In Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I know its a few days late, but I had to recover from my sugar coma from eating too many pies. This year my mom had to limit my dad to making only 15 pies.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful needed break. I love getting together with the family. This year we had about 30 people come from my Dad's side of the family. I loved seeing people I had not seen in years. We had a fun few days together. I even got a few longboard rides in. The best was Thanksgiving morning when my little sister, Sydney, came along with me on her bike. We had a lot of fun and, except for one bad fall I had, the ride went very well. I loved spending that time with my sister.

Family is a big deal to me. I think that this has come from the ideals and values my parents have taught me and the things that I learn from my faith. Having and creating strong families is a big deal to us. As well as family history work. When all of us kids were in school my mother went back to college and got her degree in Genealogy. She knows so many stories of my ancestors and is great at helping others too.

One story she shares every Thanksgiving time is about John Alden. He was a young man who came over to the Americas on the Mayflower. He married another passenger named Priscilla Mullins. They survived the hardships of settling the land and from their work my family came to live here.  Before we all eat ourselves sick on Thanksgiving feast she tells us about the hard times the early pioneers had. The first winter was so bad that they had to cut back to severe rations. Each person only got five kernels of corn a day! In remembrance my mom always puts five kernels of candy corn by each of our plates.

This is a good reminder of the many blessings we have. I look at my life, my experiences, my relationships, my things and I see a bounty bestowed on me. It makes me feel a gratitude towards God and my family. Then I think of the words of the song, "Because I Have Been Given Much, I Too Must Give" and I feel a responsibility to share what I have with others.

I'm grateful for so many things. Life really is a wonderful and beautiful thing.