So it seems like Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching!!! Before I address the holiday I need to say, what the heck? Since when is it not September? Didn’t the semester just start? Why isn’t it cold? Why does it feel so ...wrong? I am very thankful for my many blessings, but as I get older it seems like the magic that used to coat the holidays is slowly fading. I want to be that kid who tossed and turned on Christmas Eve waiting for a fat old guy to slide down my chimney. I miss going to church and having birthday cake for Jesus. I miss snow. Snow still happens, but it doesn’t mean a day off anymore. Snow now means that it will take me an hour to defrost my car, and then another hour risking my life to reach work or school. I know that life is what you make it ...but I’m not crazy! Things don’t seem the same. It could be granny. Granny is the only thing missing from the equation. She was the holiday maker. When I picture the joy of the holidays I can’t help but think of her smiling face. I put on my Pepsi pants and look at pictures of Aruba. I know that tropical places do not help one get into that holiday spirit, but I like to believe that is where she is today. Maybe Tennessee was just to weather- moody and she just decided to go live in the land of 85 degrees and banana pancakes. The holidays are all about family and traditions. This year I am learning to make my own adult traditions. For the first time, I will be away from my family on thanksgiving. I am headed to Alabama to enjoy this holiday with my future family. I can’t help but look over my shoulder and feel a little regret as I see my family minus one. I think everyone in the family is trying to figure out what the holidays should feel like. The only thing that remains is love. No matter where I go or who I am with, I love my family. One year ago I might not have expressed those feelings, but I guess someone forced me to put on my big- girl panties.
If you ask me what I am thankful for, I will tell you that I am thankful that I have a family. Yes, they are crazy. Yes, they are loud. But they are mine, and I wouldn’t change a thing about them. I am also thankful for friends. As I "grow up", I am starting to understand just how hard it is to find a real friend. Real friends know your good and bad and they still meet just to ask you how life is going. Real friends know when are upset and when you are just faking it. I know that I am thankful for Amy. She is in and out, but our relationship grows like a weed; wild and without needing much tending. It is a beautiful weed. No matter where I am in life, when she shows up we are right back on track where we left off. It is actually wonderful. I am thankful for Meagan. She is proof that sometimes saying you are sorry, being honest, and keeping the drama at the door can pretty much freshen up an old relationship. We will both always smile when we hear "Backstabber", we both will pick biscuits and gravy over healthy food, and we will never forget the day we walked across Murfreesboro. I am thankful for all my buddies. Memories make life more fun, and friends help make memories. I am thankful for my little sister, Elizabeth, even if she is all grown up and on her own. I am also so thankful for Jesse. I feel like dating him has been more like trying to kiss a frog. He got away a couple times, but when he gets done transforming into a prince it will be so worth it! I am thankful for my job. It can be so stressful and sometimes it takes all I have to give, but I am very fortunate to have it. I do love my coworkers too. I am thankful for life, it is such a precious gift and I do appreciate it. Most of all, I am thankful for my God. It sounds cheesy, but all the rest of the things in my life would not be there if it weren’t for my God. I am blessed, and for that I am thankful.
What are you thankful for?
