Gratitude feels easy when life is full of blessings, but what about when the season you're in feels more like a desert than a garden? With financial uncertainty, relational strain, and a world heavy with unrest, many parents are wondering how to practice thanksgiving when joy feels hard to find. Yet Scripture calls us to "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)—a command that feels impossible apart from God's presence.

In this heartfelt Thanksgiving weekend episode of the Raising Godly Girls Podcast, host ad American Heritage Girls Founder & Executive Director Emeritus of American Heritage Girls Patti Garibay welcomes Bible teacher, author, and ministry leader Kat Armstrong for a conversation that speaks directly to parents walking through both deserts and gardens of life. Kat, the creator of the Storyline Project Bible studies and author of The In-Between Place, shares how the biblical imagery of deserts and gardens has shaped her faith and why it resonates so deeply with believers who are longing to see God's hand in both hardship and abundance.

Together, Patti and Kat explore how parents can model gratitude for their daughters even in difficult seasons, what it looks like to lead with both honesty and hope, and why thanksgiving is more about the steadfastness of our Savior than the state of our circumstances. Kat also offers practical ways families can hold onto hope when they feel stuck in a desert, and how unexpected moments of God's provision can turn barren ground into flourishing life.

If you've ever wondered how to show your children what gratitude looks like in the midst of struggle—or how to nurture a spirit of thanksgiving that lasts beyond the holiday season—this episode will encourage and equip you. You'll walk away with renewed perspective and the assurance that God's presence is faithful, whether you're in a desert or a garden.

Scripture Referenced in This Episode:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:18

• Isaiah 43:19

• Psalm 23:1–3

• Philippians 4:6–7

• John 15:5

Learn more about Kat Armstrong and her resources at katarmstrong.com.

Explore more tools to raise girls rooted in Christ at raisinggodlygirls.com.

To find or start an AHG Troop in your area, visit americanheritagegirls.org.