Post-Thanksgiving Feeling

Back in the day when I was a very small girl ( I sound like an old woman already), Thanksgiving meant family, lots of food, and then hours spent afterwords too full to move and being bored watching your dad and grandpa yell at the TV whenever the refeere made an stupid mistake when it came to American Football (because everyone knows, the audience ALWAYS knows better). it meant dry turkey with plenty of gravy and cranberry sauce to cover it, relatives who showered you with love and wet kisses, and when you had to think of something that you were thankful for quickly when your turn came on the table to say what you were thankful for. I never appreciated until after I moved the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners because Thanksgiving and Christmas always meant being surrounded by chaotic, messy, and loud family. Something that I both dreaded and looked forward to as the shy kid who blushed whenever someone tried to talk to her. Now that I am older and now I am in England which I love but still I miss it. We had Thanksgiving with a bunch of Americans in our church but also other Americans, some that we didn't know. Even though it was nice to be surrounded by American and know that they get my sarcasm, it didn't feel like Thanksgiving. I didn't know some of these people, some of these people didn't talk to me and though I am thankful and I will list some things that I am thankful for soon, but this is part of the whole post-thanksgiving feeling. You miss family, in a strange way you miss chaos, and there is really nothing to be done about it. Expect that is, remember the things that you do have and are thankful for.

Now before it's seems like I am wallowing in self-pity (isn't that such a great word. wallowing), here are a few things that I am thankful for.

1. I can actually get ready for Christmas and no one can judge me now. Yay!

2. Cliche but true so I'll say it anyways, I am thankful for my parents and my siblings, I am so glad that I am close to them and that even though they are annoying and they find me annoying, we still love each other-when we aren't trying to kill each other

3. Ditto but I also thankful for my friends. People who love and care for me as if they really were my family, people who I feel like I belong with, who I can be myself with. I am finding out more and more recently that you don't need a lot of things to thrive. You just need Jesus and people that you love and who love you.

4. and Most importantly, I am so thankful for Jesus. That He sought me, drew me near to him, and that He still loves me even though I don't love Him as I should. Guys, something else that I am slowly learning along the line- I don't love Jesus enough and I want to grow to love Him more and more. It's not just religion, it's not just head-knowledge. Jesus, oh man, one thing that I am thankful for, is that He is so trustworthy, worthy to follow, He is so beautiful and worthy to give my time and life too.

So without further ado.

Goodbye you delicious pumpkin spice, you will be missed. Hello you oh so special eggnog, oh how I have missed you.