Gratitude In The Everyday: Thanksgiving 2025
“Beauty in the sorrow—seeing the small blessings impacting our life daily.”
As mamas, we often carry a deep mental catalog of the loud moments—the big challenges, the overwhelming days, the struggles that shake us, and the failures that echo longer than they should. Our minds tend to hold onto what is dramatic or difficult. But the smallest blessings? The little graces hidden in ordinary moments? Those slip by quietly. And yes we are human, but God allows us times to be able to reflect, sit back and know that He is the one that will be steadfast in our lives.
And He being our God is a God of details. He is present not only in the miracles and mountains, but in the whispering moments where no one else sees us—folding laundry, wiping tears, washing dishes, comforting a child at 2 a.m., or finally sitting down after a long day.
Motherhood can make our world feel small at times, but smallness is not insignificance. The Lord shapes us in the small things. Our sanctification is often carved out in the quiet, repetitive acts of love where our hearts learn patience, charity, humility, and perseverance.
We often strive to please the world—its expectations, its standards, its opinions. We chase approval from people whose love is conditional and inconsistent. But the One who knows us fully, who crafted our souls, desires something far greater than worldly success: our holiness. He is the one that created us and knows us deeply, the most inner being of our own souls!
God sees every moment, even the ones we overlook. He knows every sacrifice we make, every thought of surrender, every small “yes” said for love.
“Give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Gratitude is not just looking at the big things; it’s noticing God in the small, hidden corners of our day. Gratitude shifts our eyes from what overwhelms us to the One who sustains us.
When difficulties come—and they always do—our instinct is to shrink, to fear, or to seek worldly solutions. But the Lord invites us to lift our eyes higher.
Our God is bigger than our anxieties, bigger than our exhaustion, and infinitely bigger than the challenges we face as mothers. He brings hope where we see heaviness, light where we see confusion, and peace where our hearts feel pulled in every direction.
The Saints: Witnesses of Perseverance Through Challenges
The saints remind us that holiness is not born from perfect circumstances—it is formed through perseverance.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a doctor of the Church, built her entire spiritual life on what she called the “Little Way,” finding God in small acts of love and quiet sacrifice. She teaches us that even unseen, simple moments can make us saints.
“Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love.”
— St. Thérèse
St. Gianna Molla, a physician, wife, and mama, lived her vocation with incredible trust in God, choosing love even when it required great courage. She shows us that motherhood itself is a path to holiness.
And the Blessed Virgin Mary, the perfect example of motherhood, lived her entire life in quiet fidelity. Most of her life was hidden, yet profoundly holy. She models for us how to treasure the small things and remain faithful in the mysteries we do not understand.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
— Luke 1:46–47
Oh, how I love the saints, they remind me of how we can strive for more than what we imagine daily! We have the potential to strive higher and become holy with each small step we are willing to take.
Choosing Gratitude in the Small Things
When we pause long enough, we can begin to recognize how God helps us in small, deeply personal ways—strength to make it through the day, unexpected moments of peace, a gentle reminder of His presence, or simply the ability to love our families when we feel empty.
These graces are not random. They are invitations.
Invitations to draw closer.
Invitations to trust more deeply.
Invitations to remember that we were created for eternity, not for worldly approval.
Motherhood becomes sanctifying when we see that nothing is wasted—no tear, no prayer, no small act of love, no moment of surrender. I give thanks for the moments where I realize that I need to change my attitude towards something so small and insignificant. To give praise to the Lord in all circumstances, even in the midst of my brokenness.
So today, let us be gracious with God—patient with His timing, thankful for His presence, and open to His work in the hidden places of our lives. The world may overlook the small things, but Heaven never does.
May we, like the saints who have gone before us, persevere in faith, trust in God’s goodness, and allow the small blessings of each day to pull us closer to the One who loves us unconditionally.
In the Midst of Sorrow
There are also seasons when gratitude feels almost impossible—when sorrow sits heavy in our chest, when circumstances spiral beyond our control, and when we face realities we never asked for.
In those moments, the Lord does not ask us to pretend the sorrow isn’t real; instead, He enters into it with us. God can glorify Himself even in the depths of our pain, transforming what feels unbearable into a place of hidden grace.
Like Job, who sat in ashes and loss yet declared, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21), we too are invited to trust that God remains faithful, even when nothing makes sense. Gratitude in sorrow does not mean denying the ache—it means believing that God is working in ways we cannot yet see, that His love is steady, and that He is able to bring light out of the darkness. In those shadowed places, our surrender becomes a prayer, and our trust becomes a quiet act of worship.
Reflective Questions
Where in my daily routine—especially in the small, ordinary moments—can I recognize God’s presence and gratitude more intentionally?
Which areas of my motherhood am I still trying to handle by pleasing the world, and how is God inviting me to surrender those places to Him for my sanctification?
