I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner! As the holiday approaches, I find myself being very grateful for the opportunity to work with folks at Emmanuel. I also find myself thinking about turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pecan pie, but that’s beside the point. No amount of delicious food can replace the wonderful feeling in my heart that I receive from the joy I see on people’s faces…and boy, did I see a lot of that this week!

At Common Art, I had the privilege of reading the poetry of five community members. I was so honored that they trusted me enough to share their innermost thoughts with me, and that they really valued my feedback. I was astounded at their way with words, as well as their depth of meaning. What they had to say was really beautiful. What they had to say was really real.

This made me start to think about my own writing. Unfortunately, I have not written a lick of poetry since high school. I love to write, but in the past several years, I lost sight of that and only wrote what I needed to for school. I did not realize that I completely lost touch with my love of creative writing. These common art members, who feel fortunate to live in shelters, are grateful that God gave them the gift of writing. This opened my eyes and made me feel the same way. The creative arts are a lovely gift for us to use. I say this because I believe that we are all naturally creative and gifted, because that is the way in which we were created. We are creative creatures who were creatively created (try saying that five times fast).

This newfound mindset of gratitude has truly grounded me in what is important in life.  I wish for us to be thankful for what we have and use it to its full capacity. I believe that gifts are meant to be received and used, not tossed away. That is not to say that I think we should all write poetry if it does not speak to us, but I do believe that we all have at least one creative outlet that we have ignored at one time or another. This Thanksgiving, I ask that you think about it and give thanks for having such a blessing. Use the gift, and then gift it to others. Nothing is more powerful that showing someone how much you trust and care about them then by expressing yourself creatively. Honesty and vulnerability are the keys to true human connection.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Stay warm,  Evey