Giving Thanks for a Break

If you are anything like me, then the thought of Thanksgiving being so soon is enough to get butterflies in your stomach. While I am not exactly homesick, I am beyond excited to go home and see my family, eat my mom's food, and sleep in my bed. With Thanksgiving coming up so soon, I thought it was appropriate to talk a little about it. Although I am obligated by the theme of this blog to relate it so Massachusetts, I think discussing home and family a little makes more sense here.

Thanksgiving was actually founded in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and it's a story I'm sure most of you are familiar with. However, something I didn't know is that the town of Plymouth is full of historical sights and touristy things relating to Thanksgiving and the history of the Pilgrims. Personally I find it fascinating that you can visit a place that can basically recreate such a monumental event, and has many historical sites and events to go along with it. 

Obviously the food has a major impact on how happy Thanksgiving makes me, but it is much more than that. It is so warm and loving, and is symbolic of the things in life we are thankful for. A couple Mondays ago, when Professor Kramer asked us what we miss the most, everyone had different answers. For me, it is my family, but in particular my older sister. My sister Jamie is 21 years old, and has severe autism. It is difficult to describe her to people who do not know her, but in short she cannot do anything on her own. She doesn't have the capiliblity to think and do all the things we take for granted every day. She is the most important thing to me in the world, and the fact that I haven't seen her in three months blows my mind. Family is something I am extremely grateful for, and I took them for granted until I spent 500 miles away from them.

Thanksgiving is one of the times during the year we can completely relax and take a break from school, to be surrounded by our family and friends. Due to my family being extremely big, we can't all have dinner together, so we meet up for dessert. This is the time where my uncles and my dad all yell at each other with their thick Boston accents and ask how my "mahks" aka "marks" in school are, and when all my cousins reunite by playing cards and Mario Cart despite the oldest cousin being 27.

One of my dreams is Thanksgiving being around 10 times a year, but hey, a girl can only dream. I hope everyone has a great break, and enjoys Thanksgiving as much as I will!