Next week our American brothers will celebrate thanksgiving. This is one of my favorite holidays and always provides time for reflection. I hope that my reflection is applicable to all of our brothers whether they celebrate this holiday or not.

I am thankful for the friends and family who share life’s ups and downs, for my supportive parents and brother, for my incredible wife (who went on a first date with me 20 years ago this week!), and for the family I gained through marriage. I am especially thankful for a spunky daughter and a happy baby boy. I am also thankful for the memories of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who are no longer sitting at our thanksgiving table.

I am thankful for my dog Watson. He reminds me not to take things too seriously, that it is ok to be excited, to get some exercise, to take time to play and to cuddle, and, most of all, to chase what you want no matter who tells you to stop.

I am thankful for my Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity brothers and thankful that we dedicate ourselves to carrying out our mission each and every day. I am especially thankful for the opportunity to work for AEPi. I work with and for some amazing people. I am especially thankful for my team at International Headquarters. I am thankful to know the bonds of brotherhood.

For these reasons, I remember the friendless and the lonely.

I am thankful for the roof over my head, the heat that works, the clothes in my closet, the clean water we have to drink, and the food on our table. I am thankful to have access to healthcare. These basic needs are not a foregone conclusion for everyone in the U.S., let alone the world.

For these reasons, I remember the homeless, the sick, and the hungry.

I am thankful for the education that I received from my teachers in District 39, New Trier High School, and at the University of Colorado. I am also thankful for a rich Jewish education and the informal education from my parents and mentors over the years. I am so thankful to love learning.

For these reasons, I remember the illiterate and the marginalized.

I am thankful for Am Yisroel (the people of Israel) and thankful for The Country of Israel. I am thankful to participate in discourse and to understand some of the complexities of our land and its many people. I am thankful that the people of Israel — both in Israel and the diaspora — are always more unified than we are divided.

For these reasons, I remember those for whom Zion was an unrealized dream

I am thankful to live in the United States and to experience the freedom and opportunity that was only a dream a few generations ago. Even in these divisive times, I am thankful for the freedom of speech, the ability to vote, and the freedom to protest. I am thankful to remember that my family, like most, came to these shores in desperate search of a better life. Arriving in poverty or indentured servitude and fleeing the persecution they faced in their homelands, they labored to forge a better life for their children. I am thankful to all Americans that remember who we are as a nation.

For these reasons, I remember the servicemen, the refugee, the enslaved, and the persecuted.

I am thankful for giving. I am thankful of how good it feels to give time and treasure and thankful that by doing this we can each impact the world around us. I am thankful for organizations and people that work every day to make the world a better place. I am especially thankful for the Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation and the amazing work that it does to fund Jewish Leadership Development and support Philanthropic efforts of our brothers around the globe.

I am thankful for today.

Happy Thanksgiving, Brothers!