Congratulations to Elise Kert, whose winning entry will allow her to attend 2009 African Thanksgiving, and thank you to everyone who chose to share the many things we have to be thankful for this holiday season!

This Thanksgiving is especially meaningful to my son Sean and me. We have weathered many storms this year, from severe illness and death, to complete financial insecurity that we have never known. This time in our lives has made us acutely aware of the suffering of others, and made us truly grateful for the bounty we have, by virtue of the friendship, love, and resilience of the human spirit. While giving thanks this Thanksgiving, we also hope to redouble our efforts to aid those who are going through similar strife in their lives, and to give back to the suffering and downtrodden in our community. We are only as strong as our weakest link, and we feel that our well-being is contingent upon the recovery, not only of our family, and those near to us, but that of our community as a whole. Gratitude is the gift that has made us resilient, and there are so many opportunities to put that to work this season. Thank you, too, for making this forum possible. Deepak Chopra has an invaluable message that he is sharing with those who listen. — Elise Kert

I am thankful for the dog I adopted two months ago. He makes me laugh all the time. Now, I often think that pets understand their owners in ways other humans cannot. Bucky, my dog, seems to know when I need a cuddle or a lick on the hand. He’s always excited to see me. He motivates me to go outside for a walk and appreciate the simple things. Bucky had a tough life, but he is very loving and gives me joy every day. Who knew such life lessons could come from a little Boston Terrier? — Anonymous

Much is said about what we want in life. I am thankful for where I have landed. I am thankful for the realization that I am not the most important being on earth. I am not alone on this planet and therefore, not numero uno! I thank God for His plan in my life and for all the "hard knocks" that help me understand who I am. A wife, mother, daughter, sister, professional, and friend. But especially, a grateful and humble American and World citizen. — Leticia Salom

There's much to be thankful for. I'm thankful for having resilience. That despite being born with a physical disability, that my mind has no limitations. I'm thankful for being born to a young mother who didn't listen to doctors, and kept me, teaching me to be strong and independent. I'm thankful that same mother has kicked breast cancer's ass twice now, and won. I'm thankful to have artistic talent, to express myself, feed my soul, as well as to help others and give back. I'm thankful for the adversity and challenges I have faced in my life... thankful that thorns have roses. I'm thankful for the love of an amazing dog, who helps me be more independent, and makes me laugh every single day. I'm thankful for all the beauty, and miracles that happen all around us. I am thankful for and treasure each day, because you don't know how many you are going to be given. — Tamandra Michaels

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the village I have created around myself. Although I am fortunate not to have to call on my village right now, I am helping to support others that are facing crisis in the last two weeks. One friend lost her husband to suicide brought on by depression and financial difficulties. Another couple (I officiated their marriage two years ago) is watching their 2 month old go through multiple seizures in the PICU while tests are done trying to find the cause. Each of us never knows when crisis will occur — so I'm thankful for all the people I know would step in to help me if necessary. — Anonymous

My husband Ray and I are very thankful for our wonderful and creative family. Over the past 30 years we have weaved our family tapestry full of two of our own and 12 extremely abused children from Childhelp. These children, who had seen the worst that life had to offer, really deserved the best that we could provide and we have tried to give it to them. And now, our children are grown and are helping these children on their own. To watch them is one of the most rewarding parts of our life. Side by side, we have done everything within our powers to help each of these 12 abused children heal and develop self-esteem. We have always believed that unconditional love is the foundation upon which all healing begins. We are very thankful along with our grown children to be able to help children from any situation and let them experience the life they deserve — one filled with love. — Daran Grimm

I'm thankful for my health and good family and friend support. I have an optimistic faith that has aided me when dealing with professional and personal setbacks, including financial hardships compounded by unemployment. I never lost my faith and somehow remained patient and arrived at a good place currently. All the bad never hardened me and I remained positive. — Anonymous

I am thankful for all of the unsung heroes in my life who have left a positive impact by their simple acts of kindness and/or ability to act on instinct. One such example is Dr. Jeannie Huang at Rady Children’s Hospital. In 2004, after five months of devastating illness in my 22 month-old son and a life-threatening emergency, no one could figure out what was wrong with him. After meeting my son, she immediately suspected it was something called celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that manifests itself differently in different people. For my son, it was horrible digestive issues. For others, it’s migraines, infertility, or other commonly misdiagnosed ailments. We had him tested right away and it turned out positive. Once we altered his diet accordingly (removed all the gluten — wheat, rye and barley/malt), he healed completely. No drugs, therapy, or surgery required! Now he is a happy, healthy 7-year-old and THRIVING. Because of the suffering we endured as a family during the trauma, we reach out to others to help educate the community on the benefits of living gluten-free. There have been many unsung heroes in my life. And for that, I’m eternally grateful. — Karen Fine

I'm thankful that I live in community that cares. My neighbors and I keep our beaches clean, lobby to protect the quality of our air and water, and take pride in our public spaces. Our sense of mutual concern means that some of us volunteer time and money to build playgrounds and others raise money to support underserved programs at our local schools. It's a wonderful feeling — being surrounded by a community that cares. — Elizabeth Hansen

I feel that 2009 has been somewhat of a strange year for myself, friends, and family on the whole. When one sits back and reflects on the past year they oftentimes think of all the undesirable things that happened to them and that makes them look forward to a new fresh start. I am not a person who dwells or thinks unfavorably on life events that happen to me over the course of the year. In reaching forward to the New Year, I choose to grow from those experiences. So I am thankful for the fact that I fell victim to the economy and lost my job, that I only lost one family member to bad health and one friend to suicide, and that my unemployment funds are about to be depleted. Being thankful for those things allows me to realize that I can start a new career path to do what my true career dream is, that I was able to receive unemployment for as long as I did, and that I only lost two loved ones this year. Because I know there are many who lost way more than I. — Carlye Wund