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A postcard for Thanksgiving

When I least expected it… ‘a postcard in the mail and then a phone call’. It’s the perfect reminder that it’s my second thanksgiving.

Sometimes we find ourselves scaring away from believing that there are people who care about us, but believe it or not, we are in their memories as much as they are in ours. You may be having a bad day but unknowingly someone may just be penning a postcard for you. There is so much to be thankful for regardless of how everything else is going.
There are so many things that I am grateful for this thanksgiving and its the very reason why I walked several blocks to Walgreens to pick up a few cards that I hope will mean, to some amazing people in my life, as much as they mean to me.
If I could list all the things that I am grateful for it would probably take up an entire book. But for now, I’ll just write the preface:

I am thankful for my mother. She is not here beside me so I can truly express how I feel about her. But I love her. There are so many things that I wish I could tell her but only time will tell. Two years away from her is beginning to feel like forever but the few moments I get to speak with her over the phone does make a difference.

I am thankful for all the good people who started this journey with me. It took me 20 years to meet them but I finally did. Gosh! Where were they back then? To the laughing, cheering, loving people who stood by my side at St. Vincent, I can’t forget how much that experience changed my world. They have inscribed in my heart, the very words, ‘there are kind people in this world.’

My cousins, brothers, sisters uncles, at Triangle Community Center. These guys built a community and they stood by it. I knew my family when I met them. I don’t know where I would have been had it not been for Triangle. There were so many decisions I had to make but they understood me and helped me to shape my goals. They have and are still showing me how to accept the things that I can’t change and to be whoever the heck I am.

(First Congregational Church) Almost 2 years ago I was only able to drive pass this church with my heart filled with happiness just seeing a rainbow flag hoisted at the front of the church. I was told it was there for many months – maybe years now – through hate and love. It’s still there… it epitomizes the resilience that characterizes true fighters. They were there with me through my last Christmas, my last thanksgiving and I know that they are still here with me.

My counselors – counseling has got to be one of the hardest jobs, especially when you have someone like me but my counselors never gave up on me. I can’t blame them for not always having the right things to say but they listened.

School – yes school, I can’t repeat this enough. You may guess correctly that I am the happiest person to go back to school. Three years out of school was enough… enough of that long, dark, frustrating period in my life. Really and truly it’s not so much about school as it is about the inspiration that I get, knowing that I can actually make something out of my life.

My people at turningpointct.org. I have been writing on this space for almost a year. And it has helped me to cope and to think. I ran out of ideas. I ran out of words. I lost motivation. But this space has kept me going. This has been one of my most effective coping skills.

And I want to thank my friend Jennifer, oh wait, she is family now. I hadn’t hadn’t heard from her in such a long time -not since she called me up- but she reminded me why I have to say thanks this holiday season. Thank you!

Of course, one of the best things we can all do this thanksgiving is call up that one person who we have been thinking about all year but never gotten in touch with. It’s a great way to say thanks. Believe me, it will melt someone’s heart.

Stay Warm and Happy Thanksgiving!!!