Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. All you have to do is eat, drink, and be grateful. Of course, that’s what we should do every day. But it is nice to have a standing date to make that happen.

It is also a chance to reflect on the past year, a marker of sorts. Like a birthday for gratitude. Looking back on my past year, the only constant theme is change. And I am grateful for that. Because I found the thing that stays the same.

I encountered illness, death, separation, divorce, family feuds, frustrating foreign travel, and financial difficulties. I’m not griping about it. Just saying: I experienced these things and realized they don’t really matter. Life is a constant conflict, a tension of sorts. How I handle the situations that confront me is all that matters. And over the past year I’ve impressed myself with my ability to cope.

Are there secrets to adopting an attitude that works best for dealing with change? Sure, and not really. In the end, there is only one thing you need to remember: love wins.