Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving Thoughts


Happy Thanksgiving!

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It’s hard to put into words how good it feels to be at my parents’ house right now. I’m sitting outside; enjoying the peace that being at their house brings me. I’m listening to football on TV and the sounds of my wonderful family inside chatting and laughing. On this day last year, I was crying a lot. When after being in the hospital for over a week, the nurse walked in and told me I wasn’t going home yet, I cried. I cried for my mother, who spent Thanksgiving Day by my hospital bed instead of cooking and baking for our family. I cried for my dad, who packed up the dogs and everything we would need for dinner and brought it to Orlando in the hopes that I would be released. I cried for my siblings who didn’t get a traditional Thanksgiving because of me. I cried because laying there in my hospital bed, all I wanted was the simple things I love about Thanksgiving…the uninterrupted time with my family, the board and card games, seeing how happy my parents are when we are all together, baking with my mom…

I’m emotional and crying today, but it’s for very different reasons. This is how it is supposed to be. People tease me for getting so excited and finding so much joy in simple things, but the simple things are what you miss the most when life throws you a curveball. On this day last year, I wasn’t thinking about what Black Friday sale I was going to miss; I wasn’t wishing to be doing anything elaborate, I was thinking about the quality time and memories I was missing out on. The funny thing, too, is that at the end of Thanksgiving last year, I was completely overwhelmed with gratefulness. I was so touched by the people in my life who love me and will do anything for me. I was simply praying to get better and be healthy for the next Thanksgiving.

Well, here I am. A year later, I am healthy (which is really a relative term for me) and happy. There are so many silly things in life that I am obviously thankful for (York Peppermint Patties are obviously one of them), but at the end of the day, if I didn’t have any of that stuff, life would be pretty sweet. I learned last year that it’s the people in my life that are making all the difference. I was deathly ill on Thanksgiving last year, but my friends and family managed to make me feel like the luckiest girl in the entire world. Whether your Thanksgiving consists of stress, sickness, working or plotting your Black Friday shopping route, please take a moment and count your many, many blessings. I bet if you really think about the things in life you are thankful for, you’ll realize that your life is a lot better than you thought.

Now, I’ve GOT to get back in the house because I am missing out on some major family time and everyone is picking on me. I hope you all have a beautiful Thanksgiving Day. 

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