I love my family’s Thanksgiving tradition. Ever since I can remember, my family has gathered at my mother’s house for a big Thanksgiving celebration. When we were kids, we would go around the table and take turns saying what we were thankful for. Since then, we’ve expanded, and with more family and friends to hear from, we now gather around a circle to share our gratitude. Sometimes we each pick someone within that circle who we are thankful for and why. Other times we talk about something that God has blessed us with—or something He’s done for us—within the past year.

My family is the most welcoming and hospitable family that I’ve ever seen. This is made more and more evident to me each year as my parents continue to invite anyone without a place to go for Thanksgiving, welcoming them into their home with open arms.

We aren’t exactly an over-emotional family, but Thanksgiving is one day when we see the tears fall. We always tend to poke fun at my mom because she gets especially emotional. We see it boiling up on that day as she prepares to lay out just how much she loves her family and that’s when we all look at each other and say, “Uh-oh, here it comes. Now everyone’s about to cry.”

I almost never see my dad tear up, he often is over-the-top happy but you won’t see him get sad. But I’ll never forget what happened in 2012 when we all gathered in the circle to share what we were thankful for. That was the year that I had turned my life around and began walking with the Lord. On that Thanksgiving day, my dad shared how thankful he was that I had turned my life in another direction and started following Christ. He told us all how proud he was of me, and as I watched his eyes fill with tears, I felt mine do the same.

This year I’m overwhelmed with thankfulness for the son that the Lord has given Mikaela and me. I’m thankful for year two of my marriage with Mikaela—I can clearly see how God continues to strengthen our marriage, showing us how to better love and bless each other. I’m thankful for a wife who supports and loves me.

We know that our lives will change dramatically as we welcome our first son into the world, and we are thrilled for what God has planned for us in this process. But I love what Mikaela said just the other day as we prepare to embark on this new journey: “Micah’s coming into this world, but he’s not going to be the center of our universe. Jesus is still the center of our universe and we get to bring Micah into it.”

Keeping that perspective is key for us as we seek to continually grow and flourish as a couple, as a family, and as followers of Christ.

“From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased.” —Jeremiah 30:19

—Steven Souza

Steven Souza is a regular contributor of The Increase, providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out Steven’s full profile on The Increase Baseball: http://theincreasebaseball.com/author/steven-souza/

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