An Appreciation for Thanksgiving | Selected columnists

I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. As a Filipino American, Christmas celebrations have been going on since September first, the beginning of the “-ber” months. I’ve already thought about Christmas decoration themes, color schemes and gifts. I try to keep the Christmas spirit at bay at least until after Halloween, but like many others on Guam, Mariah Carey, Wham, and Bing Crosby start gracing my daily music playlist as soon as November begins.

But let’s go back to Thanksgiving. It’s not lost on me that the holiday romanticizes the events of 1621 between the British settlers, later called “Pilgrims,” ​​and the Wampanoag tribe in what is now Massachusetts. It is also not lost on me that many Native Americans view this holiday as a “day of mourning,” a reminder of the genocide they experienced at the hands of settlers, while others remain ambivalent about the holiday. I am not here to sanitize our country’s very complicated and often painful history and the varied emotions that Thanksgiving evokes among our indigenous peoples.

Although the historical roots of this holiday are more rooted in myth and symbolism, I have developed an appreciation for the modern spirit that has imbued Thanksgiving as a time of gratitude and families coming together for a special meal. I also welcome that this has become a time for many individuals and groups to flex their philanthropic muscles and give back to the causes they care about. So let this November be a month of gratitude and thanks to those who have made our lives and this world a better place to live. I’m starting.

I thank my ancestors. Thank you for your resilience, for your wisdom, and for your sheer determination to survive. Even as an adult, I’m still getting to know you and still searching for my roots and the lineage that made me the person I am today. Thank you for my wonder, my tenacity and my respect for life, nature and the world around me. I also thank you for my curly hair.

I thank my family. I thank my parents for supporting my goals and efforts, no matter how far-fetched they may have seemed to them. Thanks to you, I was able to study on the other side of the world, live in different countries and learn more about the world. Thank you for always trying to be there for me as best you could. I thank my siblings for putting up with me as the eldest and for being my playmates growing up. I would also like to thank you for laughing together and for growing with me.

I thank my friends near and far. You help bring out the light within me and have given me the safe space to be myself unapologetically. Thank you for celebrating my victories, comforting me in my losses, and giving me the gift of presence, companionship, and shared joy.

I thank my groups, cohorts and communities. Thank you for strengthening my sense of belonging. I also thank you for giving me the space to share my ideas and passions, learn new skills and perspectives, and gain a better understanding of different cultures and peoples. Thank you for confirming to me that community is an important factor in promoting our well-being.

Finally, I would like to thank you. Thank you for reading and for allowing me to be a small part of your life. I hope I have at least given you something to think about and at most inspired you to express your gratitude outwardly. It’s been a difficult year for many of us, and while I can’t even begin to imagine the extent and frequency of the difficulties you’ve experienced, I just want to thank you for being here. Thank you for the good things you have done for your loved ones and the community. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you very much.

Dulce Amor Imbo is a student pursuing a master’s degree in counseling at the University of Guam. She is an advocate for mental health and advocates for a more sustainable lifestyle. She is from Mangilao Village.