by Laura Sillerman

There are times when to state the obvious is the natural course of grace and gratitude.  This Thanksgiving is one of those times.  I am deeply grateful for these women of Women’s Voices for Change, who are so compelling in their morality while so different in background. (As an example:  some of us were born to families where education, though held in high regard, was unrepresented in the generations before ours, while others on our board were blessed with parents for whom book learning had been akin to breathing.)

We do not look to the precisely same political horizons for the inspiration of sunrise, but we do all appreciate the high noon aspect of these days and we mean to help change things for the better.  To work in the company of people who care deeply–about the real victories of helping individuals and about the imagined triumph of healing a nation–is to be inspired every day.  I am deeply grateful for that inspiration.

On a highly personal level:  These past months have contained an enormous gift from my friends and colleagues alike.

I have been granted time and space. Within the haven of solitude that has been allowed to me, I have finished a master’s thesis.  To come to the realization of that dream at a time when some would have us believe the expiration date for dreaming is long past is to know one has been granted loving support.  For that support and for all who have provided it, I am so deeply grateful.

And, finally, I offer thanks for Chris Lombardi, the silent sorceress who dreams her own big literary dreams that are sure to come true while keeping WVFC honest, relevant and present.  We are all so grateful for her and hope each of our readers has someone as kind and good for whom to give thanks this week and all year long.

(Editor’s note: This is the first of a series of Thanksgiving-related reflections by WVFC contributors. Please feel free, in comments, to offer your own thoughts.)