So often Thanksgiving is a passing meal on the way to the hypercommercialized Christmas season. We have solidified this mindset by essentially creating a national shopping day right after our national day of thanks. While most of us do appreciate the importance of giving thanks on the fourth Thursday of November, we sometimes forget that we must continue to give thanks even after that day.

Kyle J. Boyer is an educator, social justice advocate, and minister. His work and studies lie at the intersection of education, public policy, and theology. A career educator, he has taught at the middle and high school levels and is an elected member of his local school board. He is an ordained Elder in the Church of God in Christ. A graduate of the George Washington University and the University of Pennsylvania, he is currently completing the Master of Divinity program at United Lutheran Seminary.