Before our archive piece, I want to speak to the disparaging history associated with todayās national holiday. When I look out at the sweeping valleys of central Pennsylvania this week, I am all too aware of the land that was stolen. In this area, the land belongs to the Susquehannock people. As I sit down to two Thanksgiving meals today (with one already completed last night), I acknowledge the indigenous people that once thrived here. I am ashamed of the history of our country and nervous about the futureāwith their red hats hanging proudly in their homes, the people here are no better now than they were hundreds of years ago.
Zackās family has been in this area for generationsādefinitely āfrom the Mayflowerā types. His Amish ancestors (yep) had settled here starting in 1736 (also yep), creating the Northkill Amish Settlement. In 1757, local tribes attacked the Amish settlement, particularly Jacob Hochstetlerās homestead to which they set ablaze. This is now known as the Hochstetler Massacre. In Zackās fatherās home, they have a painting depicting the scene: A Native American hiding in the forest looking out towards a small cabin on fire, his hand resting on a long, muzzle-loader gun. A replica is mounted above the painting.
Our archive piece is all the way from last yearāThanksgiving of 2020. If I would have planned ahead, I could have asked Blaze and Lizzy what theyāre grateful for and got everyone involved buuuttt Iām a mess, so here we are. Blaze and Lizzy? I am hella grateful for both of you and Iāve rightfully amended my previous post.
Thanksgiving is going to look weird this year. Really the entire rest of the year is going to look weird. Generally, each year Zack and I switch off holidaysāone year itās Thanksgiving with his family, Christmas with mine, and then we swap the next year. In almost six years of dating, this will be the first time we celebrate this holiday (and potentially Christmas) alone, but together. Zack loves Thanksgiving (and loves eating), but now weāve made the decision to not travel, to not be another part of the problem. And thatās freaking sad! Even though Iām not the most family-centered person out there, I respect Zackās dedication to his family. Being forced to change decades-old and longer traditions is upsetting, especially when everything is so, so terrifying.
In our last collab before breaking for the holidays, the topic was simple: What are we grateful for? This question is passed around every year, but Iāve never felt more inclined to pause and think about my answer. Thereās a lot to still be grateful for, even though I can find myself crying any given day, so we wanted to take up space in our writing and in our brains to list the most important things and people to us. Letās spread the love!
Shelbyās Grateful Forā¦
BANSHEE
I know, itās a given to say Iām grateful for my dog, but dammit Iām gonna say it anyway. I fucking love this dog. So Boodle Boy, Iām grateful for you for constantly making me laugh with the way your feet fur grows to look like youāre wearing elf shoes. Iām grateful for how important walks are to you because you get me out of the house, into the fresh air, moving my body. Iām grateful you are a stage seven clinger and legit never leave me alone because I donāt want to be alone.
SYDNEY, AIMĆE, KAYLA, BLAZE, LIZZY
A Trust Fund has been hard. Running a newsletter is so much harder than I thought. Iām constantly in fear of no one reading, therefore making all of this meaningless. I often doubt my writing, but through A Trust Fund and through you three, Iām learning how to be proud of the good things I write, acknowledge the not-so-good, and the importance of taking the time to write. This can and will be my craft and I can only do it with you.
EVA, BRITTANI, LIZZY, MAGGIE, ADDISON
The coworkers I am so happy to call friends. You guys are the only reason I show up to work. Lush can eat a dick, but man Iād die for each of you. You all shine in such different and dazzling ways and I love that I get to know you. Eva, youāre my best friend in Ohio (besides Zack). You fucking get me. Brittani, you are the sexiest mama Iāve ever known and I just love you and Winry so goddamn much. You are going to raise such an incredible girl. Lizzy, we have the most ridiculous conversations that always end with us dying of laughter in front of customers. Your flash and flare always remind me to be authentically me and that I love doing whacky shit with makeup. Maggie, youāve been a fantastic manager through all of this shit storm, always prioritizing your teamās needs. Personally, youāve shown me secret ways art and beauty are hidden in the world and that there just maybe something to believe in. And Addison, we havenāt been friends long but I love how you find optimism and joy in everything. Youāre always smiling, always telling a joke, and always feeling every emotion possible. You remind me that my brain can and will be against me, but Iām stronger than it.
