Happy holidays everyone! I’m thankful for another year spent with my family as we opened gifts, ate a giant homemade breakfast dad made, and finished the day with at home batayaki (our favorite ever). This season looked exactly like last year as we gathered at home, ate with just our small family so as not to spread germs, and haven’t really ventured to any restaurants, but I’m more than thankful for our health and wellness after such an awful two years public health wise. I love how the holiday season can bring people together in the spirit of giving and love. However, I can’t help but remember all of the people who suffer through these celebratory days, especially these past couple of years as we lost so many people to COVID. Incarcerated people, those who are living on the street, people who have recently lost loved ones, and immigrants at the border aren’t afforded the same joy and satisfaction as most of us are. I’m thinking about the people in jails and prisons across the country who can’t see their families and are trapped in cells all day and night; the babies in cages who don’t know where their parents are; the people who’ve made house on sidewalks, hoping they’ll find another meal soon; and those who are grieving over loved ones who never got the chance to grow up. I often feel an incredible guilt over my own happiness, knowing that there are so many others who only feel loss and pain. And why am I so privileged to spend the day with people who love me while millions around the world suffer? Why do I get to open lavish and thoughtful gifts, hug my family members, and stuff my face with delicious food when others are barely surviving? It all feels devastatingly unfair. I hope we’ll all recognize how lucky we are this holiday season and actively support and uplift those who aren’t as blessed. I hope we’ll remember how painful this month can be for so many and fight for a better world where everyone is loved, respected, and taken care of. I hope the season of happy holidays was indeed just that for all of you.
