Thanksgiving is just around the corner! It is such a great time of year filled with fellowship between families and friends while having great meals of turkey and pumpkin pie. This holiday often gets overlooked since it is right before Christmas and I for one can say that I am guilty of this. This year is different, though. I am realizing that I have ao many great things in my life to be thankful for.

First of all, I would like to thank God himself for putting me on this stressful yet lovely earth. My life hasn't been easy but it could be worse. I am so glad that I have such a great life and I couldn't have done it without God. I also would not have been given it without God's everlasting grace and mercy.

Next, I would like to say that I am thankful for my education. Yes, school is tough, but so is anything that is worth it in the end. No, I do not like math, yet I am grateful for the opportunity I have to be educated on that subject. I am so thankful that I get to learn the history of our nation every day. I am also eternally grateful to be able to learn music all the time with people I love and then go right on to the next class so that I can learn how that music works. Yes, I am thankful for AP Music Theory.

Also, I am super appreciative to have friends even though I am crazy. I am thankful for wonderfully strange nicknames like "El Toro Loco," "El Coro Gato" and "El Toro Coro Gato Lechuga Loco Navidad." (Especially that last one.)

I am very thankful for each and every one of my lovely siblings. They make me crazy but that's fine because I love them so much. I can't imagine my life without them. I am extremely grateful for all the fun and not so fun times we have had together and I always will be.

Last, but definitely not least, I am thankful for my parents. The always love me, no matter how much I mess up (and that is a lot). They are always there if I need to talk. They want to know about my life and are involved in my life and that is so special. They support me and allow me to go after my interests and they help me pursue my dreams. I will always be so thankful for that. I love them so much and nothing will ever be able to take their love away from me.

As Thanksgiving comes around this year, I encourage you to examine your life. Make a list of all the things you are thankful for. Let the people you love know that you love them, they will be thankful. Have a great Thanksgiving and eat a lot of food with your best friends and family. Happy Turkey Day!