On Thanksgiving day in 2006, just a few months after losing my dad to cancer, we had a small Thanksgiving miracle.

My 91-year-old Methodist grandmother was channel surfing Thanksgiving morning when she heard my father's name. She had landed on EWTN, the Catholic cable network, and the priest was giving his homily on gratitude. He had read my father's saga in the book Amazing Grace for Those Who Suffer, in which my father tells his incredible story.

After the shock of being released seven years early from his unjust 10-year federal prison sentence, Dad became so grateful for the smallest mundane chores done in freedom: laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, etc. It was a poignant reminder from my dad that Thanksgiving day to be grateful for all of our freedoms, and to be especially grateful for faith, family, and friends.

We miss my dad so much, especially during the holidays, and I know that many of you are experiencing the same bittersweet longing for lost loved ones. Know that they are actually quite close.

May God bless you and yours--whether living in this world or in the next--this Thanksgiving day. We have so much to be thankful for, starting with the gift of faith! 💝🙏🏻