by  Yoon Tae Chong

As a second generation Korean American (meaning I was born after my parents immigrated to the States), I grew up knowing that my parents' sacrifice and dream was for my sister and me to have the opportunities to succeed that they never had. Indeed, this is a common and beautiful refrain for immigrant families of all ethnicities. Often lost, in this narrative of sacrifice for future generations, is the fact that the older generations still have a life to live and other dreams to pursue.

In the Fall of 2014, I had just started my career as a nonprofit development professional, moved into an apartment I was proud to be in, and just started dating my now fiancé: the future looked bright. So when my mom called and asked me to come home for a church ordination service the day after I was helping host a Halloween party, I was less than stoked. Being a decent son, however, I decided to make the trip home to Atlanta. This trip ended up being one of the most profound experiences of gratitude in my life.

Little did I know that this service was to celebrate my mom's ordination as the first Korean female elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) of Georgia. It's a strange yet profound feeling to realize that your mom is probably more of a badass than you are.  At that moment, then a late 20 something, I realized fully for the first that my mom had dreams, she was actively and successfully pursuing-what a gift it is to realize that!  Not only was it a great motivator for my own dreams, but also an opportunity to share in the dreams of someone so dear to me. It seems to be such a simple thing to share dreams, but how wonderful it is to share dreams across generations.

Yoon Tae's mother's historic ordination at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) of Georgia

Editor's Note: Yoon Tae Chong is the newest member of the Village office team as our Administrative and Fund Development Coordinator.

Lessons From My Grandson

I asked my grandson, Dylan Gschwind, to reflect on the ways that gratitude shaped his teaching. After referring to his college experience, surprisingly, in Positive Psychology class (he was a math major), he wrote this:

"The lessons from that class have stayed with me since graduating college and have deeply inspired my current field of work: outdoor education. My job is to bring high school students out into the woods for multi-day backpacking trips, teaching them technical skills like tying knots and cooking meals and interpersonal skills like conflict resolution and leadership styles. These trips can be physically exhausting, emotionally draining, and downright scary at times, but when those feelings of self-doubt and worry begin creeping up, I ask them what they're grateful for. When we're out there in the middle of the forest without the luxuries of everyday life, students often express gratitude for the small things they've never thought about before: running water, a roof, fresh vegetables, heat. Other times they're grateful for bigger things: family, friends, opportunity, wilderness lands. No matter the subject of their gratitude, these students come away from these moments and these trips with a newfound freshness and perspective. They are kinder to others, more confident, more grateful, and happier. And I remind them that when those feelings of uncertainty and doubt rise again, which they no doubt will throughout their lives, to stop, slow down, and ponder their gratitude."

As for me, I'm grateful for the opportunity to work in nature, to learn from students, and to teach what I care deeply about. What are you grateful for?