Every fall season, the rush begins. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so off to the store we go to buy the turkey, stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. After the turkey has been eaten it’s off to the store for Black Friday deals and Christmas gifts for the family. Oh, and we can never forget the Christmas tree with the lights and star on top, so we have something to put the gifts under. Less than two weeks go by and you are back to the store for eggnog and a ham for Christmas dinner. And before you know it, we are partying our way into 2020. Unless I missed it, we didn’t take the time to be thankful for what we had at the moment.
I have gone 25 years without something catastrophic happening to someone close to me. Life was bound to drop a bombshell eventually, and it sure did. My dad ended up having some serious health issues and I was present for it all. Because of my dad’s sudden illness, my family came together. We have been there for each other and really come through for one another at this point in life.
So, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I want to take the time to be thankful in the middle of the holiday rush. I am thankful that I still have my grandma and grandpa who I see every summer on the East Coast. I love the memories we create every summer and the laughter and joy that is shared among us. I am thankful for my auntie who recently moved to Arizona from the East Coast. I’m thankful that she is still here and has been able to help me grow as a human being and we have been able to form a strong bond. I’m thankful for my immediate family. I have grown to appreciate the genes I was given, even though clumsiness is one of our top five shared traits. I’m thankful that my parents raised me to be kind, loving, strong, stubborn, hardworking and independent. I’m especially thankful for my brother, though we are not as close as we used to be I know that if he needed someone to protect him, I would be there in a heartbeat. I’m thankful for my mom; the older I get the more I turn out just like her. There is no one else in this world I would rather be a perfect clone of other than my mom, the good and the bad all included. And I am extremely thankful that my Dad is still here after everything he has been through.
This year, I have learned the importance of family. Over the last several months, I have been spending a lot of time with them. In the wake of a family ordeal, I have learned to cherish everyone in my life. I have always been a family person, but life happens, and things don’t always go as planned. And I learned that you don’t know when God will take someone from you. You don’t know when God decides to bring a loved one home. And this came to the forefront of my life recently. So, I choose to be thankful for everyone at this moment because nothing is more important than family.