I’ve been thinking a lot about my very first Thanksgiving in the United States. I was only seven years old and I had just arrived in this country in September. Just two months later, in November, I found myself sitting in a classroom surrounded by colorful construction paper turkeys, pilgrim hats held together with brads, feathers glued on headbands, bulky acorn crafts, and funny-looking pipe-cleaner cornucopias. I didn’t speak a word of English. I watched my classmates cut paper and dress up as Indians, pilgrims, and turkeys, having no idea what any of it meant. No one explained the holiday. It was simply assumed that I would understand.

For a long time, that memory shaped how I viewed Thanksgiving. It felt like a holiday of crafts, costumes, and classroom skits. It was a day I observed from the sidelines, trying to make sense of traditions that were completely unfamiliar to me. There is no Thanksgiving in Honduras so I really didn't have context for what I was observing. As I grew older, I learned the fuller, more complex history behind the holiday—the complicated and painful parts rarely reflected in cheerful retellings of boats coming ashore and natives sharing crops. But I also discovered something deeper: that Thanksgiving, at its heart, is about gratitude, reflection, and acknowledging the blessings in our lives.

When I started teaching, I made sure my students—especially those new to this country as I once was—understood the meaning behind the day. I wanted them to feel included, to understand the spirit of thankfulness, and to see themselves in the story of gathering and giving thanks. When I became a mother, I taught my children the same: that Thanksgiving is more than decorations or reenactments; it is a day to pause, to appreciate, and to acknowledge our gifts.

As I reflect now, all these years later, I find myself grateful for the things we can see—but even more grateful for the things we cannot. I am thankful for my family and the life we have built. I am thankful for my friends, my neighbors, my colleagues, and the many roles that give my life purpose.

But what I am really thankful for are the quiet things.

I am thankful for the relationships built slowly, over years, with people who work just as hard behind the scenes as they do in front of them. People who volunteer without being asked. People who attend meeting after meeting, who advocate, who show up, who give back with no expectation of recognition. People who make our neighborhoods feel like home.

I am thankful for the kind of community we have in Long Beach—and especially in West Long Beach—where, when a neighbor is in need, someone always steps up. I am thankful for the food banks we’ve stocked together, the clothing drives we’ve organized, the holiday blanket and sock collections, and the friends who keep snacks and toiletries in their cars because they know they’ll run into someone who needs help at a stoplight or on a sidewalk.

These small gestures—one meal, one blanket, one conversation, one act of kindness—are not small at all. They are the threads that hold our community together. They are the Long Beach I know and love: generous, humble, hardworking, and deeply human.

I am also incredibly grateful for the support I’ve received throughout this campaign. We will be rolling out our list of endorsers very soon and unlocking our endorsement page. When I previewed it recently, some of the names truly brought me to tears. I didn’t know some of these endorsements had even come in. People reached out on their own, offered their support, and placed their trust in me. Their faith in me means more than I can express. I am so grateful for the community members and small business owners who have clicked on the endorse button to pledge their partnership. We are building something special together.

As we enter this season of gratitude, please know how thankful I am for you—for your support, your generosity, your encouragement, and your belief in the kind of community we are building together.

Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, peaceful, and meaningful season of gratitude.

– Vivian Malauulu

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