"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John F. Kennedy

This pandemic year has been grueling for so many people, friend. Millions of lives have been upended, and just as many futures thrown into doubt. With so much stress in our country right now, holding any kind of gratitude may not feel easy, or even possible at the moment.

I understand that. But speaking just for myself, I’m going to try anyway.

I'm grateful for my family and friends, even if we can't be together on Turkey Day—for us, this will be the first time we spend this holiday without our extended family. (I’m also grateful that, after nine months, the family has finally figured out Zoom. That was...no easy road.)

I'm grateful for the thousands of patriots who have fought for our democracy this year, and who have LIVED American values that we hold dear. Together, we broke records in turning out to vote, rejecting corruption and division up and down the ballot, and restoring the soul of our nation.

When our country needed us, we showed up. We will be able to look back on this time in our history and know that we were not silent—we fought with honor. I’m thankful knowing that I did not stand alone in that fight.

And speaking of fights: THANK YOU to everyone continuing to take this crisis seriously and prioritize care for your neighbors and your communities. Keep it up: be safe this holiday. Social distance. Wear a mask, even indoors. Wash hands more often. Consider Zooming your loved ones. Let’s recommit to doing the little things (one day a time) to keep ourselves and each other safe.

The best leaders tell it to you straight, so I’ll follow their example: The coming winter will be rough. Continuing to restore our democracy will be a fight. None of this will be easy.

But I’m grateful to be doing it by your side.

Happy Thanksgiving from my family, to yours,
Amy