Feeling torn between gratitude and grief this Thanksgiving? If you're happy your kid is home but heartbroken that traditions have changed because of your aging parent's needs—you're not alone, and both feelings are completely valid.

In this Thanksgiving week check-in, you'll:

• Acknowledge the sandwich generation tension of celebrating in multiple places
• Release the pressure to perform gratitude when you're actually grieving
• Practice the affirmation: "Traditions may change, but love remains"
• Remember that your presence matters more than the location

New to this practice? Start with Sunday's full episode (Episode 131: Coping with Holiday Changes) where we explore why changed traditions trigger such profound grief and how to honor your feelings before the holiday arrives.

Press play to give yourself permission to hold both joy and grief this Thanksgiving—because love shows up wherever you are.

If you’re interested in learning more about the “Crossroads Advantage” perspective, check out the article and more of Valerie’s writing on her blog, ‘Oh, Hello Midlife’.

And if you sign up for the newsletter, as a thank you, we’ll send you the “10 Min. Calm Kit for Sandwich Generation Moms.” It includes three guided sessions for morning, mid-day, and bedtime, so you can find your calm in the midst of this chaotic season of life.

Learn more on how to release the pressures of Sandwich Generation Stress with episode #121, or through movement in episode #120.

You’re listening to the right show, formerly known as the Mindful Life Changes or Mindful Career Change. We’ve pivoted through the years, but finally landed on the right path: content for moms in the ‘Sandwich Generation’, because midlife disruption doesn't have to break you.

New episodes drop on:

• Sundays: 20-min episodes addressing common midlife challenges with practical strategies plus a mindfulness practice (affirmations, mantras, or meditations)
• Wednesdays: Bite-sized episodes to reinforce Sunday's mindfulness technique & reset your week

More from The Mindful Midlife Mom:

Discover Valerie's articles on ohhellomidlife.com or watch her videos on YouTube @ohhellomidlife

This podcast explores patience, meditation, confidence, presence, and overcoming resentment while cultivating calm, peace, mindfulness, clarity, mantras, and addressing loneliness and burn out; it covers boundaries, caregiving, guilt, affirmations, working moms, self-care, midlife crisis, empty nesters, empowerment, people pleasing, compassion fatigue, family caregiving, stress relief, self-worth, stress management, and how to shift from reactive to centered when feeling short tempered, offering tools for self acceptance, easing mental exhaustion, building emotional resilience, harnessing inner strength, and preventing caregiver fatigue for those in the sandwich generation through expert advice on boundaries setting.