By Christopher Sopher
Valley of the Sun Press – Good Life News
November 26, 2025
Thanksgiving Reflections from Phoenix
Thanksgiving has always been a day built around appreciation. People argue about the history and the details, but the part that matters is simple. It is a day set aside to slow down, look around, and recognize what you have. Abraham Lincoln declared it a national day of giving thanks, and no matter what you believe in, it is still a day of gratitude.
This year I have a lot to be thankful for. Not money. Not the material things people chase. I’m talking about pure creative success. I hit a flow this year that I haven’t felt in decades. Early mornings. Late nights. Waking up with ideas exploding in my head. I wrote songs. I wrote poetry. I wrote stories. I published four books. I always wanted to publish one. I ended up publishing four.
I wrote close to two hundred songs, and I pulled many of them back because I constantly rewrite and reshape. I hear what works and what doesn’t. I trust my ear. I’m thankful for that gift. I don’t release anything unless I know it is good. I don’t look for permission. I don’t look for validation. I know the difference between average and powerful, and I only put out what is powerful.
I’m thankful for where I live. Back in Illinois this time of year I would be freezing. When I went back for my brother’s funeral it was minus fifteen degrees with a windchill that cut through bone. I don’t ever want to live in that again. Here in Phoenix in late November it is seventy-three degrees. My back door is open. There is a warm breeze. Palm trees. A mountain glowing in the late sun. The sky looks painted. I am blessed.
I’m thankful that I turned my life around. I’ve lost a lot. My mom. My dad. Two brothers. My wife. I live alone now, but I’m not sad and I’m not depressed. I’m thankful that I made it through. I’m thankful that I didn’t break. I’m thankful that everything locked inside me for years finally came out in the form of art. My creativity is the way I give back to the world. My music, my poetry, my stories, my humor, my Daisy books. That is my offering.
I started writing thirty years ago with technical manuals and analytical work. I lived in that part of my brain for a long time. But the creative side was buried under it. When it finally opened, it came pouring out with force. It still hasn’t stopped.
So on this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for life. I’m thankful for breath. I’m thankful for creation. I’m thankful for Phoenix and its warm nights and its glowing mountain sunsets. I’m thankful that I can still create, still grow, still express, and still rise.
If you’re with family today, enjoy them. If you’re alone, you’re still here and you still matter. Be thankful either way. One day you will look back and remember these moments.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I wish you the best.
—Chris
