A thanksgiving blessing

If you care enough to find and read this message, you're exactly the person for whom I'm writing it. Read on!

Do you know what makes doing a job like "executive director" so good? Do you know what makes leading a mission organization like Voices for Earth Justice (VEJ) so great?

What makes being the leader of VEJ feel so good is this:

• Gathering together and getting to know all kinds of people (like you)
• Informing and inspiring people (like you) who care about the people and places around them
• Serving and supporting people (like you) who want to do something that blesses the world around them

Who wouldn't want to go to work every day knowing he or she is part of a community of those kinds of people? People like you?

You and I may not know each other personally. But if you're this deep into this blog post, it's likely that you're the kind of person whose light and warmth is finding its way even to people you haven't even met. 

That's kind of what a mission organization like VEJ is all about. You may not even live in the state of Michigan. But, through your relationship with VEJ you are blessing hundreds or thousands of people here in metro Detroit. If we do our job well, you are able to do more good through us than you could ever do on your own.

I hope that feels good to you. Know that it feels amazing to us!

So know that this Thanksgiving, we will be giving thanks for you - even if we don't know you! You truly are the reason we get up and go to work with a smile every day. Whether you're a donor, a neighbor, a program participant, a volunteer, or just a friend who prays for us from afar, you are part of this. You are part of us. 

I (and we) are so thankful to be in this with you.

So, here is a thanksgiving prayer by Mary Maude Daniels. It is our prayer for you:

To our friends, who have become family
and our family who have become friends:

May you be blessed with the same love and care you've given us.

Grace and peace,

BT Irwin, primus inter pares
Voices for Earth Justice
November 21, 2018