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When someone said yesterday, “You know, next week is Thanksgiving,” I was actually a bit taken back as time has become so warped-was it not just Sukkot? But then I started thinking about how different this Thanksgiving will be (a la Passover, “Why is this Thanksgiving different from all other Thanksgivings?”), and how we might want to approach it.

This year many will spend the holiday separated from those with whom they would normally celebrate. Let’s make sure to call/Facetime/Zoom with them and let them know they are loved and missed.

This year we can’t help but look at Thanksgiving through the eyes of an awakening nation to the racism that is in our DNA as a country. While giving thanks for our nation and all our riches, let’s make sure to work toward racial and economic equality, with diverse partnerships and friendships, giving our nation a chance to live up to the ideals we enshrine in this national holiday.

This year the onset of winter brings more than colder and darker days; it brings with it the uncertainty of living through what might be a difficult season of the pandemic. Let us be gentle with one another and ourselves through a season that may seem longer and harder than usual. We may have to stay in, but let’s also check in and lean in.

Although this Thanksgiving may prove to be challenging for many, let us always make space to offer gratitude for the immutable precious things in our lives: love, potential, hope and resilience. And since you are reading this, know that you are part of a community that cares about you and your well-being, so there’s that, too.

Shabbat Shalom and a Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving,

Beth