Monday was Memorial Day, 2020. It’s a day to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It’s a day to reflect on sacrifices made, freedoms gained, and lives lost. It’s also an opportunity for us to show gratitude toward our current service members and first responders.

As we approach our fifth month immersed in a global pandemic, COVID-19, this Memorial Day seemed to resonate even louder, with an ominous correlation to a “war” we’re currently fighting. To date, we’ve lost nearly 100,000 lives to this enemy in the U.S. alone, including many frontline and essential workers. We’ve gone from a world we thought we knew, to the unknown yet to be revealed. We will never “go back to normal.” This is an unnerving thought, which can provoke anxiety, fear, even anger. But what about gratitude?

At CoPeace, we have chosen to be grateful for today. We are grateful for the veterans who sacrificed their lives on our behalf. We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a country where we can worship, love, and express ourselves freely. We are grateful for the present day, which has afforded us extra time with family, cleaner air, a slower pace, a deeper appreciation for public health, and a real understanding of the interdependency of the worldwide community. And we are grateful for what lies ahead, as the world survives this crisis – a future filled with hugs, community, activism, social entrepreneurship, awareness, thoughtful voting, conscious spending, impact investing, and…gratitude.