As Thanksgiving approaches, I’ve been thinking about what it really means to be thankful—and I keep coming back to one simple thought:
I am thankful to be here.
Not because every day is easy. It isn’t.
One of the hardest parts of working in a community like ours is becoming attached to people and then having to say goodbye. There are people we have laughed with, celebrated with, encouraged, and grown to love who are no longer here. There are also days when we watch someone we care about walk through a difficult season of pain, illness, loss, or uncertainty. Those moments are hard. They stay with you.
But maybe that is part of what makes this place so special.
Because I have come to understand that this community doesn’t shy away from the hard things. You show up for one another. You notice when someone is struggling. You celebrate the victories—big and small. You sit beside someone in the difficult seasons. You encourage, serve, laugh, pray, and love one another.
You have taught me that true community isn’t about everyone having an easy life. It’s about not having to walk through life alone.
Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
I see that verse lived out here, and I feel incredibly blessed to be part of it.
I came here to help others stay strong, active, and engaged, but I have discovered that I am learning just as much from all of you. You have taught me about resilience, generosity, courage, humor, compassion, and what it looks like to keep showing up—even when life doesn’t look the way we hoped it would.
I’m thankful for the conversations, the laughter, the classes, the hugs, the stories, and even the difficult moments that remind me how precious our time together really is.
Most of all, I’m thankful for you.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your community and for teaching me, in so many ways, what it means to truly care for one another.
I count it a privilege—and a blessing—to be here.
