Lynn
Lynn Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler sent a memo to his staff saying that he was thankful for the dedication and resilience they have shown in service of students and families during such a challenging school year.
“As we prepare to take leave for a few days of rest and a celebratory meal to reflect on what we are thankful for, I wanted to take a moment to share my appreciation with you,” said Tutwiler. “While many of us will be exchanging one large gathering for smaller gatherings in our homes, I believe that the intangible spirit of gratitude, even in these challenging times, will still be present at every table.”
When Tutwiler sits down to eat with his own family, he said he will be reflecting on his staff and giving thanks for their efforts so far this school year.
“Your dedication, your willingness to step into the unknown with me in service of our students and families, your creativity, empathy, sense of humor, and resilience this year have been a daily reminder to me of what we can do when we come together as a community,” said Tutwiler.
“We may not have been able to come together in all of the ways we have wanted with our friends and families, but this year we came together in the way our students needed most. For that, I am truly grateful,” he said.
Lynn Fire Chief Stephen Archer said he was thankful for his family this year, which has kept him grounded during such a tumultuous time.
“I’m thankful this year for the love and support of my family that has stuck together through the confusion and uncertainty of a very chaotic year,” said Archer. “I’ve been reminded all year that no matter how tumultuous things get in the outside world, it’s calming and reassuring to come home to the safety and unity of a loving family.
“My wife, Susan, gets much of the credit for that. She has been our family’s rock in a time of storm,” he said.
Lynnfield
For the past five years, the Allain family has been intricately involved with football. Son Hunter, now a sophomore at RPI, was a senior captain of the team, while daughter Lexi, a freshman at Northeastern, was a two-time cheer squad captain. Mom Kerrianne could be seen everywhere on game day, working the concessions and patrolling the sidelines with her camera chronicling the season, while dad Dennis was a regular member of the chain gang.
“Thanksgiving football has been our tradition, so we will have a new tradition this year,” Kerrianne said. “It’s going to look a little different this year, but we will all be sitting at the Thanksgiving table together so I am grateful for that,” Kerrianne said. “I am thankful we are all healthy,” said Allain. “I have Hunter at home (working remotely) and that’s not easy and have Lexi in town on campus, but the four of us will all be together on Thanksgiving and we just have to take it one day at a time.”
Marblehead
Following in my mother’s footsteps, I am now the pesky one who insists that everyone at our Thanksgiving table share what they are grateful for before we start passing the gravy. So even though our holiday this year will look very different (only three of us at the table, due to COVID restrictions), I have been thinking a lot about gratitude as we approach Thursday.
With news that the transition to a new presidential administration can finally begin in earnest, I am grateful for the enduring power of American democracy. It sounds corny, but it’s true. I have worried that this great experiment started nearly 250 years ago had sustained one too many blows, but it proved itself to be just resilient enough.
And, on a more personal level, I am forever grateful for the following: the man I love; my three children making their marks on the world; my parents who model honesty, kindness, hard work, and bravery; a job that makes me think; and a body that, despite recent health challenges, keeps moving forward.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
First I am thankful for my family, friends and the support all of us have been able to give to each other during these difficult times. We have had to think and live differently for months now. This pandemic has forced us all to slow down, look around, and really take inventory of all we have. Families began to spend more time with each other. My 16-year-old nephew now goes out to breakfast with his friends. They don’t get to see each other in school, sports or other activities so this is how they are keeping in touch with each other.
We are also fortunate to live in a beautiful area where we can go outside and enjoy just walking around looking at the views and getting exercise.
Working for a non-profit, I am thankful for the people that have helped keep the doors of many restaurants, and shops open. People have really made an effort to sponsor, donate and shop local. I am thankful to live in a community with these kinds of people.
And I am thankful for being included in this.
Nahant
Nahant opera singer Ute Gfrerer said that when the pandemic first hit, she fell into a “deep crisis” when she realized she wouldn’t be able to perform onstage and share her music with a live audience.
To cope with her new normal, Gfrerer turned another lifelong interest of hers — astrology — into her new vocation.
“I enrolled in astrology school and recently graduated and now give readings to people and can continue what I love doing most: connecting with people and creating joy and healing for them,” she said of what she’s grateful for this year. “That’s what I do when I sing, and that’s what I can do through astrological consultations.”
