sometimes girls gossip: thanks giving

i love thanksgiving. i love the food it comes with.. mmm turkey birds, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pie.. yup. i love it all. but no actually i promise its not all about the food. i like the historical concept of the holiday itself. its a holiday of giving thanks for what we have (traditionally- giving thanks for the bounty of crops that comes this time of the year: celebrating the harvest). but i think this holiday seems to be losing its historical meaning just like all the other holidays i seem to celebrate. christmas seems to be about the gifts, easter about chocolate and bunnies and victoria day seems to be about drunkenness. maybe its societal pressures that cause this.. like who invented the easter bunny?

since thanksgiving historically was about the crops and the harvest.. it makes sense that it still is about amazing food.. like apple pie and pumpkin pie (crops!) but in what way is it about thanks giving? who do people thank? what are people thankful for? if asked what im thankful for my answer is definitely not going to be crops. yes im thankful for the crops.. most people are probably going to say "im thankful for my family, the clothes im wearing, the plate of food i have in front of me and my house". well obviously you are thankful for these things! you should be thankful for these everyday, not one day of the year. some people dont even have these things.

basically.. i think what im getting at with this post is that most of the things we think of on thanksgiving as being thankful for are those material things we know everyone doesn't have (even though we probably dont know anyone that doesn't have these- you hear of them). things like food, shelter and clothes are something that not everyone has (actually there is a large part of this planet that does not have food or shelter, clean water or clothes). i am grateful for the clothes i wear, the food i eat, the house i live in. these are usually the first things that come to my head. they are material things i can prove i have. so today i thought harder about the things i am thankful for - beyond the material things i realize i have everyday.

im thankful that:

- my mom is my mom and that she is such a beautiful, strong and warmhearted women

- my dad is my dad and that he is such a loving, dedicated and friendly man

- my sisters are exactly who they are and who they want to be - amazing women - both of them

- the importance of education was ingrained in my head since i was young

- my parents taught me honesty, compassion, patience and enrolled through their own actions, a sense of character and confidence in being me

- i love my job and have the utmost respect for my manager

- my friends are my friends - id be able to argue with evidence that each one is perfect and positively affects my life in one way or another.

- i am able to experience a friendship with one the most amazing young girls i know (sms).. she consistently makes me a better person

- my puppy loves me unconditionally

- i am able to have intellectual conversations with the people ive met throughout my life - im thankful for the thoughts, realization, knowledge and inspiration these people bring to my life.

i have so much more i am and will continually be thankful for.