Hey, it's Rachel and happy early Thanksgiving.

Hopefully this means you get a break from work and can surround yourself with people you love,

eat good food and spread appreciation everywhere.

My siblings and their kids are all coming to my house for the holiday, which is a big deal.

Not just because I have never in all my adult life cooked Thanksgiving for my whole family.

But there is also a new emotional weight, a big emptiness.

This time a year ago, I was in the ICU in a Salt Lake City hospital watching my dad deteriorate really fast.

He'd had this sudden rupture to his aorta, and he ended up dying a couple weeks later.

My mom has been gone for a long time.

She died of cancer 13 years ago and never got a chance to meet my husband or my kids.

Stay with me because I promise all this sad stuff is leading somewhere.

When you lose your parents, the constellation of your family shifts.

For me, it's like the stars at the center, the ones that guide you aren't there anymore,

so you have to shift your view and look for light in other places.

It's the same thing when family relationships break.

You find love and acceptance from other people, friends, even strangers sometimes.

Which is to me what Thanksgiving is all about.

Being grateful for the light where you find it, appreciating the family you have and the family you choose.

This is up for Sunday, and today I am feeling grateful for the conversations I've had this past year.

I'm also feeling grateful for you for making us a part of your Sundays.

Last week, we asked you to share some reflections on how you think about family.

Has that changed? Who brings you light?

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