A View From My Window: Extraordinary Blessings, Everyday Grace

Thanksgiving morning from my deck—a quiet reminder of the beautiful moments that surround us.

This year, my gratitude feels different…deeper, quieter, rooted in the smallest moments I once rushed past. With the boys off at college, the house carries a different energy now—quiet and still—with their rooms sitting dormant, holding memories of teenage noise and movement.

But today, I’m grateful for the simple gift of peeking into those rooms and seeing them home again, stretched out across their own beds, sleeping peacefully under this roof.

I’m thankful for their morning hugs and that kiss on the cheek before they scan the refrigerator like they haven’t already eaten twice.

I’m thankful for our family devotion, still faithfully held on Zoom every morning. Even scattered across different places, we honor God first—yes, even on a holiday when we could easily sleep in.

I’m thankful for the older kids coming home with their families, filling the house with excitement, voices, footsteps, and the kind of energy the walls have missed.

I’m thankful for the smells of home cooking and for my husband and me, along with the kids, working together in the kitchen before the football game starts.

I’m grateful for the conversations that follow: loud ones, soft ones, the “remember back in the day” stories, and yes… the venting about their own teenagers with testy moods and “relaxed” hygiene habits. (“I don’t care if you took a shower this morning. You just played four quarters of football!”) Every bit of it reminds me that life is still happening, still growing, still circling back to love.

I’m even grateful for the one store that was open so we could grab the much-needed butter for the candied yams. (My son and I have a competition going, and I cannot win without real butter!)

I’m thankful for the trash talking during our game of spades—the laughter, the passion, the competitive fire—and the fact that we play with intensity whether we’re good or not. We love being together and the fun of the game… especially if I win. (Did I mention I’m a little competitive?)

And I’m thankful for the Monday after, when the boys return to their dorms, the grown kids go back to their homes, and it’s just me and my husband again, curled up together on the couch watching Family Feud, letting the lingering warmth of the holiday weekend keep us company.

Of course, I’m thankful for the breath in my body, for knees that still pop but still work, for the ability to walk and talk and think clearly. I praise God for all these things—and more.

Most of all, I’m grateful that He has given me one more day… to live, to love, and to savor this beautiful, imperfect life He’s entrusted to me. I appreciate the extraordinary blessings wrapped inside my everyday grace. And the view from my window reminds me each day of this divine gift. I pray it offers you the same.

Happy Thanksgiving from my heart to yours.

— Lola Sofi’