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“And here is what I have to say, finally:  Let’s invite one another in.  Maybe then we can begin to fear less, to make fewer wrong assumptions, to let go of the biases and stereotypes that unnecessarily divide us.  Maybe we can better embrace the ways we are the same.  It’s not about being perfect.  It’s not about where you get yourself in the end.  There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.  And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others.  This, for me, is how we become.”  Michelle Obama

In my non-organization, PEOPLE, I feel Michelle Obama’s ending words to her best-selling BECOMING book explains quite clearly what my primary goal is with the holding of PEOPLE meetings.  I want to “invite one another in.”  By doing so, “maybe then we can begin to fear less, to make fewer wrong assumption, to let go of the biases and stereotypes that unnecessarily divide us.  Maybe we can better embrace the ways we are the same.”

Thanksgiving is a time to pause life and reflect on the many things we are thankful for.  It is a time to reach inside and find some meaning and purpose to our life; and possibly help to find some meaning and purpose in another’s life.  A time to step beyond the norm of the every day and “invite” someone in. 

The someone we invite in may be a neighbor; a stranger in need; a family member that has been on the outside too long; or maybe it is our closest of friends or co-workers that may need a little encouragement and love over the holiday season.  The “someone” we invite in may or may not be a person of another race or color after all, “It is not complicated, we are all just PEOPLE.”

Personally, I am thankful for the good that PEOPLE has accomplished over the past soon-to-be six years—for me and for others within our industry.  I am thankful for the support of the many good people within our industry that have contributed to the success of this very simple idea.  When we invite others into our lives, we grow as an individual and we blossom, and we spread goodness beyond our footprint in life. 

As Michelle says, “there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others.”

Happy Thanksgiving to all and thanks for your support of PEOPLE.

Ron