Thanksgiving Part 2: Embracing gratitude-an incomplete list

In Thanksgiving part 1, I acknowledged that the historical origins behind why we celebrate Thanksgiving, does not mean the same thing for many Americans, especially the Native Americans who mourn Thanksgiving as the beginning of the end of their freedoms.

In Thanksgiving part 2, I want to embrace gratitude and the endless amount of things I am beyond thankful for.

This list is by no means complete.

1. I am grateful that I have the liberty to seek the truth even if it means acknowledging the dark history of my country and the possibility my ancestors contributed to it.

2. I am grateful for my crazy and loving family and having a safe place to gather with them for the holidays.

3. I am grateful for my husband Jeremiah, for his incredible heart and compassion. He rarely complains and never ceases to put the needs of others before his own. Always.

4. I am grateful for my incredibly kind and smart son Jonas. It is a privilege that he has access to an education that allows him to work towards his endless potential. So many children in our world don't have the opportunity to safely attend schools or go at all for that matter. I may complain about hating Common Core but a humbling dose of perspective allows me to see that my child is one of the lucky ones.

5. I am grateful for my friends and embrace our similarities as well as the differences between us.

6. I am grateful to continually have enough food to feed my family as well as enough to extend a meal to someone less fortunate.

7. I am grateful for having flexibility in my job to balance my work with my personal family needs.

8. I am grateful for having a warm place to lay my head down, a loving face to wake up to, and a beautiful child to enjoy life with.

9. I am grateful for great books, movies, and games that fill our days with joyful distractions.

10. I am grateful that I have a voice to speak out, a heart that insists I fight for what I think is right, and the mind to understand that I can (and should) think and act on behalf of my convictions.

I am most thankful to live in the safety of possibilities and embrace the greatest responsibility of all...to fight the good fight in all that I do, i.e. parenting, marriage, community, and education. Perhaps it is an idealistic sentiment but we are blessed with free will...some will use that free will for evil and oppression and some will use it to promote equality and love for all...I choose the latter.

Happy turkey day everyone!