When Thanksgiving Feels Impossible

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

With the celebration of Thanksgiving last week, we entered the season of gratitude—a season that ultimately leads us to Christmas, when God offers His greatest gift. During this time, we hear so much about giving thanks, yet we often forget that gratitude is not always easy. Saying “thank you” is simple; being thankful when life hurts is far more difficult.

From childhood we learn that “please” and “thank you” are the magic words. But no one teaches us what to do when someone is unkind, when fear overwhelms us, or when something precious is taken away. Those moments reveal how challenging true gratitude can be.

And yet, even in situations of fear and pain, grace can appear in ways so breathtaking that it becomes impossible not to be grateful.

A few days ago, I visited a Hispanic patient who shared how terrified she was before her surgery. “Craniotomy is not an easy surgery,” she said. “There are so many risks. A small mistake can incapacitate me or even end my life.”

She described how, during pre-op, a nurse noticed her fear. Without saying much, the nurse reached into her pocket, took out a tiny bottle of holy oil she had brought from Jerusalem, and gently anointed the patient’s head.

“My fear subsided, my anxiety settled,” the patient told me with deep gratitude. “Not because anything changed medically, but because kindness stepped in—unexpected, unasked, and pure.”

Moments like this remind us that gratitude is not only about what we receive. Sometimes it is about recognizing grace when it appears in the unlikeliest places. When compassion crosses language, culture, and role, something within us awakens. We remember that God still moves quietly through ordinary people doing ordinary work—people whose hearts shine with extraordinary love.

As we continue through this season, may we learn to notice these small miracles. They teach us how to give thanks again, even when gratitude feels impossible.