel proud of how far you’ve come—even if the journey was messy.

A Heart Full of Thankfulness

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the struggles that strengthened me, the challenges that refined me, the unanswered prayers that protected me and the new chapters showing me what’s possible.

Thank you to the people who stayed.

Thank you to the people who left.

Thank you to the clarity that followed all the chaos.

Thank you to the blessings that grew from the very places I once felt lost and thank you to this season of becoming-real, imperfect, unexpected and exactly where I'm meant to be.

Here’s to transformation.

Here’s to grace.

Here’s to growth.

Here’s to all the blessings still unfolding—and the chapters yet to be written.

xoxo,