My husband's eldest sister is one of my favorite people in the world. On my wedding day, I locked myself in a room to escape all of the bustle and she came in and comforted my restless heart. We can talk for hours, and she has called me "Sweets" for as long as I can remember. Even though I've only known her for a few years, we can finish each others' thoughts, we are so alike.
The other day as we were talking, she said something that really stuck with me: "You should be aware of how you talk to your husband. You never know how much time you will have."
A little side note: My sister-in-law is a 25-year-old widow with four kids. Her husband passed away a year and a half ago, leaving her with three young boys and a baby girl on the way. Hearing her say those words brought me to tears over just how ungrateful I am towards this life I have been given.
Thanksgiving is great, and I am just as excited as anyone to gather around the table with my family and eat my grandmother's dressing. But why do we get all grateful for this one special day and forget to be grateful the other 364? If you ask me, this is one of the greatest epidemics of hypocrisy in the United States. There is no point in being thankful on Thanksgiving if you plan on being selfish and unappreciative of the other days in the year.
I know that was all really harsh, and I know some people probably stopped reading. I know I might sound like a Grinch - wrong holiday, but whatever. But the last thing I want for my family, friends, and fellow human beings is for us to sit at the dinner table come Thursday and pass around the "I'm grateful for..." speech only to wake up the next day and forget what we were grateful for. If I can't be thankful for every day, how can I be truly thankful for one day?
I know that life is tough: finals are killing you; you fell asleep while writing a paper that was due at midnight; the car won't start; someone used up all of the caramel macchiato creamer and put the bottle back in the fridge. Yeah, there are plenty of things to get upset about. But that does not take away the fact that today, you woke up, you got dressed, and you were able to walk around. Some people don't get even that. Please, don't forget that when your cousin steals the remote this Thursday.
Don't be grateful just because it's Thanksgiving. Be grateful that you got another day, and try really hard not to waste it.
