Thankful

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Growing up, I always loved going to Memaw and Granddaddy's house on Thanksgiving day. Dad's whole side of the family always came and before we ate, we'd all gather around to pray. I have to fight back tears every single year. I have so much to be thankful for that sometimes I don't know what to do other than cry! After eating delicious food, we'd lounge around watching the parade on tv, playing cards, or catching up with family we hadn't seen in a while. So simple, but such a sweet time.

After saying our goodbye's, my immediate family would load up and drive to Georgia, where mom's family lives. Papa and Grandmother live in an old farm house. I love the big rooms, the wooden floors, and the smell of delicious food that always fills the house from Grandmother's kitchen :) When we're all there- it's a full house. I think it's 18 of us now. The cousins usually hang out in the back room while the adults visit in the front. There's always so much laughter and fun. We truly enjoy being together.

This will be the second year in a row I've missed out on Thanksgiving with my family. Last year it didn't bother me too much. Probably because I was on the beach in Maui and didn't think too much about it :) This year is a little different. Since I'm in grad school, I'm doing a lot of schoolwork this week and simply can't make it home for the holiday. I get a little sad when I think about all of these traditions taking place without me. I wish so badly that I could be there, but I am also thankful that God has placed me here in San Francisco for this season of my life.

Since I won't be there for my family's annual "What are you thankful for?" question, here's my own little list:

-Deep friendships. I have been so blessed over the years to have some truly amazing friends. You know those people you just really connect with and can completely be yourself around? I like to call them my "kindred spirits." I'm thankful for those ladies (Natalie, Holly, Karlie, Candace, Beth, Alicia, Jamie...to name a few).

-Opportunities to travel. So much of my life has been impacted by my travel experiences. I absolutely love travelling the world and experiencing new cultures. Being in San Francisco the past few months has been an adventure and I look forward to many many more in the future.

-Music. Whether I'm listening to the radio or strumming on a guitar in a quiet room, I'm thankful for the gift of music. It's one of the ways that I love to connect with God.

-Family. I can't even express how thankful I am for my family. I'm thankful for a dad who is wise, kind, and is such a servant. I'm thankful for a mom who is full of joy and makes everyone around her happy. I'm thankful for Nathan, who has always been just as much of a friend as a brother. I'm thankful for Tay Tay, who I will always consider to be my "baby" brother. He knows me so well and can make me laugh when I'm having the worst day. I'm thankful for my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. Even though I don't get to see them as often anymore, I'm so blessed to have such a loving and fun family!

-Fun. Let's face it. We all need a little fun! I'm thankful for sillyness and laughter and random, spontaneous things that make me happy :)

-Community. Community is super important to me. Wherever I am, I want to feel deeply connected to those around me so that we can share life together. I'm thankful that I'm in the process of developing a community here in San Fran. It takes time, but I can see how God is working around me to create community and that makes me excited!

-Diversity. I deeply value getting to know people who are different than me. I learn so much from my friendships with people from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds. Life would be so boring if we were all the same, so I am thankful that God created so many different kinds of people.

My heart is overflowing with thankfulness and joy.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!