THANKSGIVING THOUGHTS

     Thanksgiving Day is about a week after Transgender Day of Remembrance.  I never saw the significance of this occasion until now. We celebrate the lives of transgender people lost to violence. We also are thankful for the impact they may have made on our lives. 

     I can imagine that it must be bittersweet when we realize that a member of the family will not be there to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner. The sting of our trans sibling being lost to senseless violence is strong. I temper that with the gratitude that they were a part of my journey. 

     Regardless of the feeling you may have about this holiday, reflect on the people who may no longer be here but will forever be in your heart. That is something to be thankful for.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

~Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman Statesman (106BC-43BC)

BE THANKFUL

 

TRANS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

 

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Equality and separation cannot exist in the same space. 

~Jason Mraz

GRATITUDE

 

THOUGHTS FROM A TRANSGNDER VETERAN

I attend the Veterans Day parade religiously every year. Each year I trek downtown to pay homage to my fellow veterans. As I watched the contingent of Korean veterans march by, it reminded me of how they encouraged me to participate and share my story.

I served in the U.S. Army at Fort Riley, Kansas in the First Meddac Division (1971-1974). I was a pharmacy tech. I never went overseas but the experience of being a part of something greater than myself was life-changing. I didn't know that I was transgender until 2005 but maybe it was better that I didn't. 

Men and women of all sexualities and identities have served in the armed forces with dignity. The ban on transgender people serving was wrong-headed and stupid. I am proud to have served my country. I am proud to be a transgender veteran.  

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, chaos to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, 

It can turn into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

~Melody Beattie, Writer (b.1948)

TRANGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

We are making preparations for Transgender Day of Remembrance.  We will be having it on Friday, November 19th, at my senior center, both virtual and in person. I saw the list of the women and men murdered this year and it's really sad. 

THANKFUL PEOPLE ARE HAPPY

 

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.

~Nido Qubein 

THANKFUL PEOPLE

 

BEING THANKFUL

This month I will post much about Thanksgiving and thankfulness. It is a 365 day thing. I'm thinking that, maybe, Thanksgiving Day is overlooked. However one feels about that special day we should always be thankful for everything.

GRATITUDE