Thanksgiving

I am sure you all are expecting this super downer post about how I hate The Holidays, and honestly, I have spent the entire week in a funk about how much I absolutely cannot stand The Holidays, but I have decided to change my attitude starting now! No more complaining about how there is too much to do and about how I can't stand being around XYZ. Here's the thing, each year, I will be thankful that I am still here to be around the people I love, and the people I can't really stand. It makes for some funny stories, and when I look back on The Holidays, I never remember hating every single moment of them, so why should I spend the next six weeks dreading every second. The thing is, we are REALLY lucky. How many people can still spend The Holidays with their grandparents?
I dread the day when I can't spend The Holidays with my grandparents. Sure, my Grandpa might be REALLY into finances right now, and he might ask what everyone makes and how much something cost, but that's where he is at in his life. They are retired and trying to make money stretch is tough, so I get it, and I am thankful that Jackson and I inherited all of our math smarts from him. My grandma, oh my gosh, will I be sad when she is gone because it means I am going to have to cook, my mom offered to cook, but no one would want to eat that meal (LOVE YOU MOM!)! She manages to have all of the courses out at the same time, she looks forward to it, loves it, and can't wait for Thanksgiving every year. She makes the best of every situation, has the biggest heart, and would do anything for anyone.
We don't get to see everyone on the Holidays, and I am certain that is soooooooo hard for some of the family because I would like DIE, D.I.E! if I couldn't see my kids on a Holiday, and I now appreciate so much more what certain family members have sacrificed so that we don't have to run around like crazy people on Thanksgiving going from house to house to house and eating from house to house to house. It is just too much, and I hope that when I am older and my kids have their own families I get over my fear of DYING and celebrate The Holidays in a way that is meaningful to us. Thanksgiving is just a day, but any day can really be Thanksgiving.
So, this Thanksgiving, as you sit around the table with some you love, and some you really can't stand and probably wouldn't talk to if they weren't related to you. Think about how lucky you are to be sitting at that table. Think about how blessed you really are, and think each and every day how you are going to make it a great day!