happy thanksgiving 2006!

i read a comment on thanksgiving to the effect that while most holidays have been corrupted by commercialism, thanksgiving day has retained its intended purpose - it is wholly and entirely about gratitude. i like that about thanksgiving...that it really is about being thankful for the multitude of blessings we have. this season always reminds me that 1) i am not thankful enough, and 2) i have so, so much to be thankful for.

so...a few things that have been on my mind in the past few weeks that make me more thankful:

- i've been sick...so my mom made me soup, my dad made me tea, and my bro bought me medicine. how can i not be spoiled with a family like this? i could go on and on, but i'll just put it like this - my family's pretty incredible. it was just us this thanksgiving, so dinner was cozy, but we still had all the traditional fixings...a nice, stress-free day of cooking and eating...and eating.

- a few weeks ago, my prof sent me some info on a post-doc position over on the other side of the country that i'm going to apply for...whether or not i get the position, i plan on graduating at the end of this academic year, and the chances that i'm staying here are slim...so it's starting to hit me that my time here is limited and that i've been taking a lot of things i have here for granted, especially the community. from my family to old friends and newer friends...i feel so lucky to have such beautiful and amazing people in my life.

"gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - melody beattie