“Let us join our hands and hearts in gratitude on this wondrous day where we have the abundance our lives before us. We remember on this day of bounty all of those who do not have enough, who are afraid, who are lonely, and who suffer. We wish for the abundance of this world to be shared, for fear to become love, for the lonely to feel welcomed, and for the suffering to know rest and joy. For the labors, the love, the care that gave us the delights of this and every day, we say ‘thanks!’ For the nourishment of our spirit, the challenges that strengthen us, and the friends we have on the journey, we sing ‘thanks!’ For all that is our lives, for these good gifts, we whisper ‘thanks!’ Overflowing with gratitude, let us shout, ‘thanks!’ Amen.”

-Naomi King

I hope we all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with food and family and love. I also hope we all are saying our parting words to another November gone and done, seemed like it blazed passed. Anyway, my mom printed off a sheet of ‘prayers’ for us to read before Thanksgiving meal. The one above was one of them.

I am thankful for the opportunity to come back home and be with my family and my dog. I am grateful to be away from school and not have to worry about classes or homework for, at least, a couple days. At the same time, however, I am grateful to be challenged and to be able to go to college at all. I am thankful for the teachers, throughout my years as a student, who taught me so much. Thanks to the friends who taught me so much as well, to the people who are so very special to me (you know who you are). I am grateful to Truman State University and Kirksville for giving me a glimpse of rurality.

This country has given me, and everyone who lives here, so much. The ideals written into our government were truly revolutionary and new. I am grateful for those who, every day, fight for those ideals and to protect them. Let us not forget the people who were pushed aside and forgotten to make way for this grand vision. Let us not forget that we could not be here today were it not for the help of natives. We would not be where we are today if it were not for other true visionaries like Martin Luther King or Albert Einstein. Let us not forget that, even today, people still suffer and are still struggling against the government and other people for a chance for liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness.

I am thankful for all of this. Most of all, however, I am thankful to those who fight every single day for what is right and for those they do not know. I am thankful to those who will not let the darkness of divisiveness and hatred overshadow the light of their love and ambitions towards a brighter tomorrow.

Thanksgiving is gone and done. Amid pure consumerism and yet another holiday season beginning, let us not forget we are all human. Let us not forget to be thankful every day, not just on the last Thursday of November. Let us not forget where we came from and how we came to be who we are today.

Let us stand together and shout or whisper a mighty ‘thanks’! It is the least we can do.