I’m conflicted this Thanksgiving, my first without my son (since his birth). The world seems fraught with danger and grief, my country on a dangerous path. Amidst that, I’ve still got many reasons to be thankful, including…

• My family’s safety and health
• Continued progress healing my broken wrist, and my doctor’s prognosis that I can likely expect a full recovery
• The health care pros and insurance that have made that healing possible without bankruptcy
• My son’s college graduation and acceptance to graduate school
• The high points of this trip out West, which was itself a bittersweet blessing:
  
• Loved ones no longer with me in person but ever present in my soul
• The extended family with whom I’ll share todays’s Thanksgiving feast
• These faces:

• Dear friends afar with whom I’ve nurtured friendships throughout my life, including a joyful trip to Ireland this year
• Activists everywhere who fight to make this country better than it is right now
• Poetry, music, theatre, art, and the many opportunities I have to enjoy them
• Nature, the Earth, and the time I spend outdoors

There’s more, but that’s a good start. What makes you thankful this day and this year?