Gratitude Is the Gift: Happy Thanksgiving to Our Inspiring 30Seconds Community (and the World) by Elisa Schmitz

Each Thanksgiving, I pause to reflect on how very grateful I am for the blessings all around us, including our 30Seconds community. With each passing year, I realize how important it is to express gratitude. The pandemic continues to affect us. This will be the third year in a row that my family's Thanksgiving gathering will be impacted by COVID-19, with some family members sick with the virus at this time. To be frank, it sucks. 

But I continue to be grateful for the vaccines that have helped many of us to stay healthier and safer during the pandemic. Having recently gotten my third (bivalent) booster dose, I am thankful for that extra layer of protection for adults, and vaccines for children now as well, as we go into the holiday season and spend more time indoors with family.

There has never been a more important time to come together as a community, as a nation and as a world. Despite our differing goals, dreams and ideologies, we all share the same air and same desire to be healthy and happy. My hope is that we can work together to make our air as healthy as possible, so we can move forward with our lives more happily. 

For that reason, I hope we continue to celebrate Thanksgiving this year in the safest way possible, even though Thanksgiving again may be a different holiday than what we're used to. By this time next year, hopefully we will be back to some semblance of "normal," or at least a new normal, and make up for the losses we continue to feel during these challenging times. Hopefully, things will eventually suck less.

Whether you're eating a traditional Thanksgiving meal, or you're sticking to healthy sides, comfort food or all the decadent dessert, we at 30Seconds raise our glasses, in gratitude, to you.

From the bottom of my heart, and from my family to yours, I extend my gratitude for being part of our 30Seconds community. You inspire me every day, and for that I am grateful. Gratitude is the gift, and you always remind me of that. I wish you a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Editor's Note: Here is the original post Elisa wrote before the pandemic:

Each Thanksgiving, I pause to reflect on how very grateful I am for the blessings all around us, including our 30Seconds community. With its start as 30Second Mom to its growth now as 30Seconds.com, our mission to make life better in 30 seconds has only evolved with more passion and dedication. 

Whether you are part of our devoted management team or you share tips, contribute to the discussion or join our Twitter chats on Wednesday nights, each of you touches my life in unique ways. I am so grateful for each contributor who shares his or her wisdom. I am so thankful for each reader who appreciates and shares that wisdom. I so appreciate the wonderful brands we work with, who support our mission and further our growth, as we do the same for them. All of this gratitude is such a gift. We have created a powerful community that shares and cares, a dream come true for me.

I wish you a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving with your families. As my family and I talk about what we are most grateful for this year, 30Seconds is among my greatest blessings. The beauty of what we are building takes my breath away. Many, many thanks to all of you for being on this journey with us! Sending much gratitude to you on this day, and every day!

(This photo of my kids and me, and this drawing made by my daughter Cassie, are from Thanksgiving 2012!)

You can visit my author website at ElisaSchmitz.com, and learn more about my book on achieving career and life success at BecomeTheFire.com.

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community, and follow us on Facebook to get inspiration in your newsfeed daily. Inspire and be inspired.