?~ Thanksgiving Thoughts ~?

AAH – it’s finally that time of year! Thanksgiving is, although seen to be the time of falling leaves and that warm and cozy holiday, not the stereotypical image that you’d imagine in California. Even if these things aren’t seen so often in our location, I still get that magic feeling of happiness and bubbling kid-like excitement that feels similar to the feeling on the trip to Disneyland.

Every November the 26th, I head over to my Grandma’s house to eat dinner with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and the whole shebang. Just the smells of roasting meats and heaping piles of dessert is enough to reel anybody over. My favorite part of the dinner is the preparation before the feast, bustling to Trader Joe’s to pick up the turkey and baking trays of desserts, which vary each year from bundt cakes to brownies to the cookies that come very, very close to setting off the smoke alarm.

Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday, after Christmas! This is because, after all the movement of life that is constantly changing, this holiday is something I can really still connect to and feel that sense of familiarity and comfort every single year. This feeling is especially apparent since the last year when I first came to St. Philip and experienced a major life change. Holidays were essentially an anchor for me and a strong memory that I can experience and reenact with the people I am closest with, my family.

Moving on to what I am thankful for! First of all, I am really thankful for all the opportunities I am given every day to be a better person and a better student. I think about how I am lucky to attend the one and only, amazing St. Philip school which is a great opportunity and chance for a bright future. I really adore St. Philip and the friends that I have made here. I hope that not even for a second, I would ever forget that I am a privileged person.

I am also thankful for the kindness I see every day! I often catch teachers, family, and friends going out of their way to make life better for me, if only a little. That makes me happy, even seeing those little kind acts being done for someone else! Noticing good qualities in other people is definitely one of my favorite things about life.
Additionally, I am very thankful for my family, kitty, friends, and teachers for everything that they do to support and help me. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!