What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

“I thank the Lord for giving us a healthy family; I thank the Lord for [allowing us] to live in the CNMI surrounded with good people. I am grateful for the state of the economy. I appreciate each other and that we actually live in a paradise. …I am grateful for a lot of things in life, mostly just life itself. I wish everyone—near, far, and everyone who call these islands home—a very happy Thanksgiving. Spend time with your family and celebrate and be thankful for the things that you have and for those that you don’t have, [like] some of the problems that exist in the world that we don’t have here.”
—Gov. Ralph DLG Torres

“Happy Thanksgiving to all. I am thankful that we had no natural disasters this year. I am thankful for family and friends. Moreover, I am very thankful for the extraordinary privilege of serving the people of the Northern Marianas in Congress. With our love and prayers, my wife Andrea and I wish everyone in the Marianas a safe and happy holiday season.”
—Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan

“We are thankful for everything we have. We must never forget to be thankful to God; to those that are close to us; to the memories of those that have gone before us who have worked and paved the way for us today. We are thankful that we still have the resiliency to continue to improve the lives of our people and this community, and to look forward to things for the generations to come. Life is good on Saipan. It may not be all hunky-dory and it may not be the metropolis that we see in the media but you think about it. You live here. It’s home and we are thankful that we are constantly reminded to be grateful of that and try to improve our lives.”
—Senate President Arnold I. Palacios

“I am thankful for a lot of things but I am most thankful for my family, my son, and for life.
—Godiva Asanuma

“Thanksgiving brings families, friends, neighbors, communities, and islands to extend a profound thanks for blessings and gifts received from our loving and generous God. We are grateful for all that we have received. I wish all families and friends a heartfelt thanks for the gesture of gift-sharing, especially care, love, encouragement, and support. Happy Thanksgiving to all.”
—Sen. Justo Quitugua

“I am thankful that no devastating storms or typhoons were experienced this year. I don’t want to go back to the Soudelor issues. I am also thankful for the island developments, the investments that have been made and will be made on Saipan, and that an appropriation is finally in the works for land compensation. It’s been idle for many year so Im very thankful that we can see more investors.”
—Eli Cabrera

“First, I’d like to extend gratitude to God for the life and blessings each day in my life. Second, I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our people of Rota and the CNMI for the continuous support, encouragement, and prayers. May God continue to bestow upon each and every one of us the best of everything and for God to continue to bless us with His strength, courage, and wisdom to surpass any obstacles or challenges ahead of us. A blessed Thanksgiving to all our people and CNMI!”
—Sen. Teresita Santos

“I am very thankful that I am still around and able to continue to do what I do. I am also thankful for individuals who continuously show an interest in protecting the environment, and for the great times I had this year with family and friends.
—Ray Masga

“Happy Thanksgiving to the people of the Commonwealth, most especially Tinian. I am thankful for all the support and also I thank my family for their support in pushing me to keep moving forward and find ways to help the Commonwealth and the people of Tinian.”
—Sen. Francisco Cruz

“I am thankful for my family my friends who continue to surround me with positivity, and I am also thankful for my job and my boss.”
—Marty Ilek

“Despite all the challenges we have, we still have a lot to be thankful for: the gift of life, the gift of family, the gift of friends, and more. But I think above all, the gift that we could still hope for things to be better today, better than yesterday. I am still thankful that we have that hope.”
—Rep. Angel Demapan

“I am thankful for the job I was blessed with, for my family being together, the new people I encounter everyday, and the opportunity to be on Saipan.”
—Alice Law

“I want to wish everyone a happy, wonderful, and blessed Thanksgiving. We are all thankful for this wonderful place we live in: this island paradise. I am grateful to all of the people out there that continue to do great things for our community. I’m brining the turkey.”
—Rep. Edwin K. Propst

“I am thankful for my family and to be blessed with life everyday.”
— Julie Sablan

“There are a lot of things to be thankful for. We are thankful for every day of our life; we are thankful for our families and friends; we are thankful that our economy at this point of time is growing, so I want to wish the people of the Commonwealth and all of the people that are residing here in the Commonwealth a happy and safe Thanksgiving.”
—Rep. John Paul Sablan

“I am thankful for my family, the blessings I receive daily, and for my children.”
—Marvieluz Syed

“I just want to say happy Thanksgiving to all of the people of the CNMI, including Rota, Tinian, the Northern Islands, and especially Precinct 4 [of Saipan]. I hope that everyone would enjoy Thanksgiving, which is a time for family gathering. We are looking forward to a whole other year, and I hope it would be more prosperous for everyone. I am thankful that our Lord gives us this life and that we do not see too many people [suffering] compared to other countries.”
—Rep. Alice Igitol

“I am thankful for the new job I was blessed with this year, my family, and my friends.”
—Kenneth Codog

“Hafa adai and I wish the people of the Commonwealth a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. Let us take a moment of silence and give grace to the Almighty for all the many blessings that we receive as people of the Commonwealth. I am thankful for my children, thankful for the many blessings that are given to me, and thankful for the opportunity given to me to serve the people of the Commonwealth.”
—Rep. Janet Maratita

“I am thankful for my three children who give me the source of strength I need to take on each day, and for my job that allows me to provide a comfortable life for my children.”
—Arlene Naguit

“On behalf of my wife Lisa and our families, we wish to extend a warm, blessed, and safe Thanksgiving to everyone in the CNMI. I am very thankful for our health, what we have in our community, and the economic prowess we continue to have. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.”
—Rep. Francisco Dela Cruz

“I am thankful for everything that I am blessed with in life like my children, my husband, my family, my friends, my co-workers, great neighbors, and my employer. I am also thankful that I was blessed with another year to celebrate Thanksgiving.”
—Patricia Concepcion

“I want to say happy Thanksgiving to all the people of the CNMI and to all the families, the teachers, the people of the armed forces, and everyone across the way. I’d like to thank everyone for all the support and blessings. This year, like every year, we are thankful for family and thankful to God for giving us the energy and passion for serving the people. With that said, every year, this year, and not only during the holiday seasons, from my family and I, we want to say thank you.”
—Rep. Vinson Sablan

“I wish the people of the Commonwealth and the men and women of the armed forces happy Thanksgiving. Take care out there and I wish you the very best. Enjoy Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the people. The challenges that we face are more reason for us to work harder. Today is education day for the students that continue to work harder and for teachers that continue to teach our students. I am also thankful for being a new father.”
—Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao

“I want to wish everyone in the CNMI and all over the world a happy Thanksgiving. Be safe, be happy, and love one another. The main thing I am thankful for everyday is that I get to wake up. I am thankful for life, thankful for living life, and I am thankful for all of the good things that have been going my way and thankful to be surrounded by really good people.”
—Rep. Edmund Villagomez

“From my family and my staff, I’d like to wish everyone in the CNMI a happy Thanksgiving. To our families that are off-island and to those who are caring for our sick, thank you.”
—Rep. Ivan Blanco

“I wish to greet the people of the CNMI—most specially the people back on Rota—a happy Thanksgiving. I wish everyone would enjoy their day…in a safe manner. Take the day; use the day. There is a lot to be thankful for and everyone has their own message to say, but generally speaking, we should appreciate that we are here today, alive, and still in this [world].”
—Rep. Glenn Maratita

“I want to give Thanksgiving to the people of the Commonwealth and most especially to the people of Tinian. I am thankful for their continued support in what we do here in the Legislature. Blessings to them for this year. Happy Thanksgiving!”
—Rep. Edwin Aldan