Happy Thanksgiving!

As we enter the holiday season, we wish you peace and time for reflection.

The past year felt like a whirlwind—but what else is new? A million things are vying for our attention, from the always-on news cycle to the kids (or grandkids) who need to get to soccer practice to the co-worker who needs that task done yesterday.

When we’re being pulled in so many directions, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Gratitude can be a powerful grounding force in these moments, highlighting the many good things in our lives that are working just the way they should.

The sources of gratitude can be large and life-defining: a loving family, the birth of a child, or a fulfilling career. They can also be small things: enjoying a dinner or movie at your favorite place, finding a perfect parking spot, or getting an unexpected compliment from a stranger. Together, these are the things that help make our lives richer.

When you take the time to focus on the good things in your world—the things that are working just as they should—it can leave you in a better place. And those feelings of gratitude can also leave people around you in a better place. That’s because gratitude appears to have a domino effect. Studies suggest that once you experience gratitude, you get better at recognizing the feeling, reciprocating it, and lifting others in the process. The effects are lasting, weaving a tighter web of connection and support that helps us as we explore our lives, our passions, and our goals.

Reflecting on his life in his book Gratitude, the late Oliver Sacks expressed these sentiments: “I have loved and been loved. I have been given much and I have given something in return. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.”

In that spirit, we want to send you and yours our best wishes for an awesome Thanksgiving!

Until next time, Happy Planning!

Cort