My Reflections This Thanksgiving

It’s been a very hectic and busy year. I’ve been on the road more than I’ve been home for the last few months. So as Thanksgiving rolls around, I’m especially grateful to be home and to take the opportunity to pause and reflect on what it truly means to give thanks and what I am most thankful for. 

Too often, it’s easy to slip into getting stuck focusing on the things that we don’t have, rather than practicing gratitude every day and being thankful all that we do have.

Let’s start with the basics. Life. That, in and of itself, is truly a blessing to be grateful for. Every day that we wake up with breath in our bodies is a precious thing, more valuable than any money, title, fancy car, or material possession.

Each day brings the opportunity to learn, to grow, to love, to show kindness to a friend or even a stranger — to bring some light into a world that is too often dark with divisiveness, fear, and hate.

I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside great Americans who chose to serve in the military, willing to put their lives on the line to defend the security and freedom of the American people. I’m so grateful to these heroes and the men and women currently serving away from home who can’t be with their families this Thanksgiving. 

To all of our service members and their loved ones, I send my warmest aloha and thanks. I am so grateful for your service and sacrifice.

I’m also thankful for the lessons I’ve learned along the way. Especially having experienced from a young age that I have always been happiest when trying to be pleasing to God and be of service to others.

When we are motivated by a desire to be of service and make a positive impact, we can find happiness and peace — no matter the outcome of those endeavors, whether we succeed or fail. 

If we just live for ourselves, no matter how hard we try to find happiness in this world, regardless of how much wealth, fame, power, or “stuff” we accumulate, we still feel an emptiness in our hearts… something will always be missing. 

Saint Francis of Assisi said, "For it is in giving that we receive."

And Mahatma Gandhi shared, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Whether you’re a business person, a doctor, a teacher, a farmer, a tradesman, an artist, a homemaker or caretaker; or if you work in law enforcement, a first responder, the military, in politics, in healthcare, or some other profession — no matter what we do, we can work humbly, as servant leaders, doing all we can for others. 

On this Thanksgiving, as we reflect on all that we are grateful for, let’s think about how we can be of service in our own lives, how we can make a positive impact on others.

I am grateful to God for His unconditional love. Anything I do in my life that is worthwhile is only possible because of His love and mercy. I pray every day that I may continue to be inspired by His love, hear His guidance, and live my life in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Finally, I am grateful for you — and for the time you’ve shared with me today. Please accept my warmest aloha and well wishes. Happy Thanksgiving!

PS: I shared a few more thoughts on this in a short Thanksgiving Episode on The Tulsi Gabbard Show.