As families gather and friends reunite, we take this time to express our deep gratitude to all members of the AmeriCorps Project Change family and all our partners and supporters, without whom our work of service would not be possible. Someone once described gratitude as “the memory of the heart.” I love that because memories summon up feelings that we discover are never lost, that are still alive in us. One day of joy can help us endure a month of misery or heartache.
I believe that days like Thanksgiving that occur in a regular cycle are good reminders that sometimes, whatever else we eat in celebration, we need most of all to feed the heart. No matter what dinner you sit down to, I hope that this week, all of you receive a special message or a hug or that some old friend reaches out from years past to say Hi and Thank You. My dear friend Michael White, the father of narrative therapy used to call these “Giving Back Practices.”
The French language is remarkable in how it takes the word for heart “coeur” and creates a family of words in english like “Courage” and “Encourage.” So let us all be encouraged this Thanksgiving, and that the spirit of selfless service continues to shine from AmeriCorps to a nation that can so easily get distracted by urgencies of the moment.
Take Heart. And Happy Thanksgiving.