Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to be reminded of everything we are grateful for in life, especially when we are going through a hard time. I enjoy facilitating the “Gratitude Tree” exercise this time of year, and it can be done in a variety of ways. Essentially the exercise is to create a tree (3D or 2D), and the leaves represent all the things you are grateful for. The gratitude tree gives us a moment to sit down, decorate leaves, and ponder all the things we are grateful for- big and small. The completed piece gives us something beautiful to look at, while displaying our collective gratitude. I have done this exercise many times with elders with dementia, and despite the many losses they are experiencing, this project creates an opportunity to practice gratitude and appreciate even the little things… like a good cup of coffee.