The holidays are a time when we are asked what we are thankful for. Most people give the obvious answers which are jobs, school, roof over our heads, friends, and family. Those last two are my answers as we approach the holidays.

This past year, especially the past three months, have been the hardest of my life. I started my senior year at USC which means I have to think about my life after May. I started my hardest semester that I have had yet while trying to juggle work and a social life on top of schoolwork. But the hardest thing yet was losing my dad.

A week after the semester started I got a call that Dad was in the hospital down in Florida, where he lived. That weekend was a blur. You can never even imagine what it would be like to say goodbye to a parent. I still don’t know how I got through that weekend. Actually I do. It was my mother.

I’m not writing this to tell you what I went through. I’m writing this because of the people that got me through it; my friends and family.

I said above that my mom was the person that got me through it. She was my rock that weekend and for the weeks that followed. I have always been a mamma's girl. It was always her and I against the world. Sure we have had our fair share of moments where we couldn’t stand each other. She knows what my buttons are and I know hers but I have never doubted her love for me. I knew this before but the past couple have months have just shown me that she’s always going to have my back. So I am thankful for my mom, my rock.

The rest of my family is also unbelievable. I am very fortunate to have a giant family. My parents were divorced and both remarried so I have four sides to my family. I have never felt so blessed and loved in my life. All four sides sent multiple texts and prayers up for my stepmom and I just to let me know that they were there and were thinking of us. That may not seem like a lot but it meant the world. So I am thankful for my family.

My friends are amazing. You know, they say people come out of the woodwork when something tragic happens. It’s true. I heard from people I haven’t heard from since high school. But I don’t care how long it had been. They still care enough to reach out to me. The people that have been part of my life for the past couple of years have been here for me. I have two special friends that have really been there for me. I say special because they know what I am going through, having lost their fathers as well. I am thankful for those moments when they aren’t embarrassed that I have started crying in the middle of Pizza Hut.

Lastly, I am thankful for my dad. I am thankful for the precious moments we did have together. I am thankful for the laughter, for the movie quotes, for the games we watched together. I am thankful for the fact that we will be together again one day. I am thankful that I know he is going to be by my side every step of the way until that day. I am thankful for him giving me my amazing stepmom. I am thankful for everything that was my dad.

So maybe being thankful for my family and friends is a cliché answer but take a step back and look at your family. Never take them for granted. Surround yourselves with friends that lift you up and that you know will be there during the rough times. These are the things that matter most in life and it’s what I am thankful for this holiday season.