ZACK
I mean, where do I begin? I get nervous when I try to formulate cute, romantic things to say and I feel like itās never perfect. You have been so influential in creating the person I am today. Yes, did I steal your style and your music? Sure, but hey, what if I didnāt like your music, then what would you do? But youāve also shared your wealth of knowledge with me and I know more about the world because of you. You help me challenge my assumptions of men and what a relationship in 2020 and beyond could look like. Youāve been my main support system for any and all endeavors I have dragged you along on. Youāre my favorite person to talk with. Youāre my favorite person to be alive with.
AimĆ©eās Grateful Forā¦
MIKE
Peek behind the curtain timeā¦Iām writing my portion of this collab after both Shelby and Kayla (even though my section is appearing above Kaylaās). That being said, I guess I should write about my significant other since they wrote about theirs. Lol jk! Iāve been so incredibly grateful for Mike for the past four years of my life. I donāt think I could have survived grad school, my first year of teaching, and the months of quarantine without him by my side. I donāt want to sound too clichĆ©, but there really is no one else Iād rather spend my time with. That being said, Iām also grateful that Mike is as independent as I am. Weāre the type of couple that likes to be near each otherā¦but doing different things. We have shows we watch together, but shows we watch on our own. We have games we play together, but games we play on our own. You get the idea. We sometimes even eat separate mealsā¦together. Itās what works for us! Iām just so thankful weāre always on the same page, and that heās never been afraid to communicate his feelings to me. Ever since day 1āliterally, day 1āheās been an open book with me. I still donāt know how I got so lucky.
MY COWORKERS
My school really has the best community feel. We just switched to being temporarily fully remote yesterday, which is a bit of a bummer, but Iām still so thankful to be in this with my wonderful coworkers. We wonāt get to do Friday afternoon outdoor happy hour for a while, but we have other ways of virtually supporting each other through this mess.
MY SWEET BABIES (AKA MY STUDENTS)
My students are such a blessing this year. Theyāre kind, respectful, and willing to work (for the most part). I really hope I get to teach them in person again soon. They make me feel alive as I teach them each day.
MY FRIENDS
Yāall know who you are. Thanks for the Zoom calls, WhatsApp group texts, and Snapchats. I donāt get to see most of you very often, but I always feel like youāre with me.
Kaylaās Grateful Forā¦
Letās be real, this year has been incredibly difficult. Between the ongoing pandemic and the stressful election, at times, I honestly thought this year would never end. However, it is now the end of November, and 2021 is just on the horizon. The holiday season is in full swing and I am prepping intensely for my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving)! In a time where so much is still up in the airāwhen will we get a COVID vaccine, when will cases start declining, when will life start returning to ānormalāāI think it is so important to take a step back and think about all of the things we are grateful for. Every day I find myself grateful for different things because it really is necessary to focus on some positives every once in a while.
MARC
This one is a complete no-brainer. Marc has been my rock for years now, and that is not something that has stopped this year. He is the calm to my storm and he is always ready to sit me down and tell me I am overreacting and need to calm down. Sometimes, my type-A personality really needs that. He pretty much keeps me in line and always puts our little family first. I know that if I am every feeling overwhelmed or upset he will jump in the car to go grab my favorite meal: tacos and queso. There have been a lot of times this year when I have felt like I was spiraling out of control, but he has always helped me remain grounded and reminded me to keep pressing forward. For him, I am forever grateful!
MY FURRY COWORKERS
My cats are my world. Honestly, there isnāt much more to say except I will always be grateful for a fuzzy belly to shove my face into during a long day. Yup, I said it, I love shoving my face into a warm, fluffy kitty belly. Iām not gonna lie, while I love working from home, it definitely gets very lonely at times. I sit in my house all day with nobody to really talk to, but my cats definitely make it more bearable. I find myself taking short breaks to play with them, pet them, and take cute photos for Snapchat. I think if I was completely alone all day I would truly go insane, so having my adorable fuzzy coworkers by my side has been a true blessing!
