Thanksgiving looks a little different this year. Instead of staying in LA like I usually do, I will be heading to San Francisco Bay Area to spend time with a friend and his girlfriend. It feels like a transitional moment, the kind of gathering that might not happen again in the same way, because life is shifting for all of us. He will most likely move to the Bay permanently, which means this might be one of the last Thanksgivings we share together in Los Angeles.
But there is something beautiful about a season that changes. It reminds you that gratitude is not tied to repetition. Gratitude adapts. It moves. It travels with you.
Before that road trip north, I will host a very small pre Thanksgiving meal here in LA. Green bean casserole, roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, candied yams. Nothing fancy. Nothing over planned. Just comfort food with people I care about. I used to dream of doing the full traditional spread, but honestly, that is way too much work. These days, simplicity feels like kindness.
This year felt chaotic in the beginning, but somehow, God held me through it, teaching me patience in a way that felt quiet but firm. Proverbs says to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and that scripture has walked beside me all year. Trust has not been theoretical. It has been oxygen.
And along the way, joy showed up in places I expected and places I did not. Seeing BTS members throughout the year was one of those joys. It felt like my own personal Disneyland, a pure thrill I carried long after the concerts and livestreams ended. Karl Barth once wrote that joy is the simplest form of gratitude. I felt that truth every time the music lifted my spirit.
I think back to one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories, a road trip to Vegas with friends. We drove through snow, hiked, laughed, ate our little Thanksgiving dinner, and felt like the world was bigger and kinder than it had been the week before. That memory still warms me. It reminds me that friendship is one of the deepest forms of abundance. Marcel Proust captured it well when he wrote that people who make us happy are the gardeners of our souls. Every road trip moment, every shared meal, every easy laugh felt like a blooming.
So this Thanksgiving, as I pack my bags for the Bay and cook my tiny LA feast the night before, I feel grateful for the simple things. For friends who feel like family. For creativity flowing into new books. For God’s steady hand in the chaos. For joy that keeps returning.
Because gratitude is not only about what is on the table. It is about who walks with you through the year.
The Thanksgiving That Lives Between Places
There is something honest about celebrating Thanksgiving in a city that used to hold your parents. It carries a little weight and a little nostalgia. But this year, I am not going to visit family. I am going to see a friend and his girlfriend. It is a reminder that family expands when life shifts. Sometimes God gives you new people to sit at the table with, and that in itself is a blessing.
We will be sightseeing, laughing, wandering. Nothing dramatic. Just being together. And that is enough. Psalm 16 says that God sets the boundary lines in pleasant places. Sometimes those places include unfamiliar kitchens filled with new faces, and sometimes they include a sunset in the Bay that feels like a soft reminder that God is near.
This year, Thanksgiving will not feel traditional, but it will feel true.
The Gratitude That Lives in the Everyday
The most meaningful moment of gratitude this year has been the realization that I can live one day at a time. That sounds simple, but it has taken years for me to understand. I published my first book this year, I am working on my second and third, and my ideas keep multiplying like they have a life of their own. But even with all the momentum, I am learning to slow down and breathe.
God has been teaching me to trust Him no matter what. To let go of timelines. To let go of the illusion of control. Isaiah 26 says He keeps the mind in perfect peace when it is stayed on Him, and this year that scripture has been my anchor.
Joy has shown up unexpectedly too. BTS has been one of those joys. Their presence, their artistry, their honesty. It has been a consistent fountain of color in the middle of routine days.
Gratitude does not have to be loud. Sometimes it arrives quietly and stays.
Soul Insights
1. Gratitude grows through transitions.
Seasons change. People move. Friendships shift. Yet gratitude expands to fill the new spaces life creates. When we accept change instead of resisting it, we begin to notice the small things God is doing behind the scenes. Gratitude becomes a companion rather than a reaction.
2. Home can be more than one place.
Sometimes home is your childhood city. Sometimes it is a road trip with friends. Sometimes it is a tiny LA apartment with dishes in the sink and laughter in the living room. God allows home to be fluid so we never cling to one place more tightly than Him.
3. Joy is God’s reminder that you are held.
Whether it is seeing a BTS member in person or watching the sunset on a random Tuesday, joy is God’s way of saying He has not forgotten you. These bursts of delight pull you back into the present moment, where God is always working.
4. Friendship sustains you through uncertain seasons.
Friends become family in the moments when you least expect it. They show up, celebrate you, listen to you, and walk with you. True friendship reflects the love of God in the most ordinary ways. Gratitude deepens when we honor these relationships.
5. Creativity is a form of Thanksgiving.
Writing books, dreaming new projects, and sharing your voice is part of your offering to God. Every idea is a reminder that you were created to create. When you lean into your creative calling, you are practicing gratitude with your life, not just your words.
Final Thoughts
Thanksgiving is more than dinner. It is a posture. A way of seeing the world. This year taught me that gratitude can live anywhere, even in seasons of transition. It shows up in friendships, road trips, book ideas, concerts, conversations, and quiet prayers whispered before bed.
As you gather around your own table, wherever that may be, may your heart be full of gratitude for the joys that carried you. Large or small, expected or surprising, they were gifts.
Your Turn
What are you grateful for this year?
Who brought joy into your life when you needed it most?
What small moment from this year still warms your heart?
Write it down. Name it. Give thanks.
By the way…
While you’re here, I’d love for you to explore my book 17 Syllables of Me and visit my website, SoulPath Insights.
Thank you for taking the time to read! 🤗
© 2025 Amelie Chambord
Soul Path Insights 
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