A softer, more intentional way to move through this season.
Hello Friends! 🧡
Do you find yourself using November as a time to slow down and be more intentional about giving thanks? I certainly do. This month, I’ve been exploring the many pathways that help us reconnect with what matters, soften the edges of life, and weave a bit more appreciation into the everyday.
As we round the corner into Thanksgiving, I invite you to see gratitude as something deeper than a quick list or a fleeting feeling when things go well. Think of it as a creative practice of shaping your attention, not just this holiday, but every day. We can cultivate gratitude not only by noticing what’s already good, but by intentionally making space for it.
I’ve noticed that in the second half of life, gratitude takes on a different texture. It becomes less about trying to stay positive and more about finding our way back to what feels meaningful and true.
This month, I’m exploring gratitude through a few different lenses:🔭📹📸🔬
- The Quiet Kind of Gratitude: The subtle forms of thankfulness that don’t always rise to the surface — contentment, acceptance, or simply noticing what is.
- The Hidden Power of Being Thankful for What’s Hard: How challenges and loss can deepen our capacity for gratitude — without denying difficulty.
- Beyond the Gratitude List: Moving from a rote “three things” practice to a lived experience of appreciation woven into daily life.
- Gratitude as Self-Compassion: Appreciating our own effort, persistence, and the ways we’ve cared for ourselves through change.
- When Gratitude Feels Hard: How to approach the practice gently, without guilt or forced positivity.
- The Gratitude Loop: How expressing (and receiving) genuine appreciation deepens connection and belonging.
- Gratitude and Enoughness: How gratitude quiets the constant striving for more and invites peace with what’s already here.
- The Science and Spirit of Gratitude: What research shows about how gratitude reshapes the brain — paired with a soulful reflection on why it matters.
- The Ripple Effect: How simple acts of appreciation — a note, a gesture, a pause — can create meaningful waves in our relationships and communities.
- Gratitude as a Way of Seeing: A mindset shift that lets even ordinary or difficult days be held with more compassion.
Do you notice a shift when you explore gratitude from a new angle?
Through small pauses, tiny rituals, fresh perspectives, and gentle shifts in how we move through our days, we can create gratitude rather than waiting for it to arrive.
I’d love to hear from you:
What’s one small, intentional way you’re making space for gratitude this week?
If you chose one “lens of gratitude” from the list above to explore, which one speaks to right now?
What one relationship, routine, or quiet moment is grounding you?
Gratitude grows in community, and I’d be honored to hear how you’re making room for it in your life.
Just hit reply. ☺️
The Heart of Gathering 🧡
I was recently in a group where someone asked, “What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?” 🦃 The answers were all over the place—favorite dishes, football on in the background, a little “day drinking”—but the most common theme was simply being together.
I feel the same. I love gathering with people, whether it’s a holiday dinner, a casual get-together, or an impromptu chance to connect. Whenever I host, my goal is to weave my values of service and connection into moments that feel meaningful and memorable. More than anything, I want people to feel cared for.
Of course, not everyone loves entertaining. But gathering is something we all do—at home, at work, in our communities, classrooms, and faith spaces. And somewhere along the way, many of us started treating gatherings like performances, when really, they’re just opportunities to show up for one another. At its core, hospitality is presence. It’s noticing. It’s caring. 🫂
I recently watched a short clip from Oprah and the author of Unreasonable Hospitality, who talked about how even small acts of presence can make a real difference in someone’s life. It reminded me of this passage from Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering:
“We gather to solve problems we can’t solve on our own. We gather to celebrate, to mourn, and to mark transitions. We gather to make decisions. We gather because we need one another… We gather to welcome, and we gather to say goodbye.”
Whatever your plans look like this season, I hope your gatherings—big or small—bring you connection, warmth, and moments to hold onto.
THIS & THAT
We’re stepping into the holiday shopping season—hello, Black Friday and Cyber Monday—which can be an expensive and tempting time of year. I know I’m not immune; it’s far too easy for a few “treat myself” purchases to slip into the cart. If you feel the same, this article offers helpful tips for making more mindful shopping choices, along with strategies to curb impulsive or stress-based spending all year long.
Laughter, on the other hand, doesn’t cost a thing—and it has a way of loosening the grip life can sometimes have on us. Even in seasons of stress, transition, or uncertainty, moments of humor remind us that there’s still lightness available. Laughter helps us reconnect—with ourselves and with each other. A shared smile, a small moment of silliness, or even a well-timed joke can soften the edges of our routines and bring us back to what matters.
With that in mind, I’m also sharing this piece: Humor Me: The Importance of Laughter, which dives into the benefits of laughter and how intentionally welcoming more of it into our days supports both our health and our happiness.
December Office Hours
First Tuesday Office Hour!
This month we’ll explore: Rest as Resistance & Renewal
Letting go of the hustle as a way of proving worth = redefining productivity, seasonal slowness, and intentional rest.
Help me plan for next year; bring your ideas for topics for 2026 office hours.
📅 Date: Tuesday, December 2nd
⏰ Time: 9:00 am PST
🔗 Join us via [Zoom link]
It’s a warm, supportive space for reflection and community. I’d love for you to join the conversation.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As we step fully into this season of gathering, celebration, and reflection, I’m reminded that the heart of the holidays isn’t found in the perfect table setting, the right gifts, or a flawlessly executed plan. It’s found in the small, human moments that shape our days—moments where gratitude, connection, and presence quietly overlap.
Whether we’re gathering with loved ones, navigating full calendars, or making decisions about what to buy (and what to skip), this time of year invites us to return to what matters. Mindful choices—around spending, our energy, and our attention—help us stay grounded, especially when the world around us gets loud and hurried.
And in the middle of it all, laughter becomes its own form of grace. It lifts the heaviness, reconnects us with the people beside us, and reminds us that joy doesn’t always require big moments—it often arrives in small, surprising bursts.
So, as you move through the days ahead, may you find:
✨ Gratitude that feels lived-in and true
✨ Gatherings that nourish more than they drain
✨ Mindful rhythms that protect your peace
✨ Laughter that loosens the tight places and brings you back to yourself
Thank you for spending a bit of your time with me this month.
I’m grateful for this community and the conversations we continue to build together.
Wishing you warmth, connection, and moments of genuine joy this holiday season,
Judy
PS: I hope to see you in Office Hours on December 2nd @ 9:00 am.
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