Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
-Helen Keller

Many families in the United States practice a Thanksgiving-day tradition when everyone takes a turn sharing what they’re most grateful for. ( This year remotely on video chat 🙂 ) Our group always hits on the classics – family, friends, health, food on the table, even pets. This year I’m going to bring up something unexpected. I’m grateful for the challenges I faced this year.

Why would I be grateful for that?

Well, first remember that we’re all souls having a human experience on earth. Our souls are here for one purpose, to learn the tough lessons that allow us grow and evolve. Do you feel like your life is one series of repeating patterns that never change? That’s how it works; the lessons repeat over and over until something shifts and you finally accept responsibility and do things differently. And guess what? The harder those lessons, the more you grow!

So, loss and challenges equal growth, and I’m all for that, even though while change is happening, things can get rough.

The first step to positive change is to be aware of your reality and be willing to accept responsibility. Then you have to make the hard choices and act on them. After that, things start to make sense!

Here’s an example…

I remember waiting in line for coffee,  I happened to overhear a conversation between two women behind me. A tall, sporty-looking woman in yoga pants was confiding to her friend about a difficult breakup she had just gone through. She shared that for years she’d sensed her marriage had serious problems but had pushed her intuition aside because she was afraid of being alone and was concerned that people would judge her if she got a divorce.

Then she said something that made my ears perk up. “Suddenly over the summer, I found out some things about him that made it impossible to hide my head in the sand any longer. I had no choice but to leave. It was painful, and life was total chaos for a while, but now that the dust has settled, I AM SO THANKFUL I made this change.”

If you had a relationship end, lost your job, or had a health or financial crisis over the last several months, it might seem counter intuitive to feel thankful this season. I urge you to think again.

Remember that we humans are all in this together, muddling through, working on overcoming our own negative patterns, addictions, and ego.

Trust me, letting go of ego and fear and tuning into your heart is the first step to living your best life.

If the dust hasn’t quite settled, and you’re still struggling with the aftermath of catastrophic change and upheaval I can help. Here are some words of wisdom, channeled straight from my guides and Spirit friends to help you experience the healing power of gratitude this season:

• When you’re going through a difficult time, look for the lesson. Ask yourself – What is this experience trying to teach me? When you find the answer, you open the door to personal and spiritual growth. Plus, it helps you to see the silver lining in a difficult situation.
• Loss makes room for positive change. Every time something, or someone, moves out of your life it frees up space. It’s okay to mourn a little for what was but keep an open mind to new people and experiences coming your way.
• It’s not all bad. Don’t let yourself be blinded by pain. When you’re going through a hard time, it’s easy to let sadness and fear consume you. It might seem like EVERYTHING in your life is going wrong – but that’s not true. When you shift your focus, you’ll become aware of all the good things in your life. Make a conscious effort to acknowledge the positive and be grateful for it. By doing so, you’ll attract more of the good stuff!
• The very act of gratitude is healing – so find something to be thankful for every day. It might be as simple as the cool winter breeze, the crunch of leaves under your feet, the wag of your dog’s tail. Look for positive things in your life and you’ll find them everywhere.

Life is a series of lessons, all aimed at helping you to tune into your true, pure frequency of love, compassion, forgiveness and gratitude. So, this year before you dig into that Thanksgiving feast, think back on the challenges you faced and the changes you made this year. Give yourself a pat on the back and thank the universe for giving your soul a chance to grow!