2020 is mercifully almost behind us. It’s been a year of struggle, loss, and upheaval for everyone. Yet even considering my own losses—my father, a beloved pet, teaching as I knew it—I know I have much to be thankful for: family, friends, a loving relationship, a warm bed, a hot shower, a full stomach, a job, health care.

It is my parents, of course, who launched me on this path, and without them, I can only imagine what might have become of me, a free spirit who took risks and shunned a traditional path. How easy it would have been for me to fall onto rough times. That’s why I’m marking this holiday season—the first without either of my parents—with profound humility. I created two versions of the same collage to express my gratitute. One honors my Jewish mother’s frequent refrain; the other honors my Catholic father and the faith I was raised in.

No matter how it’s expressed, the take-away is the same: I must never lose sight of all I’ve been given and the opportunity (and responsibility) it brings to do good in the world.