A frequent world-traveler, she added that even though she may not have been able to leave her home this year, she’s happy to have made new friends all over the world through her internet readings.
She said she’s especially thankful to live in a town surrounded by nature during this time.
“I live in a beautiful place surrounded by stunning nature, the wild New England coastline, unusual birds, and this summer we even had whales visiting us,” Gfrerer said. “I am healthy … I have a good husband, a wonderful daughter, and some of my dearest friends live close by.”
Peabody
Peabody Police Capt. Scott Wlasuk, now in his 32nd year as a police officer, said he has many things to be thankful for.
“I could have retired this year but I still love my job and being out in the community and being able to have a positive impact on someone’s life,” he said. “With that, I am very thankful that I love what I do and have a chief of police (Tom Griffin) who is very supportive and also Mayor Bettencourt has been very supportive as has the entire city of Peabody.”
Normally on Thanksgiving, Wlasuk (currently an assistant at Revere High) is coaching high school football and isn’t around to help at home. But this year, he will be.
“Maybe my wife will appreciate me being around to help out,” he joked. “But probably, the most important thing for me that I am thankful for is the health and safety of my family and friends.
“I have a son who is a policeman in New Hampshire, and I am just thankful that he comes home and is safe. I thank God every day that he comes home safe. I am thankful to have a wonderful family, a wonderful wife and two wonderful sons and thankful that I live in a great city.”
Saugus
Jennifer D’Eon
Saugus parent Jennifer D’Eon has been open about her family’s struggle with online learning in the wake of state-wide school shutdowns. In September, D’Eon humorously documented her two children’s return to online classes through a number of Facebook updates, but she admits that as a family with two working parents, it’s been hard.
“(The year) 2020 was a time of constant transition,” she said. “Never knowing what to anticipate next, I found inspiration and joy throughout this pandemic with my family.”
She added that 2020 was meant to be an exciting year filled with college tours and seminars for her oldest daughter, Ally, who is a senior honors student at Saugus High School.
As difficult as this year has been, however, it hasn’t dimmed D’Eon’s appreciation for the little things in life.
“I’m thankful for the quality time we’ve been given to slow down and come together,” she said. “Cooking, playing games, sometimes crying because it’s all hard.
“We supported each other through the hard times and celebrated during the good, and I could never survive without the love and laughter my family brings.”
Salem
Salem resident Maise Shepard found a silver lining to be grateful for in 2020.
After graduating Bryn Mawr University with a degree in Physics during the pandemic, she began work as a prep cook at a Salem restaurant while searching for a job more related to her studies.
She found work at a Cambridge start-up this fall, in a role that she enjoys and that was better aligned with her interests.
“I miraculously found a job. During a time when there’s extreme unemployment. So I’m grateful for that,” she said.
Shepard brings a homemade dessert to her dad’s house each year for a Thanksgiving dinner, an event that usually includes a variety of family and friends. The dinner will be scaled down this year.
“Despite the fact that I’m disappointed we can’t have dinner with the usual group of people,” said Shepard. “I’m still thankful that it happens to begin with, and that I have something I can be disappointed about.”
Swampscott
Swampscott school teacher Rachel Eisenberg said she is thankful for the simple things this year, including her family and the comfort that working in a creative field has brought her and her students during a difficult time.
Eisenberg, an elementary art teacher in the Swampscott school district, who moonlights as an artist, “deeply connects to the visual and expressive arts,” she said.
“This Thanksgiving, I am holding much gratitude for the incredible gifts of creativity and the ways in which the arts have provided healing, hope, and connection over the past year for myself and amongst my students,” said Eisenberg. “I am grateful for the incredibly unique art making experiences we have shared and the ways in which I have found new ways and possibilities of creating even through challenges.”
On a more personal level, Eisenberg, who lives in Salem, said she was thankful for her family, which includes her partner and their eight-year-old child and three pets.
“There’s many simple things to be thankful for — our home, health, each other, income,” said Eisenberg. “Certainly each day this year these things have risen to the surface as not just ‘nice to haves,’ but we have realized the magnitude of gratitude we have for such basic comforts.”
