This year is unique in that last year was a year of struggle. I have so much to be thankful this year, as I always do every year but this year in different ways. Thanksgiving this year is postponed due to my dad and brother making a trip to visit my grandmother who herself has had a year of struggle. Because of her strong will, enduring spirit and stubbornness, she’s still with us and I am truly thankful to God for that. However, just because the holiday doesn’t take place on the day set for it doesn’t mean one still can’t be thankful…
I am thankful for the relationship my dad was able to forge with his mom and his sister this year. Through heartache and pain, love was rerooted and a newfound friendship ensued. Things in the past have been rocky with my dad and his sister but I am truly thankful to God that they are close again. I am thankful for the sacrifices my dad has made to be there for his mom this year. He is an amazing son, brother and father.
To my brother I am thankful. He discovered this year what love was and that in itself is a blessing! I am thankful for his strong faith and his enduring spirit. I watched as he held a baby in his arms the other night and realized how much my brother has grown up. I realized he will one day be an amazing father, husband (and uncle to my own even!) one day in the future. My brother is a runner and I admire how he runs with all his heart. He never gives up. His strive to always do better and be a better man is an inspiration and I am thankful for his inspiration and thankful for the blessing of an amazing brother!
To my sister Kaci who finally got a job this year! I am thankful for her in that she too has taught me so much. She is one of the most independent people I know. She has a heart that loves to the core and although she doesn’t always show it, she wants what’s best for everyone around her. I am thankful for her in so many ways.
My sister Mara who started high school this year. She is in the process of discovering who she is and I am thankful for her determination in doing so. She loves people–helping them, serving them–people are touched by her special touch…I am thankful for her smile because she brightens my day when I see her smile or just hear her laugh. Her spirit is so kind and she is an inspiration to so many around her.
Kalli–the youngest of them all, I discovered this year is no longer a little girl. Stubborn as all get out, she has a will like no other I know. Outgoing, bold and courageous she is, not caring what anyone thinks of her, loving with a quiet, but big heart–she’s amazing and I am thankful for her every day.
Bree–I was able to spend an entire two weeks with her in Connecticut this past summer. I wouldn’t trade those days for anything because they meant the world to me. I am thankful for the chance of getting to know my sister in ways I didn’t think were possible because of the distance between us, but I should know better: Miles have no bearing on great love or great friendship especially when the friendship is that of a sibling. For this, I am most thankful–to be friends with my family.
To my mom who has gone out of her way to help me with so much this year. The constant runs to the doctor because of constant health issues have been stressful but we got through it together. I love and thank you for going above and beyond what a mom should do and be in more ways than can be counted. For a mom and dad that have been a large support for some pretty big decisions, I am thankful.
For friends…life would not be complete without the impacts of friends. I have some great ones–you know who you are–and to each of you, I owe a great piece of my heart and much thanks for helping me in so many ways.
I am thankful for my golf team. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am a part of a real team–one that cares about each other, one that is both teammates and friends. Coach, Catie, Angie, Chelsea, Ashley, Beth Ann, and Lindz–thank you for showing me that this is possible. You have made golf fun!
I am thankful for Melanie. When I met Melanie a couple of months ago, she brought new light and direction into my world. She was in a car accident and paralyzed nine years ago. However, she has determination like I’ve never seen, and asked me to teach her how to play golf. I was shocked to be asked but said yes. I was scared in teaching her because I didn’t want to hurt her in any way, but Melanie has been a blessing to me; the privilege to help her has been a worthwhile and blessed experience. She has been an inspiration in many of my decisions lately about my future and for her I am so very very thankful.
For my summer….I am truly thankful. I played in a golf tournament that showed me a lot about who I was. I played with players that cared about the competition but also about the game and the integrity of it. For this, I am thankful. I spent an amazing two weeks in CT, and saw New York for the first time. I am thankful for my new closeness to my relatives up north and for their love for me. Most of all, though, I am thankful for Pine Needles…
Pine Needles was the most life-changing thing I have ever done. Sad, having to leave CT, I was traveling to Southern Pines, NC, to work some camps for three weeks where I knew no one. I had no idea what to expect, who I would meet or what I would do. Excited, yes, anxious, yes, nervous, yes, but scared most of all. However, after getting comfortable, I was able to click with the kids as I love kids with all my heart. I met amazing instructors who taught me a lot about golf but also about being a person. A couple of them I keep in contact with now, and am thankful for the impact they have bestowed upon my life. However, the best thing about camp was a guy named Nick. You never know where a simple wave or simple hello will take you (always remember this!). I made a friend who quickly became a best friend, confidante, and teacher of many trades. Not only have I learned a lot from him, I have become a better person because of him, and for his impact on my life, words cannot express enough thanks. I learned how to love and how to live through him, to take more risks, to be more open to a less conservative or “closed box” lifestyle and much more. Whatever roads we decide to take in life, or how different we each may be, I wish him all the best in the world and know he will inspire so many others on his way. Thankful to him I am for showing me a meaning of life I didn’t know existed and giving me the courage to pursue it.
Finally, I want to thank Fr. John Baptiste who reinstilled in me an aspiration to do God’s work. Our conversation the other night allowed me to put my focus where it needs to be–FINALLY! and showed me too, that as he said, I can be an ‘instrument of peace’ in a life or the lives of many. Choosing to help and serve others is a wonderful vocation. I pray that God leads me in the way He wants me to go and in choosing to go there, I do His will. It takes only one voice to change the world and one person to be that voice but if that one person can inspire another person to inspire another and so on… sooner or later, hundreds and thousands will be inspired to do what they are called to do. Think about it…and be thankful in the process.
Life is odd in that we are presented so many different opportunities. It’s the ones we choose that determine our path. Pine Needles was a start in the right direction and I am thankful for finally having some sort of an idea of what I want to do in my life. I am thankful for all the people that come in and out of my life each day and for the things I learn through them each day. God is amazing and has blessed me with so much and for Him I owe the greatest thanks of all.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Thank you!