With the holidays coming up most of us are probably feeling this inner conflict between simplicity and consumerism. We want to be reminded of what we are thankful for and how much we truly have in the little things, but also want that new discounted flat screen for sale on black Friday.

With this dilemma in mind, I wanted to dwell on what I personally have to be thankful for. I didn't want to just list the obvious like food, family, and friends; but more so on the little moments and ideas that capture our idea of "thankfulness" in a more human and realistic way. Then It occurred to me that hearing other people's thoughts on this word would shine a light on more than what I could surface on my own.

With that being said, here are some of the quotes of those around me that shared what thankfulness means to them.

Thankful is...

"A word that gets thrown around a lot in today’s culture. You hear it in every award acceptance speech, and see it on countless social media posts. What does it really mean? A dictionary definition will tell you something like “a sense of gratitude.” I tend to use the term to describe things that have had such a profound impact on my life that I could not imagine what it would be like without them. This obviously includes my family and friends, but one thing I am always thankful for is an opportunity. I’ve been blessed with chances to learn and grow as a person and I know that these will continue to come my way. Most things people say they are thankful for are things that they have. Some of the things I’m thankful for are things that aren’t present in my life. I live in an environment not having to worry about things like war, famine, and disease, and there are millions of people in this world who can’t say that. I’ve been very fortunate to have the resources at my disposal that put me in a position to be successful. Ultimately I’m thankful for life. It’s a gift."

"Contrasts that include massive mountains, the ocean, storms, and sunrises/sunsets. The spectacular beauty complimenting tremendous power and vice versa. My extended family lives on the West Coast. My immediate family celebrates thanksgiving together with the other families in our neighborhood whose extended family live in other parts of the country and the world. At the conclusion of our meal, we always pass out 1-3 pieces of candy corn or some other edible (nuts sometimes) and go around the table sharing the same number of things we are thankful for since the last meal. Through the years, I've heard thanks for sons and daughters, grandchildren being born, loved ones passing away and no longer suffering, making it through tough circumstances alongside spouses, career changes, etc. As each year goes by, and I am with my family less and less, my thanks have become increasingly family focused. I know that the first thing I will say this year when it's my turn to speak is that I am thankful for my mom and dad, Heather (my sister), and Spencer."

"It's feeling I get whenever I think of God; honestly. I would never have any of the gifts and wonderful things in my life without him."

"It means more than just being grateful and pleased. I see being thankful as something deeper. Sure I’m thankful for everything I have and will have in the future. Yet I will never be thankful enough."

"Something that I can't live without, but I have it even though others don't have it. And it's not because I'm so special than other, but because of God's mercy I have to be thankful for all I have."

"Being aware of what we have individually and as a group of people and culture that surrounds us in everyday life, and by understanding sacrifices made by others to get us to that point."

"It's the ultimate appreciation for someone or something. There is no amount of "thank you's" that can be said in order to express how much you truly appreciate what you have received."

"Recognizing and appreciating the things in life that you never asked for but you'd never want to live without. I never asked for the kind of father who reminds me he loves me multiple times a day but am I grateful I have him? Absolutely. I never asked for a more inspirational, diverse group of friends than I could ever ask for, but would I be lost without them? You bet. I never asked for a boyfriend willing to jump up and run to the store just because I say something as simple as those four magic words, "I'm craving hot Cheetos" but am I blown away by his willingness to do little things to make me happy? Every single day. Being thankful is so much more than saying the word "thanks"... it's that deep appreciative feeling in your heart that comes from being absolutely blessed."

"One of the best feelings/emotions you could feel. Thankful for me is sitting in a room, any room, in my house with my entire family. Yes, even my dog who stinks up the room. Blessed and thankful go hand in hand with me and being able to just sit and enjoy the chaos with my family in a room in our house and feeling so content and full to me is being thankful. This happens on occasion, making everyone dinner, helping everyone get settled and I am rushing and not really being present to what's going on, because my lord if I don't have dinner on the table at 6pm, we will starve (so much sarcasm) that when I sit down I realize how ridiculous it was to stress about something so small and all I needed was to be present and thankful to be surrounded by all this love! Then when I sit down and look around at all these happy faces looking at me, just wanting to be near me I feel so full and thankful. Funny you asked this because I'm truly working on being thankful for each moment, such a mindset!!"

"I feel like true thankfulness is something I need to grow in a lot and I think God has been trying to humble me to show me how to grow. I've been realizing more and more that it means appreciating the little things rather than taking them for granted and knowing that every good thing in my life is truly a blessing because God didn't have to give me anything at all, including the air I breathe. The hardest part for me but probably one of the most important things to do is really guarding my heart against jealousy and comparison and "wanting"; I've found it's hard for those things to live in your heart without pushing out thankfulness. When I do "successfully" push out those other unwanted thoughts and feelings and feel truly thankful, there is so much freedom and joy that comes with it, so although it's sometimes a struggle I think the art of being thankful is definitely something worth practicing. God definitely knew what he was doing when he instructed us to come to him with thanksgiving."

"I would say my dad's heart attack and still having him around. Just being so unsure of what was going to happen and having everything go well. Especially since it was only a few months before my wedding."

"Moments where I realize I have everything I need and the moments where you're sitting with friends or family and are just so happy to be with the people you love."

"Being thankful is being aware of an imparted benefit from some outside source. This awareness usually expresses itself as appreciation and willingness to reciprocate."

"Have you ever thought about why you were born where into the life you have? Has the thought ever hit you that you did nothing to be born into this life of opportunity? Why was I born into a middle class family with every opportunity to achieve my dreams, while another little boy was born to a drug addicted mother and no dad, or another young teen who lost his mom and with that his ability to be a kid because now he has to raise his younger siblings? Gosh, some days are tough here. You failed your test. You can’t go party with your friends because you have to work tonight (a job which many others would kill just to have). I am thankful for so many things in this life, the opportunities that have been placed right in front of me and so easily in reach, because for SO many others that just is not the case and sadly never will be. To me, the only explanation is grace. Grace are gifts that I did nothing to deserve and will never have the ability to repay. I am thankful for undeserved grace, but I think more important than being thankful is to take the fruits of such grace and utilize them to better the lives around us who are in need of grace themselves. So let’s remember to be thankful for what we have, but not forget that our own actions have power… Power to give someone else a reason to be thankful."