Newsletter: Messages of Gratitude
For me, gratitude doesn’t always happen naturally in the background, like my heartbeat. It can take me a minute to conjure up and speak gratitude into existence, but I've found that it has gotten easier with practice. Throughout this Thanksgiving season, the Mesa team and our participants have been engaging in a gratitude practice, pausing at each house meeting to express what we are grateful for that day. Together, we’ve learned that gratitude necessitates relationship, and that reflecting on it gives us an opportunity to recognize our reliance on and appreciation for something outside of ourselves.
I’ve included a number of expressions of gratitude by our participants and others in the Mesa community below. I invite you to read them and reflect on what you are grateful for as well.
A deep, heartfelt thanks to each of you for being in relationship with Mesa. We can’t do this without you and we are truly grateful for your partnership.
As we enter the holiday season, I recognize this time of year can bring a mix of emotions—moments of joy and connection, as well as reflections on loss and challenge. Wherever you find yourself this season, I hope it is filled with care, kindness, and support.
With gratitude,
Dan Parziale
Mesa Co-Founder and Executive Director
Special note: I want to recognize our first responders who, year in and year out, help protect us from wildfires. With the recent Mountain Fire, I encourage you to support those who have lost their homes by supporting the Ventura County Community Foundation's Relief and Recovery Fund. You can go to www.vccf.org to learn more.
Words of Gratitude from the Mesa Community
"I’m thankful to be alive, breathing, under a roof with a fridge and to be able to go through it together - to not have to be alone."
- Participant
“I am grateful for so many things. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’m given, the support I receive and the kindness that surrounds me like a bubble. So incredibly thankful I’m here even when I don’t want to be anywhere. I’m profoundly grateful for my life. It’s never been easy but I’m ready for every challenge thrown my way. Most importantly I’m glad that my life is mine.”
- Participant
"Grateful to be living and working in a space filled with acceptance, hope, and love."
-Staff Member
"My heart is brimming with thanks for having the opportunity to witness all the incredible dedication, love and commitment that went into forming Mesa. That core has grown into a large community as the doors of Mesa have been opened to deserving and remarkable young adults who now have a new and healthy life-path to embark upon. What a privilege to behold the unfolding!"
- Volunteer
"I’m grateful for having a much greater connection with this place. I feel like you are all my friends now. I’m also grateful for doing a lot more hardcore workout routines and improvement of my mental health. I’m grateful for the upcoming holidays and to experience the spirit of what it feels like with family."
- Participant
"I am grateful for this land, for the roots of the trees and the plants, sustaining old and creating new networks. I am grateful for the hawks, the egret, the hummingbirds that visit us here in stillness and in flight. They are teaching me, and, I think, this community, in its becoming."
- Staff Member
“I’m grateful for the support Mesa has offered and for everybody here.”
- Participant
"I am grateful for the supporters in our community. When I talk about Mesa at the park, at the deli, at the post office - I am constantly meeting people who have something positive to say about Mesa's vision, staff, or participants. Every time it happens it gives me a smile and a kick of positivity for the rest of the interactions in my day." - Donor
“I’m grateful for my mom.” - Participant
"It is an honor and a grounding purpose to be part of the Mesa vision, helping to create a foundation for our young adult participants. Truly life-changing. We are creating a model to emulate for more young adults. The need is great."
- Board Member
“I’m thankful for the public mental health services that are available to me.”
- Participant
"I am grateful for love that grows more each day and to be part of a growing network of support and camaraderie that has my back and moves me forward in my greatness. I know I am never alone and that I am thankful that I get to wake up each day and contribute to making a difference in this world."
- Staff Member