ATF
Writing for ATF has been a big change for me this year and I could not be happier! Having a solid support system of strong women around is something that I have been grateful for all year. Just having a place to put my writing out for the world to see with three other amazing women has been incredible. Although Iāve known AimĆ©e for years, I feel like I have gained two new friends with Shelby and Sydney. Our collab pieces and Zoom calls help break up the monotony of my day and give me something to look forward to during my week. I am so grateful to these lovely ladies who put up with me and even support me when I want to write about random topicsā¦like soup!
There are so many other things I am grateful for this year that it is hard not to list them all. I am grateful for my family supporting me during my job transition, I am grateful for my friends who are always up for a good movie night, I am grateful for my Peloton that helps me blow of some steam after a stressful day (yup, Iām still riding it!). I could honestly write pages on the things I am grateful for, but will stick with brevity for now. Thank you to everyone who reads our thought-out words, daily suggestions, and sometimes childish banterā¦just wait until we talk about Christmas movies! We are so grateful for you, readers!
Shit Weāre Loving: PEOPLE (even though its supposed to be experience)
Our Pick: Instagrams of awesome Indigenous people and education like @DecolonizeMyself and @NotoriousCree (his video with gorgeous hoop dancing below).
Our archive Pick: The lady that invented the Green Bean Casserole, Dorcus Reilly
Hey, Dorcus! You rock. Thank you for creating the most iconic Thanksgiving sidedish, all while insuring even idiots like myself (Shelby) can make it. I fucking love green bean casserole. Itās a staple at every Thanksgiving in my family; I know my dad and my grandfather can polish off a whole dish just the two of them. So hereās a reflection on my favorite Thanksgiving must-have:
Does anyone actually eat Cream of Mushroom soup or is it just an ingredient? Also, I think, as a kid, if I had known there was something called Cream of Mushroom in my green bean casserole, I probably wouldnāt have eaten it.
Apparently, the original recipe (made in the 50s) uses soy sauce and threw me for a LOOP. Do you use soy sauce in yours? Is my family just inherently racist?
Why donāt we make green bean casserole year-round? I want my wedding cake to just be green bean casserole
Does anyone use fresh green beans in theirās or are you like me and think canned taste better?
The Frenchās fried onions are obviously the best part and I will die on that hill
Okay but seriously, how many calories are in a serving? And by serving, I mean half the pan
Show Your Support:Ā Native Land Digital
An archive piece calls for an appropriate archived Show Your SupportāNative Land Digital. If youāre home for the week or at someone elseās home, pull up Native Landās website and find out whose land youāre on. Double points if you bring it up in conversation with your creepy uncle.
We are on stolen land. You and I, right here, right now, are on land that was never ours to take. Yet, many donāt know this. Even less care. But learningāand acknowledgingāis half the battle and Native Land Digital aims to have everyone take that first step. Native Land Digital is a free, online tool to learn of the original Indigenous territories in a specific area. The project, which started in 2015 as Native-Land.ca, strives to ācreate and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resourcesā like their comprehensive and interactive map and the Territory Acknowledgement Guide.
Land is sacred and, as Native Land Digital stresses, it is not easy to draw lines that divide land into chunks that delineate who āownsā a different part of it. In reality, land is ānot something to be exploited and āowned,ā but something to be honored and treasured.ā To honor the sacredness of the spaces weāve built our lives on, the spaces we often take for granted, we acknowledge and extend our hearts to the landās original owners and to Mother Earth herself, for bearing the weight of humanity.
Shelby and Lizzy acknowledge the Kaskaskia, Myaamia, and Hopewell land they live on. Shelby also acknowledges the Shawandasse Tula people and their land that is now Bexley, OH, and the Susquehannock people of Central Pennsylvania.
Sydney acknowledges the Munseen Lenape and Wappinger land she lives on.
AimƩe acknowledges the Merrick land she lives on.
Kayla acknowledges the Kiikaapoi, Jumanos, Wichita, and Tawakoni land she lives on.
Blaze acknowledges the Ramaytush, Ohlone, and Muwekma land she lives on.
Daily Intention:
Today I willā¦
Know that I can set boundaries, get up and leave, and not feel guilty today and any day with the family. Today I will acknowledge that our families have pasts and find the parts that still connect us, but if there really are none, I will not lose myself to please them.
Hereās some nifty buttons for you to press, enjoy: