I remember Thanksgiving growing up in a broken home. Learning to share what I was thankful for around the table was a cornucopia of tears and pain for the enormous ache in my soul and the deep splinter in my mind.

Yet I was able to also reach beyond the pain and learn how to conquer and reign because of a mom who tenaciously led us in finding hope and true gratitude in God’s love, truth and promises.

Thanksgiving was a day we harvested our entire way of life. We spoke of the abundance of who we were as a family even though we knew we were not whole. We recounted with deep contentment all the everyday things (a roof, clothes, food, etc) like we were safe and secure even though we were unsettled and poor.

Thanksgiving was a threshing floor that in some strange way helped me to face my deep insecurities and covertly taught me the secret of conquering by great contentment.

To this day I live a life of impoverished abundance.