A Time to Give Thanks

As it has been coming into the holiday season (one of my favorite times of the year!), starting off with Thanksgiving, it really made me reflect on why this is one of my favorite times of the year and what I am really thankful for in my life.  Being here in Guatemala gives me a new and different perspective.  Being away from the usual traditions and my family and friends gives me a new and different perspective.  When going around the table saying what we were thankful for at one of the Thanksgiving dinners I attended here in Guatemala, I decided to sum up my thankfulness in “I am thankful for the support and encouragement I have gained through the strong relationships in my life.”  For me, everything I have reflected on this season has come back to my strong relationships that are full of support and encouragement – whether that is my relationship with God, family, professors, friends, or co-workers.  I have been blessed with being surrounded by amazing people who have supported me, encouraged me, challenged me, cared for me, listened to me, laughed with me, and loved me for my whole life – in all my steps of life.  I have been raised in a loving and faith-filled family that has raised me with values that I cherish – my parents have been witnesses and consistent role-models for me – my siblings have been my best friends – my extended family has been encouraging and present.  I have been blessed to meet a wide variety of people from all different places, with different backgrounds, different personalities and ideas…and from this large pool of people I have found some of the most treasured friends, who have taught me so much…who have brought me more joy then I could ever know…who have trusted me with their stories, ideas, and questions as I have done the same with them.

Education.  I am thankful for the education I have received throughout my life.  I am thankful for the easy access I have had to this education.  It was never a question in my mind if I would finish the 6^th grade, if I would graduate high school, if I would go to college – I knew I would and knew I could.  I was supported in every way up to my entrance into St. Kate’s and every day I was there as well.  I met some of the most intellectually challenging and inspiring people in my professors and classmates.  I found a community that I loved and in which I fully belonged.  I was exposed to new ideas and information – I was able to grow as a person – I was able cultivate my talents, discover new ones, and form my own educated ideas and opinions.  I was engaged in many exciting opportunities within my four years that have prepared me very well for where I am now and where I am going in the future.

Travel. New places and people.  I am thankful for my ability to travel…for my ability to see new places, to meet new people, to live in new cultures.  I have been blessed with being able to travel to many places already in my life along with the opportunity to live in two different countries other than my home country for extended periods of time.  I love that I have been able to learn Spanish and use it to travel, to connect with other people and to connect other people.  I have been able to leave my house, my town, my county, my state and my country – by my own choice – to see and explore new places, but always knowing that I would be able to return home and be welcomed with open arms.

There is much more I am thankful for of course, and much more I am even more aware of because of my time here in Guatemala, but these are a few of the items I have been particularly focusing on this season.   It all comes back to my relationships…the support and love that has made everything I have done and experienced possible.  I did have a good Thanksgiving this year, but really it was not a true Thanksgiving for me…I was surrounded by good people and good food…but for me, Thanksgiving is what my family was doing back at home…being together with family and friends – being together with people that are very close and important in your life…soaking up the moments together and remembering how important the moments are together.

I am thankful I am here.  That doesn’t mean I don’t miss moments back in Minnesota, but it does mean that I know that I am right in being here and excited about what I am doing.  One thing that Jeff (one of my colleagues at Common Hope) said at our Thanksgiving meal on Sunday for volunteers and friends was that he was reflecting about how thankful he was for this job at Common Hope – how he was thankful for the opportunities it gave him to help others.  He said something next that was interesting to think about…he said, he was thankful that others trusted him and us to do this work.  There are people who donate and support Common Hope and by doing this they are trusting us, the staff, to use their money to make a difference.  It really is a cool thing to think that those who are able give their money to a cause – our cause – and with that they are trusting us to make a difference.  I am part of making that difference…and I am thankful for that.