A Heartfelt Thanksgiving Reflection

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Have you ever wondered why the chaos of family gatherings can be the most cherished memories? On Holly's Highlights, I share the delightful unpredictability of my own Thanksgiving, where the unexpected addition of Gyros to our holiday menu and a Star Wars gingerbread crumbling brought laughter and joy. As we navigated through a day filled with soccer games, naps, and artistic mishaps, I reflect on the beauty of these moments that leave us with stories to tell and memories to cherish.

Join me as I recount a heartwarming Thanksgiving, full of gratitude and togetherness. With traditions like our annual "what we're thankful for" roundtable, we take a moment to recognize the blessings and simple joys that often go unnoticed. Whether it's the warmth of family, the shared laughter, or the moments of quiet reflection, Thanksgiving offers us a profound reminder of what truly matters. Tune in for a conversation that celebrates family, tradition, and the spirit of gratefulness, as we embrace the holiday season with open hearts.

Sponsor shoutout: Face-Lift Embracing Hope Through Your Heartaches book
Purchase your copy of Face-Lift through your local bookstores and online retailers such as Target, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon. A portion of all proceeds benefits Huntsman Cancer Foundation in the fight against cancer.

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Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi, friend, welcome to Holly's Highlights, a podcast
designed to encourage, inspireand equip you to intentionally
live your life full of purpose.
I'm your host, holly Kirby,motivational speaker, leadership
cultivator, marketingstrategist and personal
cheerleader.
Let's check out today'shighlights.
When we think of the holidaysfor many of us, we get so

(00:24):
excited, but for some,thanksgiving, christmas, even
New Year's, reminds people ofhardships such as financial
strains, broken relationships,even loss of loved ones.
Might I suggest gifting a copyof the book Facelift Embracing
Hope Through your Heartaches tofriends, family, neighbors, your
book club networking groups oreven as teacher gifts.

(00:45):
Facelift is available throughlocal bookstores and even online
retailers such as Target,walmart, barnes, noble and
Amazon.
And with Giving Tuesdayapproaching, you'll not only be
encouraging those you give acopy of Facelift to, but also
making a positive impact in thelives of those affected by
cancer, as a portion of theproceeds of Facelift go directly
to Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
In the lives of those affectedby cancer, as a portion of the
proceeds of Facelift go directlyto Huntsman Cancer Foundation.

(01:06):
In the fight against cancerNeed to order 30 or more books
for an upcoming event or bookclub?
Connect with me directly athello at hollykirbycom for bulk
discount information through thepublisher Coiler Books this
Christmas.
Give a gift of hope by giving acopy of Facelift to everyone on
your Christmas list.

(01:26):
Hi friends, I hope you had awonderful Thanksgiving holiday
with your friends and family andloved ones.
I had the pleasure of hostingour family this year.
I love hosting and we had awonderful day and, as always, we
enjoyed many laughs along theway.
Thanks to a family group chatwe have, where we were joking
about what we could do or havefor Thanksgiving this year, we
ended up with not only ham andturkey, but also euros made it

(01:48):
on the menu this year.
Then, thanks to so manydifferent preferences of
potatoes all grouton, scalloped,mashed, sweet well, we had
plenty of options of potatoesfor everyone too.
My son had pulled an all-nighterjust that night prior and then
went out to play the morning ofThanksgiving.
He went to go play some soccerwith some neighborhood boys for

(02:09):
about three or four hours whileI cooked, and he came home and
had Thanksgiving lunch with thefamily all gathered around the
table, and then he decided tolay down for what he said would
be a quick nap.
Well, the next morning he wokeup.
He completely missed watchingfootball and playing games and
our gingerbread making, whichwas slightly comical too.

(02:29):
See, my brother-in-law.
He was making a Star Wars.
What is it?
Galactica?
No, that's Star Trek.
Whatever it is, it's Star Warsship.
Well, he was making that and itcollapsed just as he was putting
the finishing touches on it.
Then there was my sister'sgingerbread house, and well,
let's just say it looked likethe big bad wolf had come in and

(02:50):
blown her house down.
And as soon as my dad finishedhis and it was really cute,
because he's really into his dog, you know so it was like a
little dog house and dog boneand a dog.
It was really cute.
But anyhow, as soon as hefinished that, he was wondering
where we wanted the completedgingerbread houses and proceeded
to suggest that his go in thetrash.
See, he's not a fan of theartistic creations we come up

(03:11):
with, although I got to say he'sa good sport in taking part.
So it was a little comical westill need to do my sons, which
was a Batman scene, so we'll getto that.
My daughter and I did somethinga little different this year,
though.
We went to the barn where shehelps care for horses, and saw
all the horses and goats andeven got to see some alpacas too
.
It truly was a great day withmy family.

