Thanksgiving for all

Katie D.

November 27, 2009 - 10:33 AM

This time of the year always makes me think a lot. I love Thanksgiving so much: I love the food and the whole focus of the day, which seems to be eating and spending time with people you love. That's a day I can get behind with my whole self.

But it reminds me of so many things. Some are wonderful, like the people who have been so important in my life, and who I love so dearly. Some things I think of are just as important, but are less joyful. I think about the people for whom Thanksgiving is a less joyful time, or perhaps a time of true struggle or sadness. I think this is an important balance.

I'm back in Portland for Thanksgiving, enjoying a third year celebrating with my friend Maddy and her family and friends. I am so grateful to these people who have taken me in time after time, and who treat me as a part of their extended family. I'm always lonely for my home and family traditions during this holiday, but I have fabulous people here, with traditions I am beginning to think of as part of my own.

So I'm thankful to my family here.

I'm thankful for my family back home, for our health and wellness. I'm so thankful that my grandmother cooked Thanksgiving again this year: at 90 years of age, she's still alive and cooking up a mean turkey dinner! I'm grateful for the support and love of my family in Denver.

I'm grateful for so many of my friends, here and at home. I have an unbelievable assortment of people in my life: people who are remarkable for their dedication to affecting change, for their kindness and love, for their humor and happiness. I am so thankful for my family in Oregon: the group of eight friends who have been completely essential to my experience at the UO. I'm thinking about my friends at the Wesley Center and how I'm grateful for that place. I'm so happy to have the Inside-Out Program in my life, as well as the people at Volunteers in Medicine and No More Deaths and Food for Lane County. I can't believe my luck for the teachers and professors who have so shaped my life.

If life can be broken down into a series of relationships, then I cannot be seen as anything other than a person who has been incredibly blessed.

Now, a quick story. I drove up to Portland yesterday with a group of friends. The traffic was terrible, of course, but it did allow for a lot of time for thought. I thought most about the highway and the other times I've headed north in a packed car. I thought constantly about my trips to Salem with the Inside-Out Program, heading to the Oregon State Penitentiary for classes. First, I am so thankful that I had that experience: that I met all those people and experienced the power of education to unify and equalize people. But I can't help but wonder what Thanksgiving looks like in a prison. I'm sure there is special food of some kind, and probably some kind of special program. But... Thanksgiving is about celebrating friendships and family. It's about being with the people you love. I can't imagine the holiday season behind bars. And the families of those who are incarcerated: what of them?

So I spent a good amount of time just sitting with thoughts of the inside students I met through Inside-Out. I sent my well wishes and thoughts their way while passing the freeway exit, and again yesterday while eating dinner. I hope they know I'm thinking of them.

I cannot imagine this time of year without the overflowing of food and love that I have always experienced. It is a time of plenty. But not for everyone. That's not a morbid topic for this time of year: it is a recognition of the truth. There are many who do not have the means for a holiday. So I'm sending my thoughts out to them in the midst of my Thanksgiving happiness and thankfulness. I'm renewing my determination to work for equality and justice in the world, both here and abroad. I'm more certain than ever that this is my path in life: to ease suffering and combat injustice.

So, for all those I love and need and am inspired by: thank you. And let's be thankful for the wild serendipity that our lives have come together in this way. And for all there is to be done in the world: I am so grateful for this chance to effect change.

Happy Thanksgiving!