Give thanks with a grateful heart...

Thanks·giv·ing (thanks-giving) n. 1. An act of giving thanks; an expression of gratitude, especially to God: a hymn of thanksgiving. 2. Fourth Thursday in November in the United States; second Monday in October in Canada; commemorates a feast held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians.

I woke up yesterday morning and took a shower, knowing that I had to be at my grandmother's house for Thanksgiving lunch by 11:30 in order to help out. I was pulling on my socks when I realized that I was going through the motions without ever stopping to think about the meaning of Thanksgiving Day. In 1621, the Pilgrims and Indians came together to give thanks for what little they had. They sat around together and spoke of the great things that had happened and the wonderful things to come. Here I am surrounded by so much, so many blessings, and I want share my feelings of gratitude and thanks.

I thought about doing this blog entry as if it were the liner notes in an album. Maybe I will stick with that idea.

I would like to thank, first and foremost, God for all He has blessed me with. All that I have is His. I am so thankful for His grace, mercy, and love, without which I would be lost. I want to thank my family: Dad, Mom, Miles, Mason, Grandma and Uncle David, for your constant encouragement and unconditional love, because I would not be where I am today if you all had not said that the sky is the limit, and that with hard work you can achieve anything you set your mind to. I want to thank Dakota (the adorable Schnauzer) for keeping me warm at night and for continuing to love me whether I look like crap or am in a terrible mood. I cannot forget my roommates Kim and Danielle who will be extremely missed when they move out next month. Your loyal friendship over the last few years is priceless to me and I will always remember the late nights and the laughter. Thanks to Grant who has always been the boy next door, the brother, the boyfriend, the best friend. My love for you is forever, despite distance and time. To Kris Noteboom, the rock. The only man I know that will put up with three whining girls as they drag you all over the Metroplex. Thanks my high school girls: Kimmy, Emily... I cannot believe you have stuck it out with me this long! jk. Without you two, I would not understand the meaning of true friendship. I can truly say that each of you have played such a large role in the person I am today, and I would be such a lucky person to have picked up any of the qualities over the years that make you two so incredible. Thanks to Jason, brother in pop-culture. Thank you for always being there for me, for your hugs, for your sage wisdom, for your offers to beat up ex-boyfriends! Thanks to Cara, for all of the good times; wonderful conversations, Chicken Express sweet tea, and much laughter. Thanks to Rachel, for your compassionate heart and contagious excitement...also for letting me raid your closet! Thanks to Ashley for being my "identical brain twin", bodyguard, and rockstar! To Keren, for always encouraging me and having one of the sweetest hearts I know. To Marjorie for making me laugh until it hurts, being a big sister to me when I really need one, and for sending me real mail! For all of you that I have somehow missed, you have each blessed my life in some way and I am thankful for you. Each of you, listed and unlisted, have made me who I am today. Each of you has touched me in some way, whether it be through years of friendship or just talking over a cup of coffee. Thank you for spending time with me and sharing your life with me. I am truly blessed.

Okay, now that my "thanks" have been addressed, I think the food that has passed in front of me in the last 24 hours should be addressed. I firmly believe that heaven will have a Thanksgiving food buffet, because it brings so many people so much joy! This Thanksgiving, I can honestly say that I ate my weight in food. Well, maybe not. That would be a lot of food! Let's see:
Turkey
Ham
Dressing
Baby Peas
Corn
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Buttered Rolls
Caesar Salad
Iced Tea
Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream
Chocolate Decadence Pie
Turtle Cheesecake
Coffee

And today, I had roughly the same thing. I don't want to even think about caloric intake, etc. I will think about that on Monday as I open the door to the gym with a great big sigh. Right now, I am full and happy and ready for a good night's sleep! Once again, thank you all for blessing my life. I am grateful for each of you and I just wanted to take the time to say so!