Check out these conversation starters to inspire your family’s grateful thinking…

Though our family writes down our grateful thoughts every year in the month of November, this year our thoughts are overflowing. We used to forget or get too busy and skip over days. But this year, we are home every day homeschooling. And we’ve written down grateful reflections as a daily ritual to begin our day. Instead of simply asking, “what are you feeling grateful for?”, we’ve used specific prompts to help us think more deeply and broadly.

Many are feeling sad as we move toward a holiday that is likely not going to involve the large gatherings of family or friends we may be accustomed to in past years. For that reason, you or your family members may be more focused on what they are lacking or missing this holiday. Because of this focus, it becomes even more important to reflect on what’s good in your life.

I’m reminded of the quote that inspires me each time I read it: “Everything can be taken from a (hu)man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way,” written by Victor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of “Man’s Search for Meaning.”

If you need a little help this holiday season, here are some prompts to get the grateful thinking flowing through your Thanksgiving celebration, no matter how small.

What animals are you grateful for?

What are you grateful for in the natural world?

What place or space are you grateful for in your home?

What basic needs are you grateful are met?

What family members do you feel particularly grateful for?

What friends do you feel particularly grateful for?

What neighbors or community members are you grateful for?

What organizations are your grateful for?

What experiences this Fall are you grateful for?

What opportunities has the pandemic created you are grateful for?

What activities that nourish or refuel you are you grateful for?

What close relationship are you grateful for?

Whose life example are you grateful for?

Hope you’ll use these or come up with your own. We are healthier and less stressed when we can focus on what’s good in our lives. Wishing you a gratitude-filled Thanksgiving!