Turkeys and pumpkins and Pilgrims, oh my! As your preparations are probably well under way on this fourth Thursday of November, I hope you are as fortunate as I am to gather with all your loved ones to give thanks.

I know I have so much to be thankful for this year… the good health and well-being of my family… that I can count myself among the extremely blessed!

And, I certainly don’t want to overlook the most amazing community ever! Thanks to you – and your support, your inspiring messages, your results-driven dedication and your eagerness for whatever message I may have – you give true meaning and purpose to my work.

As you know, a lot of what we talk about and work toward together involves overcoming obstacles, expanding our skill sets, opening our hearts and minds, creating new opportunities and exploring fresh horizons. Just like the Pilgrims did almost 400 years ago.

Can you imagine leaving EVERYTHING behind you, booking passage for a dangerous voyage on a leaky boat (you could hardly put the Mayflower in the same category as anything we would call a ship) and setting off into the truly unknown for a months’-long journey with the plan of never being able to return to your home?!

Wow, I don’t know about you but that would definitely give me some second thoughts! But, these Pilgrims braved – even welcomed – unthinkable risks and hardships because they believed in something BIGGER and wanted MORE for themselves and their families.

With a vision of true freedom… the freedom to worship the God of their choice in the manner of their choice, the freedom to have a voice in their government and the direction of their country, the freedom from oppression for their lifestyle, their beliefs, their heritage… these pioneers made the pilgrimage into this uncertain future simply for the mere possibility of something better!

And those sacrifices for their hopes were HUGE! Many of them died, including their infants, young children, spouses, parents. Unheard of illnesses and afflictions scarred, disabled and maimed them. Starvation, harsh weather, inadequate shelter, and even internal conflicts took their toll on many of the original Plymouth Rock landing party, who were just plain ill-equipped for survival in this New World. To make it even worse, some of these casualties never even got to set foot in the New World or see the fruits of their daring!

Talk about putting things into perspective! This kind of makes what we consider to be our “challenges” in life, pale in comparison, right? Despite the life-changing losses and the seemingly overwhelming setbacks, let me say these people dug REALLY deep into their “gratitude wells” to find the source of their thankfulness! So maybe we can take a page from the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving “playbook” to go beyond what’s on the surface when finding reasons to give thanks on this holiday. Let me know in the comments below what you’re thankful for today, and please share this message with everyone you’re blessed to have in your life.

Have your fill and fun this weekend. Sleep in, rest, eat and enjoy your family! I’ll be around to help you shake off the holiday daze on The Dani Johnson Show today at 12 pm ET/11 am CT. You can tune into the show on either your TV or radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right on our website.

In great faith,