Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving being a strictly American holiday, it's not something that we've been hearing a whole lot about lately. The fact that it originated alongside the founding of our country means that the US is, logically, the only country where people celebrate it. Europeans seem to know about it, but unlike Halloween- which is slowly becoming more widely celebrated throughout Europe- they see no reason to adopt our other prominent autumn tradition. Today, we are fortunate enough to be spending time with a good friend of ours, Maggie, who is from Alaska. She plans to cook a "mini-Thanksgiving" this evening for us and a large group of her friends that eats together almost every night. Some are American, but most are not. Though we look forward to enjoying our meal with them, that's far from what today is truly about. 

I think many Americans who are out of the country and away from family during the holidays often fall into the trap of feeling lonely or homesick, or dwelling on what they're missing. Though this holiday might not look like it normally does for us, it's important to remember why this is the case, and how very lucky we are to be able to be here. How all the things we are always thankful for at home are still true- our family, our friends, our good health- and in addition, we are among the fortunate few, who at some point in their lives, get to see the world. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

Jenna