Giving Thanks

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, now seems like the perfect time to reflect. It seems like after Labor Day, we are bombarded with holidays. Halloween in soon followed by Thanksgiving, which leads to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Winter Solstice, or whatever you celebrate around December. Also in the fall is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The new year symbolizes a rebirth and a fresh start. All of theses things, along with the falling leaves and the brisk weather, are all reasons why I love fall. If it weren't for the beginning of school, fall might very well be my favorite season. Anyways, Thanksgiving is coming up quickly, and I have barely had a minute to sit down and think about what the holiday is about. To me, Thanksgiving is about gathering with friends, family, and loved one, and really making memories and soaking in the atmosphere. For me, Thanksgiving has always been at my Grandma's house. My grandmother is one of the most loving, generous, beautiful people both inside and out that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I cherish my time with her, and I CAN'T WAIT to have her delicious stuffing. :) Thanksgiving is a time to cram into a small space with people of all ages. Every year there's always the child who gets hurt playing outside, the one uncle who has to make the awkward sexual joke, and the one person that you dread having to be stuck in the house with for however many hours. But it's all of these things that make Thanksgiving so special and funny. And who could forget the food? My stomach seems to magically stretch with every passing moment on Thanksgiving. The first step is scoping out the goodies. I always make a mental note of all of the things that I want to eat (aka everything). Next comes the actual meal, which would be enough for a full day's worth of food. At the end of the meal, I'm so stuffed that I can't imagine eating another thing. Of course, in about thirty minutes I'm already thinking about dessert. And after dessert comes meal number two. "Oh, I really could not eat another thing even if you forced me to....oh what did you say? The meatballs are ready?" But this is what Thanksgiving is for. Eating until your pants are about to pop. I might pull a Frank from Everybody Loves Raymond and just unbutton my pants and lay in my chair in a food coma. The real reason for Thanksgiving, however, is to give thanks. And I find that I often skip over this part of the holiday, even though it really is the most important part. There are so many things that I am grateful for, and my life is so blessed. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for my mom, who sacrifices so much and never asks for anything in return. She is such a beautiful person, with a heart of gold. She makes me a better person and is the best role model in the world. I am thankful for my sister, who I can't believe is almost about to graduate college. My sister is a person I can always go to for advice and I know will always help me if I ask for it. I am thankful for my brother, my best friend. It's amazing to see him grow into a young man. He is so full of potential, and I know that he can truly do anything he sets his mind to. He always helps me whenever I ask, and he is kind and funny. I am thankful for my grandma, who always helps and does anything she can to help people out. I am so glad that I get to have such a close relationship with her, and I cherish my talks on the phone with her and my time with her. She never fails to teach me something new every time I talk to her. I am thankful for my house, my health, and my education. Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and to make memories, and it is important to remember that the people that are in your life will not be there forever. Life is fleeting, so please don't take a moment for granted, and make this Thanksgiving an opportunity to reconnect, laugh, and be in the moment. And of course, eat a lot of turkey!