Thanksgiving is a holiday that generates much in America– deep desire to connect with loved ones for some & emotional upheaval of turbulent family dynamics for others, celebrations of our bright American heritage & continued discussions of the dark truths that heritage also contains, roast turkey with all the trimmings & tofurky with beautiful raw salads. How we all choose to engage or not engage this day in this nation varies just as much as we do, reflecting a diversity that has the potential to be a strength for this country instead the roots of our downfall.
How we all listen deeply to each other’s experiences can bring us together again. The potential for healing that lies within all of us is something I am grateful for when I survey the struggles we must face as we move deeper into this century as a nation.
Today, I invite the FAR community- project weavers, editors, contributors, & readers- to share from your heart what you are most grateful for in this nation today. Share how you will be celebrating your gratitudes, if you would like. And share your hopes for us all in the years to come.
Then listen deeply to others who respond, even if their experiences seem completely unfamiliar to you or their words challenge you as you read them. On this Thanksgiving, in this space, help me to create a diverse community sharing that can strengthen us in our celebration, as well as, unite us & fortify us in the work to come.
Blessings from a grateful heart for this, our beloved FAR community.
Kate Brunner is a writer, healer, ritualist, & member of The Sisterhood of Avalon, studying at the Avalonian Thealogical Seminary. She is a somewhat nomadic American, homeschooling her children with the world as their classroom. She holds a BA from Tulane University, where she studied Economics, International Relations, & Religious Traditions. Kate volunteered as a presenter for monthly Red Tents and semi-annual women’s retreats before relocating overseas for several years where she hosted seasonal women’s gatherings, facilitated labyrinth rituals, and led workshops on an assortment of women’s spirituality topics. She recently returned to the US and is breathing into the potential of this new chapter of her life.
feminismandreligion.com 
I am grateful for the Pacific Ocean’s waves and the redwood forests of California. I am grateful lilacs in the spring in Connecticut. I am grateful for the sunshine after the rain today in Lesbos.I am grateful for the lives of all of those who survived the passage from war torn lands to the shores of my island in recent days. I am grateful for the struggles and joys of my ancestors whose journeys far from their homes in France, England, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, and Sweden led to my birth in Pasadena, California. I am grateful to those who welcomed my ancestors, and I mourn for the lives of those they displaced and whose tribes and families were killed. I mourn for those who were were bought and sold and owned as slaves. I am not grateful for any nation state, nor am I grateful for the wars waged in my name. May the spirit of peace and generosity grow within us all on this day of thanksgiving.”Let us bless the Source of Life, the fruit ripening on the vine, the grain pushing up from beneath the earth, and the cycles of birth, death, and regeneration.”
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This is wonderful, feels like a benediction.
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Let’s give thanks for the friends and family we love so much and who have stood by us in times of joy, stress, need, success, failure, aging, youthful vitality, and all the times of hugs needed, given and returned.
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I give thanks that no matter how horrific the world seems to become in an instant I can turn and learn of some act that illustrates the beauty of humanity and hope is renewed in my heart and soul for future generations,
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Thank you for this invitation, Kate. Gratitude to you and everyone who make the FAR community possible. I am about to go out the door to drive to see my son and my sister, so I will say the first gratitude that came into my head. I live in a region that was once heavily industrialized and deforested. Now much of the land is preserved and the forests have grown back. People from all over come to wonder at its beauty and be touched by it. I am sure not everything is in perfect balance, but it seems that there is hope here of some balance and there is healing that is the gift of beauty.
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Having grown up in a country where speaking one’s mind was dangerous, I’m grateful today (and every day) to be able to openly speak (and write) about what I think and believe.
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Silence and conversation and more silence to ponder the conversation.
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I give thanks for the FAR community that lets me write silly stories to post here and that reacts positively to them. ;-)
I’m grateful for words and for the First Amendment. I’m sitting here looking over the top of my screen out the window at a sunny day in Southern California–blue sky, green leaves on the tree that was trimmed and grew back, and the yellow butterfly that just drifted past. And Heisenberg (my male Maine coon cat) just ate too much and threw up. Mixed blessings on Thanksgiving!
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I am full of gratitude for family. Sometimes it is not easy working through the vast dynamics of a step-son, two children of our own, a son to me who I helped raise and a son I gave up for adoption who is now back in our lives. For the first time in years, we will all be together today before they spread out again into the world. Family is everything and I am blessed in the diversity of it all!
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What a marvelous suggestion –
I am grateful for the family into which I was born.
I am grateful for the many dear friends whose lives have touched mine.
I am grateful for the education I receved as a younger man and that which I continue to pursue.
I am grateful for the opportunities which continue to beckon me at an age (63) where many of my peers have begun to slow down or even drop out.
Despite bouts with prostate cancer and depression I am grateful for my generally good health.
I am grateful to be able to grow a beard and ride my Jeep off road.
I am grateful for the Aquatic and Fitness Center at George Mason University where I swim and lift weights.
I am grateful for the W & O D trail which runs from Arlington County to Purcellville, VA.
Ditto for the C & O Towpath and the Capital Crescent Trail (DC to Bethesda) – Anyone who bikes, runs or walks surely must feel the same.
I am grateful for the opportunity to pop in unannounced to see friends (and enjoy some pie before going off to visit others).
I am grateful to be able to tell the world about the children of my siblings and their accomplishments.
There are so many things for which I am grateful, but I have said enough here.
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I am grateful for each of you here. You bring so much to my daily life and expand my understanding and help me to grow a little bit better. Thank you for taking the time to share and building this community.
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I am grateful for hope, both yours and mine.
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I am grateful I have managed to stumble my way forward almost three years beyond the age my father was when he ‘passed away’–his Christian Scientist mother did not allow the use of the ‘d’ word–and that each day now seems to me an unearned and therefore unexpected gift.
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Thank you all for sharing your thoughts, wisdoms, gratitudes, & hopes with us in this space today.
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