There is a certain time of year in which the trees change color, the air becomes crisp and we pour gravy on everything. As I am typing this, I am watching my husband laughing with his parents who are visiting from England and I am reminded of the good things in life.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time that reminds us of what we are grateful for.

The reality is, sometimes living with illness makes it difficult to remain aware of what brings us happiness. We can choose to take this time during Thanksgiving as our own practice in mindfulness, focusing on what makes us smile on the day-to-day basis.

I know for me, I am grateful for the wonderful support within the Lyme community. I am grateful to my fellow Lyme warrior Rachael, with whom I speak to everyday and could not have gotten through my illness without. What started as a relationship with an online stranger quickly developed into an important lifelong friendship.

I am grateful for the man who stood by my side at my absolute worst, fighting for me when I didn’t have the strength- Lyme taught us what marriage means. I am grateful for my pets; they have also gotten me through my worst times, no matter what, they provide unconditional laughter and love.

To be honest with you, most of the time, I usually dislike or hate this illness, but the times I am able to step outside of it all, I feel supremely grateful for having an outlook on this life that not too many other people have the privilege of seeing. To me, this gratefulness has the power to eclipse the negative if I can allow it to. If I can address it and watch for the good it has done, I believe there can be beauty in each of our circumstances.

This Thanksgiving, I urge you to choose gratitude, if even just for the day. If the day seems like too much, then try it out for the hour.  Positive emotions can be tougher to find when you’re ill – but much like the perfect bit of crisp turkey skin- they are totally worth the journey to get to.