I just picked up the 17-pound turkey, oil, and all the spices for Thanksgiving. Yes, I’m frying the turkey again this year — one of my favorite ways to cook it. The turkey gumbo made from leftover bones and meat is worth every ounce of effort.
I even inject the turkey with a mixture of crab boil and water and let it sit overnight. The aroma alone puts me right in the Thanksgiving spirit.
And with that mood comes my annual Thanksgiving blog — a practice I love, and a reminder of just how much I have to be grateful for. Honestly, the hard part is narrowing it down. Each day feels like a blessing.
This year, my heart keeps circling around something deeply personal: how thankful I am for my mom’s recent recovery from her hospital stay, and that she and Pop Joe — both now in their late 80s — still live independently with good mobility. What a blessing.
CeCe and I have been heavily involved in elder care for more than a decade. It can be taxing — emotionally, physically, spiritually. But it also does something unexpected: it invigorates you. Serving, supporting, and caring for loved ones has a way of centering your heart. It reminds you what truly matters. In the end, life brings more joy as we serve others.
This year, I want to take a different twist with my Thanksgiving message by honoring someone most of you never knew: a selfless leader named Bill BeQuette.
Bill lived in the Wichita, Kansas area and recently passed away. He served faithfully for years in a prison ministry while also working full-time as a retirement consultant. When he received the news that his time on this earth was very limited, he didn’t withdraw. He didn’t slow down his serving. In fact, he continued to live out his purpose.
Just four weeks before his death, Bill took a PTO Friday — not to rest, not to enjoy a final moment of leisure — but to pick up a prisoner being released. He drove them to Walmart to buy basic supplies and then to a rehab facility to help them get off to a good start.
One of his final 28 days… and he chose to spend it lifting someone else.
I didn’t know Bill personally, but I know several people whose lives were impacted by his heart of service. And stories like his stir something in me. They remind me what real gratitude looks like — gratitude expressed through action, through compassion, through showing up for people who can’t repay you.
On this Thanksgiving week, I’m especially thankful for people like Bill — quiet, humble servants who live significance without needing an audience. They inspire us to be better. They show us the power of a life poured out for others.
And I’m also deeply thankful for the people who have influenced, supported, encouraged, and elevated me throughout my own life. None of us gets where we are on our own. This season always reminds me how blessed I have been to be surrounded by love, wisdom, challenge, and grace at every stage of my journey.
So here’s my Thanksgiving challenge to all of us: Let’s make it a point to acknowledge a person in our lives who consistently serves others with a grateful heart. Tell them. Honor them. Thank them. Let them know you see their quiet strength.
Before I close, I want to praise my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave everything for us. His example of sacrificial love is the foundation of every blessing in my life and every expression of gratitude in my heart.
I’m praying that you have a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving season. May your heart be full, may your table be surrounded with love, and yes — may your turkey be another special delight.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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