A Thanksgiving Reflection: The Village We Are Becoming

Thanksgiving has always been a time for slowing down, taking stock and noticing the quiet blessings that shape our lives. It's always been my favorite holiday. This year, as I look at everything unfolding with Gratitude Village, my heart feels especially full. What started as a spark—an idea born from needing more support, longing and a desire for something more—has grown into a movement of people who are choosing connection, sustainability and shared purpose.

When I first named this project Gratitude Village, it wasn’t a branding decision. It came from a very personal place. Gratitude was the thing that kept me anchored during a difficult season when I was struggling to find my purpose after leaving a two-decade career in education. It was the thing that helped me see possibility even when the path ahead was unclear. I wanted our future neighborhood to carry that feeling—to be a place where gratitude isn’t just a feeling we talk about, but something we practice in the way we live, share and care for one another.

And today, I feel that gratitude more deeply than ever.

In the last week, we’ve welcomed six new board members who bring wisdom, humility, experience and enormous heart to our project. Each one of them said “yes” not because what we are creating is easy, but because they believe in what Gratitude Village can mean for Colorado. They believe in mixed-income living. They believe in sustainability. They believe in belonging. And they are rolling up their sleeves to help us build it. Their presence is a blessing I hold close.

I am equally moved by the Founders and Explorers who continue to show up month after month with enthusiasm, determination and trust. You are some of the most thoughtful, generous, open-hearted people I’ve ever known. Truly extraordinary humans. People who want to grow gardens together, raise kids together, support elders together, share food, share laughter, share life. My heart bursts open every time I think about the people who will one day live by me.

Sometimes I look at the faces in our meetings, our dinners, and our calls, and I think: How did we get so lucky? How did this project attract such remarkable people? The kind of people anyone would be proud to call neighbor.

And here’s the truth: I am impatient. In the best possible way.
Impatient to build this with you.
Impatient to walk our car-free paths and see kids playing freely.
Impatient to celebrate birthdays in the common house and share quiet cups of tea on porches.
Impatient to garden with you, laugh with you, support you, and be part of your daily lives.

I can already feel the heartbeat of our future neighborhood. It’s in every conversation we have. Every meeting we hold. Every new person who joins and immediately says, “I’ve been looking for this for so long.” It’s in the way we lift each other up. It’s in the shared belief that community isn’t something we wait for—it’s something we create.

This Thanksgiving, my gratitude is both simple and profound:

Thank you for believing in this vision.
Thank you for believing in one another.
Thank you for choosing to be part of something bigger than any one of us could build alone.

Gratitude Village is already alive—not because we have homes built yet, but because we have each other. And that, more than anything, gives me hope.

Happy Thanksgiving, beloveds.
Here’s to the village we are becoming.