I will share some personal thoughts on how Native people feel about expressing gratitude, not necessarily in terms of the Thanksgiving holiday but in a deeper private way — one that is part of daily life, part of seasonal change, part of being in ceremony in harmony with the natural world. As part of my time, I will begin with a brief Lakota thank-you song, which the entire fellowship can then share in singing together when I conclude.

Michael Thompson (Mvskoke Creek) was born in Holdenville, OK, and raised on a south Georgia cattle farm along the Flint River. He has been a teacher, writer, and occasional community activist in Georgia, Kansas, California, and New Mexico. He and his wife Tina Deschenie (Diné/Hopi) are both retired from education and restoring her family homesite, complete with cattle, in Crystal, NM.

Topics: The Gift of Generosity