Folks are increasingly put off by Thanksgiving. It is a fictional event divorced of brutal historical context. Black Friday brawls may in fact more accurately reflect historical truth and who we are most of the time. And the current US Census held in 2010 found that 80.7% of the population lived in urban areas. Harvest?

I get it. Except I don’t get it. I’ve always loved Thanksgiving—the food, family…the reading. (This year Barnes & Noble conducted a survey finding Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest reading day of the year!) More than these things, though, I love how Thanksgiving Day centers reconciliation, peace, gratitude for what we have today. Even if we jockey for hot dealz tomorrow. Even if it’s all a beautiful lie. (Think Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.) How it inserts itself between Halloween and Christmas, two holidays that are frequently too much. Finally, growing up in a rural, Northeast Arkansas farming community, I do understand the significance of harvest, yielding community along with bushels.

I love the idea of a holiday especially for giving thanks. I have so much to give thanks for.

This Thanksgiving I am deeply grateful, though, for those who daily rekindle my spark.

1. My family, with whom I can just be.

2. The LFP/BB community, who chooses optimism.

3. Kids, who teach me.

4. Project stewards, who choose trust and compassion.

Because of you, my flame is bright. Good for seeing in the dark. (Or beyond Black Friday.)

Happy Thanksgiving.