(03:33):
Now we have so much to bethankful for.
I enjoy while sitting down forour Thanksgiving meal.
Every year, our family goesaround and shares what we're
thankful for for that year.
Isn't it so cool to hear aboutand see the goodness of God
Every November.
I post a daily gratitudethroughout the month on my
personal Facebook page, and Igot to tell you I never struggle

(03:55):
to come up with something to begrateful for, but it's more the
opposite of trying to limit itto one thing or theme per se for
that one day.
One of the things I'm thankfulfor this time of year, though,
is that we just hit four yearsof Holly's Highlights podcast.
Now, if you recall, from thebeginning I had shared.
The reason I was even startingHolly's Highlights podcast was

(04:17):
at the advice of my bookpublisher of Facelift Embracing
Hope Through your Heartaches andthey encouraged having a social
media presence as well as apodcast in preparation for the
book Facelift releasing thatyear.
Well, the plan was simply tohost this podcast up until the
book's release last year, but,to my surprise, not only have I

(04:39):
heard from many of you about howthis podcast has helped
encourage, inspire and evenequip you to intentionally live
your life full of purpose.
But it also got picked up inUtah City Journal newspaper as a
monthly column, and it's alwaysso encouraging to me when a
reader sends me an email aboutan article or therefore a
podcast.
So here we are, and what a joyit is, although you may have

(04:59):
realized that this summer therewas a bit of a gap in between
releasing episodes, and that'sbecause I believe in practicing
what I preach, so to speak.
See, my dad was preparing for,and going through, and then
recovering from, a T-celltransplant for his multiple
myeloma cancer, and I was beingintentional and making him my
priority as I went with him toevery appointment, I stayed long

(05:21):
hours at the hospital and thenwent on the 24-hour shifts
caring for him.
It was a hard summer for ourfamily.
I'm not going to lie Mentally,physically, emotionally but I am
so thankful that I was able toserve my dad in such a way,
thankful for that time together,deep conversations, walking
down memory lanes and thankfulGod provided and protected him

(05:44):
along the way too.
Again, we just have so much togive thanks for this
Thanksgiving, which brings me totoday's episode.
I simply want to thank you forlistening, for sharing episodes
with others.
For those who have supported theshow and sponsoring an episode,
you make this podcastsustainable and the more who

(06:08):
like and subscribe to thepodcast even take the time to
rate and review it, specificallyon Apple podcast.
Well, you make it more easilyfound by others.
It has continually been rankednumber one or top 10 on good
pods in different categorieslike leadership and ministry,
and some fun facts about Holly'sHighlights podcast include that
it is listened to on everycontinent, primarily here in

(06:29):
North America, but also highlylistened to in Europe, and the
top three episodes are seasonone, episode seven about four
tips to having a grateful heartSeems pretty timely.
Season three, episode three,regarding the language of love.
I'm a huge advocate of learningyour and your loved one's love
language, so it goes all throughthat.

(06:49):
And then season one, episodethree, which was an interview
with my brother who is now aretired general manager for
Larry H Miller dealerships, andthat was on being a leader.
Others follow, so feel free tocheck those out if you haven't
heard them already.

(07:10):
I stand amazed, though I juststand amazed to see what God is
doing, has done and continues todo with Holly's Highlights
podcast.
So again, you you listeningright now, and those who read
the articles in the cityjournals, who have purchased a
copy of Facelift, which isavailable through local
bookstores and online retailersyou all in turn have encouraged
me and I am so very grateful Forthose who have been here with

(07:30):
us these past four years.
You know that Holly'sHighlights podcast mission is to
encourage, inspire and equipyou to intentionally live your
life full of purpose.
So if you would like to be in aplace to help cultivate your
leadership skills, strategize inyour marketing efforts, have a
mentor through ministry, receivea little motivational boost and

(07:51):
even be cheered on along yourjourney, you're in the right
place.
I welcome you to join me hereon Holly's Highlights, available
wherever you listen to podcastssuch as Apple Podcasts, spotify
and even your Amazon Echo Ithink that's my favorite when
you say Alexa play Holly'sHighlights.
And also including on your webbrowser at my website,
hollykirbycom, that'sH-O-L-L-Y-C-U-R-B-Ycom.

(08:15):
We'll get back on track toreleasing a new episode every
other week and keep them shortenough to listen to on your way
to work, yet applicable to yourday at hand.
So, whether at work, school,home, church or even just life
overall, if you have a topicyou'd like to hear about or if
you'd like to sponsor a podcast,would you please connect with
me at hello at hollykirbycom.

(08:36):
We're in this thing called lifetogether, so let's enjoy the
journey and make sure each dayis a great day for a great day.
Thank you for joining me onthis journey of life.
I hope that today's highlighthas been encouraging, inspiring
and equipping so you can go outand live your life full of

(08:57):
purpose.
I'd be honored if you'd take amoment to leave a review or,
better yet, subscribe.
We can also stay in touch byjoining my email list at holly
kirbycom.
That's H O L L Y C U R B?
Ycom.
Until next time, make it agreat day for a great day.