Thanksgiving - A Time of Change and a Time of Thankfulness

This year was the first year in my entire 22 year life that my family was not all together for Thanksgiving....and it was TOUGH! My brother moved to Alaska in July, and he was working this year, so he couldn't come home for Thanksgiving. That in and of itself was hard.

As I am beginning my post-grad experience, I am realizing it's not all "full-time jobs with benefits and paid vacations." Instead I am in a season of working multiple part time jobs to make ends meet. Am I complaining about this? NOPE! I know it is just a season and I know that God is using it to grow me and stretch me! So, needless to say, I did not get a paid vacation on Thanksgiving. Instead, I worked as a hostess at Black Bear Diner from 3pm to 9pm....the prime time for consuming turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy! I was bummed that I had to work, but I was more upset that I wouldn't get to go home to be with my family!

Instead, my family blessed me by coming to stay with me and celebrating with Thanksgiving lunch instead of Thanksgiving dinner. I was so thankful for them to join me! Mom got up and started the turkey at 7:00 a.m. and we woke up to delicious turkey smells. We folded up the couch bed and added the card table to my dining room table so we could fit everyone. Two of my close friends joined us for lunch as well (they are also recent post-grads without paid vacations....it worked out perfectly).

When I realized that I wasn't able to go home for Thanksgiving, I really just wanted to be grumpy and upset about it. But, instead I began to count my blessings.

I am thankful for:

• Family that loves me and wants to spend Thanksgiving with me, so they drive up and stay with me for a few days! 
• Friends who spend the holiday with me and my family (even though we are CRAZY)
• Jobs that I ENJOY and that are not only getting me great work experience, but that are paying the bills plus some!
• The ability to provide for myself.
• Good health
• The fact that I have had the ability to go to school and complete a college degree
• The new apartment I moved into and love. 
• The fact that I can now use the hot tub every day! 
• A wonderful roommate (who loves hot tubbing more than me and will go with me every day if I ask her)
• My roommates parents, who are my adopted parents!

The list could go on and on, but these are a few of the things that I am thankful that God has provided for me and that He has blessed me with! I seriously couldn't ask for a better life!