Lighting the Path Forward: Finding Gratitude and Strength Amid the Darkness

In Fairydale, by Veronica Lancet, Darcy spends the day preparing nice food for Amon. She winces as she thinks of him eating dead rats for her. When she arrives at Amon’s quarters, he is waiting for her.

Thousands of years prior, the man in Sela’s garden asks her what her name is. She whispers to him, “Please don’t hurt me.” She never thought the violence happening in the world would visit her in her own home.

Later, Meli tells Sela that she brought the extra stuff she requested in addition to the assortment of food she’d brought. Sela looks around the kitchen. Amon sometimes brings food as well.

Utah Representative Mike Kennedy said that he doesn’t see any reason for the House of Representatives to reconvene. His comments came just days after Utah Senator John Curtis said it was time House lawmakers to return to session. Curtis says that if it were up to him, “We would find consensus.” Affordable Care Act healthcare subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year. Kennedy said he does not think people making “$600,000 a year” should receive subsidies.

Headed to a confirmation vote on November 19 is Governor Spencer Cox’s nomination of Judge John Nielsen to fill a vacancy on the Utah Supreme Court. The Senate Judical Committee voted 5-2 to recommend Nielsen’s confirmation. When asked by Senator Pitcher, Neilsen said he could not recall if he had been asked about the abortion issue in private meetings with members of the Senate. Senator Brammer stated that Nielsen had indeed responded, saying, “That’s probably too adjacent to some of the cases before the Supreme Court and I cannot answer that.” Nielsen said that Brammer’s question “was close enough to be uncomfortable.”

In The Vanished Birds, by Simon Jimenez, Kaeda says nothing to Jhige about Yotto being a poor choice for her. He has other lovers in the interim. Staring at the stars on his roof, he can convince himself that she is thinking of him too.

Fumiko is designed to be ugly. When she is famous, she remembers shame. A man at a signing tells her that even though it was a shame what her mother did, at least she’s a genius.

One by one the crew of the Debby leave to begin their vacation until only Nia and Sonja remain under Travilion’s twirling chandelier. Nia asks Sonja what she’s doing. She accepts Nia’s invitation to dinner, and at dinner asks her if she knows anything about “this Nakajima” everyone is talking about.

Four years later, aboard the Debby, Nia is not ready to talk to Ahro. The crew listens to Sartoris recount what he had seen in the plains. Standing outside the cargo bay, Nia listens to the voices volleying thoughts about Ahro’s power.

Ben McAdams is launching his campaign to run for congress on November 13. He declined to comment Tuesday night. Both maps submitted by the plaintiffs in the redistricting case will create a district that that favors Democrats. McAdams narrowly lost to Burgess Owens in 2021. According to the expert who drew the Legislature’s proposed map, if McAdams and Evan McMullin both run for separate districts, they could win half the congressional delegation.

Meanwhile, Utah Republican leaders pledged up to $4 million for food banks. In a letter to Governor Cox, the Democratic caucus urged that “the primary challenge remains delivering food to those who need it the most.” Food banks across the country are facing additional strain.

The traditional Thanksgiving story portrays "friendly Indians" welcoming Pilgrims, teaching them survival skills, sharing a meal, and then disappearing - effectively handing America over to white people. Most Americans were taught this simplified narrative in elementary school with pageants, craft projects, and celebrations. The reality is much more complex - while there was a harvest meal between Pilgrim settlers and Wampanoag in 1621, it was not the start of a tradition.

When Europeans arrived, indigenous people (1-3 million) already had full, vibrant societies with democratic systems, trading routes, advanced farming and land management techniques. In the late 1610s, an epidemic (likely spread by English fishermen) wiped out 90-95% of indigenous people along the eastern seaboard. Pilgrim settlers arrived to find cleared land and empty villages. They were greeted by Tisquantum (of the Patuxet tribe), who spoke English because he had previously been kidnapped, enslaved, and taken to England before returning to find his village destroyed.

Facing the reality of cultural genocide evokes uncomfortable emotions: anger, guilt, confusion, shame, and the desire to turn away. Each emotion chemically lasts only about 90 seconds, though they can stack up. Spiritual practices like meditation, prayer, music, therapy, and walking can help regulate emotions.

Progress comes from collaboration and collective action, not individual heroes. Despite recent elections, we shouldn't fall into believing that elected officials alone will save us. Unitarian Universalists are committed to collective liberation through their belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all people. Concentration of power in the hands of billionaires is unsustainable and harmful to society. Our collective power is always available and can never be taken away.

November is a good month to remember to show gratititude, not because we must, but because it strengthens us and gives us hope. There are a lot of things that we don't feel thankful for, and it it would be disingenuous to say that we must express gratitude for them. On the contrary, we need to recognize the things that give us comfort, hope, and strength when the world seems to be in a state of constant chaos--things like supportive friends, family, and community, and recognizing that there are people out there willing to continue the fight against suffering. It can mean so much for someone that feels so oppressed to know that there is someone that is grateful to have them in their life.

Friday evening, I met up with Utah Outdoors group and hiked the Wild Rose Trail. The trail was hard to see without headlamps, and I following behind the leading group. Once the gap started widening, I turned on my headlamp to light the path in front of me. During the first mile, I would just barely catch up with them on a short break and they would continue on. I felt like my own need for a break was being denied, but I continued to push on so I wouldn’t lose sight of them. Finally, on seeing the destination around the next turn, I stopped to gain my breath, as the others caught up with me. Danny said not to worry, that he was “the caboose” and it was his job to make sure no one was left behind.

Finally, when I felt my cardiovascular system had calmed down enough, I began the last leg up, and seeing no one on the bench, I proceeded to occupy it and take a few photos of the well-lit Salt Lake City and Bountiful terrain below us. The plethora of lights in so many colors was beautiful against the backdrop of the partly cloudy sky. The moon was only partially uncovered, and I realized I had missed an opportunity to photograph it as we were leaving.

Shortly after I had sat down on the bench, one person said, “It’s cold. Are you ready to head back down” Another voice replied, “I think Sophia wants to rest for a minute.” I was grateful for that reply and thanked them. A few minutes went by before I made my way back down the hill with the rest of the group.

This week, the family members of trans individuals were stunned by the US Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump can continue to deny gender markers that reflect a person’s lived experience on their passport. The transgender community has known for some time that it was a blessing when Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had issued the rule while in office and knew that it could rolled back at any time. This is just one more right that needs to be clawed back and made more permanent.

When trans people are forced to have national documents that do not express their lived reality, it puts them at danger of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and murder, including but not limited to, state-sanctioned murder. Add to that the hesitation to provide food stamps, which in turn is prompting a food crisis, and the loss of jobs, it is clear that this administration doesn’t care about the health and welfare of the majority of its citizens. The Republican Party, which controls both houses, as well as the executive and the judiciary refuse to come to the table on issues that the people actually care about.

President Trump’s preferred method of administration is diktat by fiat, which is to issue a decree and assume it is the law of the land. The US Supreme Court is not helping, when it refuses to stop him from abridging human rights.

Even in the midst of chaos, cruelty, and political indifference, we can still choose compassion, courage, and connection. The stories of those who endure—whether fictional or real—remind us that resilience often begins in quiet acts of care: sharing food, lighting a path, or standing up for someone’s dignity. The world may seem fractured by greed and apathy, but our collective power—our ability to show gratitude, to organize, to love fiercely—remains unbroken. This November, let’s renew that power. Let’s be the ones who don’t leave anyone behind, who speak truth even when it trembles, and who insist that justice, empathy, and hope are not luxuries—they are the light we all deserve to walk by.