“Hey, I don’t wanna seem ungrateful. I don’t wanna seem like I don’t need anyone’s help, to get me through the rainy days, to push through the haze, so I can get on my feet and I can stand up and do what it takes”-Streetlight Manifesto

The holiday of Thanksgiving is a very peculiar one. As children, we are told that it was born of Native Americans and the Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth coming together to eat. However, growing up and reading history books this idea of coming together regardless of our differences starts to get dismantled.

Stories of genocide, enslavement, and indiscriminate killings slowly come forward as the narrative of American history. You do not have to look far today to see these elements that plague our history manifested. Indiscriminate killings to Afro-Americans at the hands of the police, and the violence that Native Americans face in North Dakota in order to protect their sacred land are just two of many instances where our history, once again, comes to life.

Even still, with all of these horrible and brutal events going on coupled with the uncertainty that our future holds, I would like to redefine or re-craft the idea of this holiday.

Recently a friend of mine wrote me a letter telling me exactly what many of us need to hear, which is: “you matter.” After reading the letter and wiping tears from my eyes, I began to think about how we could all make this world a better place by just saying those two words.

Because to be blunt: life can be a real asshole. Full of pain, hardship and tragedy, but if you surround yourself with the right people and tell them how you feel, you can make grey clouds turn white.

Far too often, at least in my experience, we’re led to believe that we’re just bricks in wall, stacked on top of each other in order to stabilize the foundation. In reality, we’re puzzle pieces, relying on another piece–multiple pieces, in fact–to come together and make something beautiful.

Metaphors aside, what I’m trying to say is: during this holiday, come together and tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. Time moves too fast and is too unforgiving for us to keep our love for one another under-wraps. Laugh, eat, and enjoy today because while it may look bleak, and it may seem like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, there are bright faces and warm hearts all around us.

With much love,

Mitchell Timmerman