I get it
now. It has taken me 22 years, but I finally really understand that
Thanksgiving is so much more than the turkey and the cranberry sauce and the
turnips and the pumpkin roll that my mom so deliciously makes. It actually is
about being Thankful. Shocking - I know.
Being away from home this year has allowed me feel deep gratitude for so much in my life, both in America and in South Africa. I have found that it is never for my bed, or a shower (which I probably should be craving a little bit more), but rather more for the people and the little moments that I took so much for granted. I could go into a 50-page blog post about how my time here has made me so grateful for people and communities back home, but I won’t bore you with clichés that I am now finding to be common when describing my life. All you need to know is that my journey here thus far has taught me more than I could have imagined and helped me grow in ways I wasn’t expecting. There are days that I really miss people at home and even just the ability to contact them on a regular basis, but I am so Thankful for those hard moments. They have made me appreciate everyone I took for granted and has allowed for me to value the relationships I have formed here in South Africa.
No doubt I missed my family this year for Thanksgiving and even more at Christmastime, but I am unbelievably Thankful for the 14 other wonderful people I spent the holiday with - laughing, cooking and most importantly Being Thankful for this life we have been given.
Being away from home this year has allowed me feel deep gratitude for so much in my life, both in America and in South Africa. I have found that it is never for my bed, or a shower (which I probably should be craving a little bit more), but rather more for the people and the little moments that I took so much for granted. I could go into a 50-page blog post about how my time here has made me so grateful for people and communities back home, but I won’t bore you with clichés that I am now finding to be common when describing my life. All you need to know is that my journey here thus far has taught me more than I could have imagined and helped me grow in ways I wasn’t expecting. There are days that I really miss people at home and even just the ability to contact them on a regular basis, but I am so Thankful for those hard moments. They have made me appreciate everyone I took for granted and has allowed for me to value the relationships I have formed here in South Africa.
No doubt I missed my family this year for Thanksgiving and even more at Christmastime, but I am unbelievably Thankful for the 14 other wonderful people I spent the holiday with - laughing, cooking and most importantly Being Thankful for this life we have been given.
“To give thanks in
solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings and goes where it must go. Your
prayer knows much more about it than you do.”-Victor Hugo
Living Grateful,
Kelly
Kelly
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