We are each reminded this and every Thanksgiving Holiday of the great mystery that unites us one to another and from generation to generation, in gratitude for the return of seed time and harvest, for the increase of the ground and the gathering in of its fruits.
Much has changed since early humankind gave thanks for the bounty of the harvest. The foods that many of us will be fortunate to share this weekend will in many cases have traveled halfway across the nation, even halfway around the world to our tables.
And so we give thanks for all the hands that went in to the preparation of the bounty that we will partake – from the hands that planted the seeds, to those who played a part in the harvest, those who transported it to the markets, and those who prepared and molded it into the wonderful meals that are set before us.
We pause to remember too that the bounty we may have the privilege of sharing in is often not the experience of so many around the globe, including many between our shores and within our national borders. And so we hold those less fortunate then ourselves in the light of hopefulness and urge our consciences to action that we might be instruments of transformation in some small way in their lives.
As we give thanks, we reflect especially on the WIC families we serve each day and our friends and families in the larger WIC community. And, we hold in our hearts those members of our community who have family and friends serving in the armed services or the diplomatic corps in places of tension in the world.
We pause and remember too those who have suffered through the violence of terror at home and abroad, through natural disasters, who are refugees from war zones, who live in fear, who are alone, who may be in the midst of a health challenge, who are unemployed or underemployed, who are without shelter, or who may be dying.
There is so much about this time of year that leads us to ponder life’s mysteries and yet still be grateful for the many gifts of generosity we daily experience in our lives. May this Thanksgiving Holiday bring you joy in celebrating, peace in your heart and spirit, and the opportunity to inwardly experience all that makes life and the memory making we engage in, the greatest of gifts to be thankful for.
From your Board Chair – Janet Jackson Charles – the Board of Directors and the NWA National Office staff – Kendall Brooks, Elisabet Eppes, Martelle Esposito, Pierre Francois, Quinney Harris, Robert Lee, Nayeli Lucero, Georgia Machell, Hannah Shultz, Alexis White, Cecilia Richardson, and Douglas Greenaway, we wish you all a Happy, Blessed Thanksgiving.