Dear Editor:
noun
The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
“She expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support.”
In recognition of the fact that November is both National Gratitude Month and Native American Heritage Month, our decolonization discussion group thought it might be an appropriate time to offer up a community challenge. But first, a little background.
The late Bessie Jackson taught her children and grandchildren, who now teach their children and grandchildren, the tallest you’re ever going to be is when you’re kneeling down to help someone up. As your fellow neighbors, we have come to recognize that like us, signs of frustration, anxiety, and exhaustion have been ever present in the last few days/weeks/months/years. To shift this, we want to serve up a hearty plate full of gratitude, pick-me-ups, and words of support.
During the month of November we will provide a daily letter, authored by a member from our group. There are so many amazing things that have happened despite, and in some cases because of, the hardships that our community has faced. This is the perfect time to recognize those people, things, or events. We know we can’t properly acknowledge everyone or everything on our own – so we’re inviting you to join us in using your voice! How would you like to extend gratitude? Thanks in advance for your willingness to share.
If you’ve never written a letter to the editor, it’s simple. You can use a few words, or up to 500 to convey your message. When you’re ready to submit it, you can contact the Daily Sitka Sentinel (cyndi@sitkasentinel.com) and they will find space to include it in an upcoming printing.
Lastly, whether or not you partake in the upcoming holiday season, customs, and festivities, we really hope you and yours experience joy, peace, love, kindness, humility, and generosity, to name only a few, as we bring 2021 to a proper close.
Let’s grow taller as a community: together.
Gunalchéesh,
Bridget Hitchcock, Caroline Fenton,
Crystal Duncan, Doug Osborne,
Ellie Lo Re, Leah Mason,
and Nick Fruendt
the Sitka Decolonization Group
