As I spent my Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by the many people who have helped shape me into the woman I am today, I had to take a step back and evaluate the role each of them has played in my life. As a married woman, my husband and I try to see as much family as possible. That can be hard during the holiday season, even though we grew up in the same town. With divorced parents, it's even more difficult to juggle our time with everyone we want to see.

I tried to savor every moment I had with them. I think that's true every year, but I think that this year was a little different. You see, this was the first Thanksgiving we celebrated without Grandpa - and it was a bit harder on me than I anticipated. I could feel him there with us, but his physical presence was greatly missed.

I've always hated how overlooked Thanksgiving is. It seems that as the years go on, more and more Christmas stuff is put out before the Thanksgiving holiday is even on anyone's radar. I've always loved Thanksgiving. It's a time of family, food, and above all, remembering what we're thankful for in life.

As I get older, I realize how valuable our time is with those we really care about and love. Unless you have some Benjamin Button story arc, time only ticks away and the years roll by with little warning. Moments you thought would always be there are gone in an instant.

I think it's often easy to say that we're thankful - but I think that in this time of negativity in the world, we really need to show it. What can we do in the lives of others to truly make a difference? What can we do to show those people how much they mean to us? What can we sacrifice of ourselves in order to help them in their exploits?

Above all, I guess the important thing to remember this holiday season is to remain thankful for the time you have. Take risks. Be brave. Have fun. Don't let life count your calendar down and leave you with regrets of what might have been if you'd done something differently.