Friends,
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's a day when I think about how
fortunate
I am to have been born to
brave parents
who immigrated to the U.S. and worked away their youth to provide for our family. Every day I feel blessed for the opportunities I've had because of their
sacrifice
and the endless
possibilities
available to their grandchildren.
My parents came to this country with a basic education – lucky to read and write. They managed to find the kinds of jobs that wear the human body down with aches and pains. They
never complained
, they
never missed work
, we always had a place to live and food on the table. As we assimilated into American culture, we learned about holidays from school, television and neighbors. A woman named Pina explained Thanksgiving to my mom and taught her how to cook a turkey. To this day, we talk about Pina and the valuable lessons she shared with our family about how to be
American
, especially on holidays. Although my dad prefers real Mexican food, he has come to accept the traditional Thanksgiving menu with a side of jalap
eño
s.
Today I count many things to be
grateful
for including the working hands of my
parents
, the school
teachers
who guided me, the
mentor
who helped me through college, the
friends
who have made me laugh when I wanted to cry, the
husband
who never doubts that I know what I’m doing, and my amazingly kind
children
who make me proud every single day.
May you all have the good fortune of living an
imperfect
,
complicated
and
active
life.
Happy Thanksgiving.
