Cliché “Thankful” Post

As the title suggests, here is my Thanksgiving “what I’m thankful for” post. Thanksgiving has always been very special to me. Whoever knows me knows that my grandpa was is my hero. He was the first one of the family to be diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis so him, my dad, and I always had something significant in common. No matter how horrible it was we always knew there was someone around to understand how bad we felt. Thanksgiving was always his favorite holiday. He loved having the whole family together around one table. He never failed to make the family cry with his speech before dinner.

Today I feel closer to him than I have in a while. Not only because his favorite holiday is right around the corner but because yesterday morning I woke up feeling terrible. Later I realized why, I had a minor blockage in my digestive system. This is pretty normal for me and is usually pretty tolerable. Although its tolerable, its insanely uncomfortable. It made me think of the times I would be visiting him and he wouldn’t be feeling well so I would crawl into his bed and force him to drink Gatorade. It was always became my job because he would refuse with everyone else but it was different with me. He couldn’t fight me on it. That’s because he would do the same thing for me whenever I wasn’t feeling well. I miss that old man more than I can explain.

This year, like many in the past, I’m thankful for my family, friends, and my health. My health obviously isn’t something I always have. There is one childhood Thanksgiving memory I distinctly remember. The age I don’t remember, I’m guessing around 6 or 7. All I know is I was a young nugget in the hospital on Thanksgiving with a strict diet. Everyone who knows me knows I love to eat and Thanksgiving is a day I thrive on. My grandparents were in town and my family went to a local restaurant to thanksgiving dinner. Later that night my dad snuck me in turkey and I was so incredibly happy. That was until we got caught by a nurse. Did that stop me from eating? No. Has anything stopped me from eating things I’m probably not supposed to have? See prior answer.

Every Thanksgiving I think about how much I miss my grandpa. But I have him to thank for a lot of my life. He taught me to be a fighter, to be grateful for what I have, to love my family, and to not take anything for granted, especially my health. Later this week while you’re with your family, don’t forget to appreciate what you have. If someone doesn’t have somewhere to go for this or any other holiday, open your homes (wow I sound like my mother). Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!