KATHRYN SHEA DUNCAN

My 2025 Thanksgiving Day reflection, written from my sister’s couch in St. Louis, Missouri.

As I watched her meticulously put together a puzzle from the thrift store, I was letting the whiplash of this year finally land. Taking stock of what held me up when I wasn’t sure I could hold myself. 

Watching her, I felt that familiar question rise again: where does one find the strength to begin again?

And, as always, I found myself here. Writing is how I release what hurts, recover what’s true, and remember that starting over isn’t a mystery. It’s a practice and a privilege.

2025 Gratitude in Practice

I’m grateful for the people who have taught me what love looks like in practice, not just in words.

I’m grateful for my body, for carrying me through every season I’ve asked it to survive, adapt to, and keep showing up for.

I’m grateful for people who feel safe to be around, the ones I don’t have to perform for.

I’m grateful for friendships that hold steady even when life gets loud and really, really hard.

I’m grateful that I’m learning boundaries, and learning that being kind doesn’t mean being available all the time.

I’m grateful for the ability to create, not for productivity’s sake, but because making something is how I process being alive.

I’m grateful for the courage to say, “This matters to me,” even when it would be easier not to speak up.

I’m grateful for my past self, for getting me here, for doing her best with what she knew at the time.