Humor Me, I’m Feeling Sappy

As the holiday season begins to pick up speed, I find myself wanting to pause—just for a moment—and breathe in the things that truly matter. This time of year has a way of stirring up old memories, tugging at our hearts, and reminding us that even when life doesn’t go exactly as planned, there is always something to be thankful for.

One of my fondest Thanksgiving memories has nothing to do with the meal itself and everything to do with the time spent preparing for it. For many years, my dad and I would make our big holiday grocery run to Pic’n Sav, in Centre, Alabama. I can still picture us walking through those doors like it was yesterday. The moment I step inside that store—even now—the smell hits me and there he is. His face. His smile. The way he studied every ingredient like it was the most important decision in the world. It seemed as though he knew everyone in the store! It’s amazing how a simple place can become a doorway back to your most treasured moments.

As I look around at the season we’re stepping into—the busyness, the lists, the expectations—I’m reminded that the real magic of Thanksgiving isn’t in trying to make everything perfect. It’s in the small, ordinary moments that stay with us long after the meal is over. The people who made us who we are. The memories that follow us into every stage of life. The familiar scents, sounds, and traditions that quietly whisper, “You’re home.”

So as you head into your own holiday season, I hope you find space for both the joy and the bittersweet. I hope you remember that no matter what this year has held—its highs, its lows, its surprises—there is goodness woven through it. There is so much to be grateful for.

And maybe, just maybe, one small moment this year will become a core memory that warms your heart for decades to come—just like those Pic’n Sav trips with my dad do for me.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. May your homes be full, your hearts even fuller, and your blessings impossible to miss.