Counting Blessings
This weekend, our family went on a little mini-vacation to the Gaylord hotel in National Harbor. If you’ve not been, the hotel is quite stunning when decked out for Christmas. Numerous trees, twinkling lights, water fountain shows set to Christmas music, gingerbread villages—Christmas season was in full swing!
I apologize in advance for this divisive comment, for I am sure to offend some—but as beautiful as the Gaylord Christmas decorations were, I really don’t like Christmas celebrations starting before Thanksgiving. My dear friend Tiffany would vehemently disagree, probably having already pulled out her Christmas music in September, but I don’t like Thanksgiving being glossed over. It has slowly become just a speed bump between Halloween and Christmas!
Complaining aside—I think I love Thanksgiving as a time to reflect on the year and the blessings that we have had before the flurry of Christmas begins. So along those lines, things that I am deeply thankful for this year are:
- 2017’s uninterrupted and unprecedented streak of monthly gains for global stocks:
Monthly performance of MSCI AC World Index.
Source: Charles Schwab, Factset data as of 11/1/2017.
- 2017 saw synchronized global growth…and 2018 looks stable at the moment:
- Meridian Financial Partners is growing strongly—in 2017, we grew from serving 147 households in our community to helping over 215 families and businesses make smart decisions about their money. We grew from $115 million of assets under management to $156 million. And, we added Sarah Irving and welcomed two new babies to the Meridian family. It has been an amazing year!
- Along those lines—we are genuinely thankful for each of the clients we serve. We are thankful for the trust our clients have given us, and we really enjoy each and every one. At our Thank Y’all Fall Celebration, we were humbled by the attendance of almost one hundred clients, and just struck by how much we really love serving each one.
- We are thankful to be a part of our community—we have been able to support Lord Fairfax University, Fauquier SPCA, Hylton Center, Fauquier Community Theater, St. James Episcopal Church, and many others in 2017. We enjoy supporting these great institutions and participating in their community events:
(Sarah Irving and family participating in St. James’ “Gobble Gobble Run or Wobble” 5K)
- Personally, my family is happy and healthy and growing up—even Milo:
These are just a few of the things I am thankful for—I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends!!!