thanksgiving

Ok, I’m writing this at the peace corps house and hoping that when I get into town I can upload a bunch of pictures. There should be brief descriptions beneath them all…

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. I find Thanksgiving to be one of the hardest holidays to replicate. There’s nothing like being at home all day in Chicago, with the weather cold (I heard snowy!!) outside, and my family bustling around me to prepare way way way too much food. And even as a hectically prepared volunteer meal doesn’t quite compare to my mom and my sister’s various gourmet spreads each year, I feel I have so much to be thankful for here… both in terms of the experience I’m getting here and the people I’m meeting and who are caring for me, but also in terms of what I have at home – people who love me and who I love, my health, my education, my experiences…

My mom wrote a note when I left that said “Embrace this part of your life as joyfully and wisely as you’ve done so far… And remember that scattered all around the world are hundreds of people who love you and are here for you if you need them.” At the time that felt daunting and scary. I would, most definitely, need them, I thought.

I carry that note with me everywhere because at the airport in America, almost one year ago, the only safe place to put it was in my passport carrier, and that’s where it has stayed. This year in particular, being far away, I often get a strange reminder of that. There are so many people I’m so far away from and who often feel very distant. And yet, in this country where there is both so much suffering and so much joy, I am constantly reminded of where I’ve come from, the experiences that have helped to shape me, and, most importantly, of the people who shaped those experiences. Whether through letters or text messages or e-mails or phone calls and random (sometimes I think divinely intervened) thoughts I often remember how many people I love because of how they’ve played a role in my life and how I’ve leaned on them or continue to lean on them. And, I am thankful for that. Very thankful.