A Thanksgiving Table Full of Fruits (the Spiritual Kind)

There’s something about Thanksgiving that makes me look around the table a little harder. Maybe it’s the timing. Maybe it’s the food. Maybe it’s the fact that life feels so fast most days that sitting shoulder to shoulder with the people who built you feels like a small miracle.

This year, instead of listing what I’m thankful for, I’ve been thinking about who I’m thankful for. And I kept coming back to the Fruits of the Spirit. When I look at the people I love, I see those fruits lived out in real life.

Here’s my family, through the lens of the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Love — Dad

My dad’s love is quiet, sure-footed, and constant. Not loud, not performative, not the cinematic kind, but the kind you feel in the steadiness of a life that has always made room for you. My dad’s love is the foundation under all of us. It shows up in the way he listens, the way he worries, the way he protects quietly without making you feel small.

There’s a gentleness to him that makes love feel safe. He cares in a way that never asks for credit. His presence is the kind that allows you to rest a little, like you can set everything down for a moment because someone capable is standing by.

When Scripture talks about love being patient and kind, I think of my dad. He has taught me that love is less about the grand gestures and more about the everyday choosing.

Faithfulness — Mom

My mom is faithfulness in motion. She is loyal in a way that anchors a family. She shows up for people, even when it costs her energy, time, or convenience. She believes in things fully: her people, her marriage, her family, and especially the Lord.

Her passion runs deep. She doesn’t do anything halfway. When she cares, she cares with her whole chest. You feel it in the way she will ask follow-up questions for weeks just to make sure you’re okay. You feel it in how she holds people close, even the prickly ones.

Her faith is something I’ve grown up watching, and I think I’m only just now understanding how beautiful it is. She trusts the Lord in the quiet, daily way, not the dramatic way. She shows what it looks like to stay steady when life isn’t.

Faithfulness isn’t just something she believes in. It’s something she practices.

Joy & Gentleness — Boyd

There’s an ease and lightness to Boyd that just feels like joy. He’s the kind of person whose presence makes the whole room feel like it just took a deep breath and remembered life is not that serious. He’s genuinely funny, not the loud, trying-to-steal-the-spotlight kind, but the quiet, perfectly timed, deeply observant kind. The humor that makes you feel seen instead of embarrassed. I am just always smiling around him.

And then there is his gentleness, something I’ve always admired, maybe because it’s rare to find in grown men. Boyd has this way of moving through the world softly, like he’s choosing not to disturb what isn’t his to disrupt. He’s strong, but he never overly aggressive with it. His confidence is steady, not showy. When he listens, you feel like you’ve been handed a safe place to land.

He carries both joy and gentleness the way some people carry a coat, effortlessly and naturally. And every Thanksgiving when he walks through the door, the whole house feels a little lighter, a little kinder, a little more like the world I hope I'm helping build.

Kindness — Molly

Molly radiates the kind of kindness that makes you believe the world is still good. She has a way of making other people feel included without drawing attention to the fact that she’s doing it. She pays attention to the small things: your mood, your tone, the things you didn’t say out loud.

Her creativity feels like its own form of kindness too. She turns simple things into something special. The way she decorates, the way she plans, the way she gives gifts. It’s all intentional. It’s all her way of saying, “I see you.”

Being loved by Molly feels obvious. There’s no guesswork. There’s no distance. She meets people with softness, enthusiasm, and warmth. If kindness were a table, she would set it beautifully and then pull out a chair for every single person.

Self-Control — Jack

I sometimes joke that Jack is the most capable person I know, but it isn’t really a joke. His self-control is something I admire deeply. He is disciplined, focused, and wise in a way that feels beyond his age. When he commits to something, he follows through. When he trusts in the Lord, he does it with full sincerity.

He has this ability to balance responsibility with fun. He works hard, thinks deeply, and then turns around and is the most entertaining person in the room. He’s loyal to his people with a fierceness that makes you feel safe. He’s not swayed by chaos or pressure.

His intelligence is obvious, but it’s his discipline that shapes his life. He doesn’t act on impulse. He reflects. He chooses. He listens. He does the right things, even when they are also the hard or unpopular things. Self-control for him isn’t restrictive, it’s directional. It points his whole life toward what matters.

Peace — Clarissa

Clarissa is peace. Not the kind that whispers politely, but the kind that settles over a room and makes you breathe easier. She carries herself with grace that feels almost supernatural.

She’s thoughtful and gentle with her words, but she’s not afraid to speak truth.

She has this incredible ability to hold hope. You can hear it in the way she talks about the Lord, the way she supports her husband, the way she sees other people. She shows me what faith can look like when it’s lived from a deeply rooted heart.

Clarissa is one of the women I look up to most. She has walked with me through situations where she somehow knew exactly what to say. She brings peace not because life is peaceful, but because she knows who she places her hope in.

Being around her feels like exhaling.

Goodness — Mellany

Mellany is goodness in the most real, unpolished, honest form. She’s funny, unpredictable, and opinionated in a way that often makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. But underneath all of that color and chaos is a heart that is so deeply good.

She doesn’t take anything from anyone. She knows her worth, and she protects it. She is smart in a sharp, intuitive way. She’ll call things out that no one else noticed. She’ll defend the people she loves without hesitation.

She might appear unpredictable, but her loyalty is steady. Her conscience is strong. She has a moral compass that points directly toward integrity. Her goodness isn’t delicate. It’s bold.

She is my best friend for a reason.

A Thanksgiving Ending

When I look at my family through the fruits of the Spirit, I see pieces of who I hope to become. I see the qualities I want to grow in. I see the people who shaped me, stretched me, challenged me, and believed in me. And I see the little-girl version of myself, the one I wish I could hug, sitting at this table and feeling safe.

Maybe that’s the real gratitude of the season. Not just the blessings we can count, but the people who have helped us become someone we’re proud of.

If the fruits of the Spirit are evidence of a life touched by God, then this table is overflowing.

And I’m thankful. Very, very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

All my love,

Neva