Written by Mikaela Gantz
As we enter into the holiday season I am reminded that this is a season of great sadness juxtaposed with tremendous joy. The holidays, especially Christmas, are one of my favorite times of the year. However along with the season change, comes a mood change, and more flashbacks to the life I used to live. As I sing thanksgiving for all that I have, I simultaneously grieve all that I have lost. I have to almost constantly remind myself to be thankful and present, and that is no small task. Being thankful for our lives and all the good present in them reminds us we have so much more than we think we do; more to live for, more to love, and more to accomplish. So, to inspire you all to give thanks a little more passionately this year, I have curated a small portion of my list of thanks.
I am thankful for my life, God’s goodness, fall weather, my boyfriend, my friends, heaters, Ginkgo trees, xc team, family, Roanoke, great professors, amazing advisors, Survivor, Masterchef, Outdoor adventures, earthy people, climbing, nature, Jimmy Carter, warm blankets, lemonade, welcoming and accepting churches, ecohouse, late night drives, long conversations that seem never ending, good music, potatoes, happiness, good mental health days, the rain, good food, sunsets, crisp air, friends who check up on me, my RC family, plants, empathy, lilies in the valleys, the lily of the valley, a good cup of tea, people who care, good books, and ultimately days and nights full of adventure, belly laughs, and pure joy.
There are always cuts and bruises. There are pages in all of our books we don’t ever want to reread or rewrite. Ultimately our stories are more than just a page, they are everything. This world has so much to offer, so much to be thankful for, and so much to live for. Life is so incredibly worth living, and for that, I am utterly thankful.
