Thanksgiving

It’s complicated…

Let’s face it – Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday. The relationship between white colonists and the native peoples of North America was complex and fraught with violence. Thinking too hard about the subject can leave you less than thrilled to carve up a turkey and celebrate the first Thanksgiving.

Then there’s the shopping. Let’s all leave our holiday parties early so we can shop and get good deals on Christmas presents. Don’t get me wrong, I love good deals. But I dislike the smash and grab atmosphere that seems to accompany Black Friday.

…but it’s my favorite.

Yes, Thanksgiving comes with plenty of complications. However, I have to be honest with you all. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love it because it celebrates gratitude, family, and being home. Thanksgiving for me is warmth, pie, and parades watched on TV. I think that if we try to interpret the holiday in modern ways, we can preserve the tradition that so many love.

Wait, what? Modern and traditional? Yup. Here’s my vision for how we do that. We honor the pain of the Native Americans. We honor the spirit of those first colonist who made it through the winter. We focus on gratitude above all else. Because for me, being grateful creates warm, fuzzy feelings. And the last bit? We explore ways to be more tolerant and inclusive in our daily lives.

So much gratitude

I feel so very grateful for the amazing things that have happened this year. Becoming a published author has been a dream of mine since I was very small. So I would like to extend a very warm thank you to everyone that helped me edit and polish my novella. And a very special thank you to my readers. I am grateful for each and every one of you!

Please consider donating to RAICES

In honor of Thanksgiving, I’m sharing a fundraiser with you all. It’s part of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text’s Don’t Be A Dursley campaign. We are raising money for RAICES, an organization that helps refugees. According to their website, RAICES works to “provide lawyers for children, reunite families, provide social services to immigrants in need, resettle refugees, and more.”  They are based in Texas, but helps families all throughout the United States. To learn more about RAICES, visit www.raicestexas.org

If you want to join the campaign, click here to donate! And thank you!