As I was filling in my calendar I was hit with the realization that I was letting it slip through my fingers. In between planning various winter activities and special surprises, looking over Christmas wish lists and dreaming of holiday menus, it became all too easy to be carried away into extravagance. So quickly I forget what we had just been focusing on; Thankfulness!

Gratitude is beautiful when lived out well. It, by definition, shows appreciation and returns kindness. It is not even December yet and we already needed to make space for this. To ponder what, in the midst of all the wants, we already have and are grateful for. To find joy in the simple things like snow and soup!

The early stages of GAPS can be well… limiting. You eat soup and then more soup. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner is, you guessed it, soup! Just as it is so easy to forget about all the wonderful things we have while dreaming of what we want next; we find that forgetting just how incredible this food really is all too facile.

Soup can evoke feelings of safety and warmth. It can bring memories flooding back of meals enjoyed as a kid. It has been used to keep people alive through famine and it has been served to  impress the most indulged of royalty. I love soup.

Simple soup pairs wonderfully with thankfulness. So, over the next few weeks as the world tells us to want more the boys and I will take time to pause and give thanks for the soup before us. We will write on our gratitude ornaments. And hopefully, as we practice gratefulness we will develop a habit of thankfulness that won’t be so easily forgotten.

What are you thankful for as we enter the Christmas season? Tell me in the comment section below!

Look for some of our favorite soup recipes coming soon!