A Thankful Nation
By Rep. Kristi Noem
I am finding it tough to get into the right mindset to write this column. In recent days, we’ve had to have some difficult conversations about how we’re going to keep the American people safe and away from terrorism’s deadly fist. I’ve traveled to Pine Ridge to talk to young people and tribal leaders about a tragic suicide epidemic afflicting Indian Country. My team and I have received hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls from South Dakotans who are concerned about how the federal government is caring for veterans, supporting our seniors, and digging out of debt.
Our world can be such an ugly place. But in the midst of it all, most of us will sit down with family or friends on Thursday and give thanks for our many blessings. What an incredible national tradition that is.
Especially when times are tough, we need to take the time to reset – to step back and take an account of what we do have. For me, I’m grateful for my family, for the partner I have in my husband Bryon, for the time I get to spend hunting with my oldest daughter Kassidy, for the laughter that seems to follow our second oldest daughter Kennedy wherever she goes, and for the tender heart of our son Booker.
I’m grateful for my mom and the incredible grandma she is to my kids and their cousins. I’m grateful for the time I had with my dad and all the lessons he taught me. I’m grateful for my mother-in-law and father-in-law who have been there to support us at so many turns along the way. I’m grateful for my siblings and their spouses and my nieces and nephews; they have made our family of five so much bigger (and so much louder!)
I’m so incredibly grateful to live in South Dakota. I’ve always loved our state and after spending a week or so in Washington, D.C., I become even more appreciative. I call coming home my detox.
I’m grateful for the people of our state – for those who offer words of encouragement, those who challenge me, those who pray for me, and those who ask questions and offer solutions.
I’m grateful to live in a nation that has made freedom the first tenant of our Bill of Rights; a nation that promises opportunity and strives to better itself and the world around us; a nation that takes the time every year to give thanks.
From my family to yours, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
###