Did you take me up on the recent challenge to keep a list of everything you’re grateful for? If so, have you found it changing your perspective about the blessings and disappointments in your life? I hope you’ll continue to document your personal gratitude list long after tomorrow comes and goes.

I’ve been trying to list just one thing on Facebook that I’m grateful for each day, but I find myself trying to weave together multiple things into one, because I have trouble picking just one thing each day.

Here’s just one thing I wanted to share with you that I’m most thankful for at Thanksgiving every year:

Vegan pumpkin pie from Whole Foods

Yes, that’s right: vegan pumpkin pie from Whole Foods, a Thanksgiving treat I order from their bakery almost every year.

I’m not a vegan, but I do have a food allergy that keeps me from eating regular bakery items. I didn’t learn of this allergy until one November about ten years ago. I don’t remember the exact year, but I do remember the exact month, because my thoughts had already turned to the anticipation of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. (For the record, my mother makes the best pumpkin pie in the whole world, and if I could only pick one food to have for Thanksgiving dinner, it would be her pumpkin pie.)

One of the initial horrifying realizations of learning about my allergy was that pumpkin pie was off my plate forever. Or so I thought. Continue reading →