Thanksgiving can be defined in the Urban dictionary as "another excuse for Americans to spend the entire day eating". While this definition is humorous, in some cases its the sad truth of it all.

While contemplating different article topics for this week, seeing as Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, I wanted to focus on all the things in life we should be thankful for. But that seemed a bit too cliche for me.

Instead, I happened to stumble upon a letter than my little sister had randomly written when she was only 8 years old. Not only did it tie in perfectly to the theme of Thanksgiving, but it opened my eyes and made me think about things in a whole different way.

The paper she wrote back in 2009 was titled "What I'am thankFull four", cute spelling right?

She started off by saying the generic things that are usually heard around the family table at Thanksgiving when asked "what are you thankful for this year?". They included "I am thankful for my family, food/drink, home, and friends".

The following lines is what really surprised me. My little 8 year old sister took it a few steps further and stated she was thankful for:

"her safety" (something most of us take for granted)

"for being healthy" (a daily luxury that most of us arent grateful for)

"for my freedom" (how often do we take the time to realize how lucky we are to live somewhere where we are free?)

"a shower" (while this may seem like a funny thing to say, we often dont appreciate the simple pleasures of being able to take a shower every night).

and lastly (my absolute favorite one), "I am thankful for me". This one made my heart melt because she was thankful for simply being her. She saw herself, at the young age of eight, as a person of worth and importance, and she was thankful for that.

While some of her replies were humorous, others inspiring, it really led me to appreciate how children's thoughts and feelings can truly surpass that of adults sometimes.

I highly doubt that any of us will hear one of our family members admit they are thankful for something like "showers" (unless they're sitting by a family member who needs to take one).

Children are so irrevocably honest when replying to questions they are asked because they don't think about whats "socially acceptable" to say, they just say whats on their mind. While this sometimes leads to disaster, the majority of time its quite refreshing.

I wrote a poem titled "Grateful"

Be grateful for all the small things, big things, and everything in between

Dig a little deeper than just your electronics or your iphone with a screen

Be thankful for things that most people tend to forget to appreciate

Like how we have toothbrushes, school books, and food to refrigerate

The key to being grateful doesnt just happen once every 365 days

Its not simply a phase or something that occurs only on holidays

Being thankful is something that needs to happen every single day of the year

Being grateful for the little things, and realizing we have more than what may appear

Like appreciating our health, safety, freedom, and the fact that you are beautifully you

will make your happiness and gratefulness contagious, much like that of the flu

So have a Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy time spent with family and eating tons of food

dont forget that every day is a day to be thankful, fill your thoughts with gratitude