This holiday season, as we move into Thanksgiving and eventually into Christmas, I would like my readers to think about what they are thankful for. Last February, I had the opportunity to go to Nicaragua for a week long service mission. While I was there, I was in charge, on many occasions, of taking photos and videos of the day to day life the people of Nicaragua lead. I'd like to share a series of these photos with you today, in hopes that as an American getting ready to snuggle by your fireplace, drink hot chocolate, and open hundreds of dollars worth of presents, you think about how much you have, and how little others do.

The following set of 11 pictures are a reminder to myself, living in the upper middle class Montville, of what I have to be thankful for.

I am thankful, first and foremost, for the home I have here in Montville. I am thankful to have a beautiful house with my own room, my own bathroom, and my own 'personal space'. Unconventionally, I am thankful my home has a working roof and working door; I am thankful that my house has a wooden floor, instead of the cement base inside this pictured house, that is coated with dirt and dust. I am thankful my home is not made of scrap metal and pieces of wood found roadside; I am thankful to have a front yard and a backyard, covered in green grass that has to be mowed and surrounded by trees whose leaves have to be picked up every year. I am thankful to sit on my bed on rainy evenings--not worried about the ceiling leaking over my bed--and to binge watch Netflix until my eyes fall out of my head.

I am thankful not to have barbed wire as the fence surrounding my house and I am also proud not to have to steal satellite dishes from neighboring homes to get any type of signal. I am proud not to have to run wires from the government-owned telephone wires into my house to receive connection. I am thankful, as terrible as it may sound, that this is not my home.

I am thankful that this is not my front door, that this is not my kitchen, and that this is not my living room. I am thankful to have carpeting, a refrigerator, and couches.

I am thankful that my home is not made out of cinder blocks, that my neighbor's house is not made out of cinder blocks, and that I don't have to lock a gate made of barbed wire and sticks to feel safe at night.

I am thankful that this is not my bathroom, that this is not my sink, my counter top, and my shower. I am thankful for the slick tile in my bathroom, for the vanity cabinets I have, and for the immense collection of beauty products and jewelry I own.

I am thankful, that this too is not my bathroom. I am thankful not to have a sheet covering the doorway into my toilet. I am thankful not to have my bathroom teetering on the edge of a sharp drop. I am thankful that my bathroom is indoors.

I am thankful that this is not my car. I am thankful that I can drive myself to and from school, to an from practice, and to and from work. I am thankful to have a car with 90,000 miles on it, and I am thankful to have to pay for gas once a week.

I am thankful that piles of garbage don't litter my front-yard and my driveway. I am thankful to have ugly garbage cans outside my home every Tuesday and Thursday and I am thankful for the garbage men who com to collect the garbage. I am thankful not to have to burn my garbage and not to have to worry about the stray dogs coming to eat the wasted food off of my front porch.

I am thankful that the YMCA I work at, practice at, and volunteer at does not have 10' high walls with barbed wire surrounding its perimeter. I am thankful to have a safe place to go and to have a safe place to work, practice, and volunteer at.

I am thankful that this is not my Walgreens or my Starbucks. I am thankful that this is not my Dunkin' Donuts, my bagel shop, or my pizzeria. I am thankful to have an up-and-coming downtown area to eat at, to shop at, and to socialize at. I am thankful none of the places which I just mentioned are surrounded by an electric fence and are not barricaded at night.

I am thankful that this is not my dog. I am thankful to own a beautiful black lab and to have her sleep on my bed every night, even if she's a bed hog. I am thankful that my dog eats twice a day, comes when called, and doesn't fight other dogs. I am thankful she doesn't have fleas, rabies, or worms. I am thankful to call her mine.

Thanksgiving and Christmas, more than a time for presents and food, is a time for family, friends, and reflection. It is a time to appreciate what you have and a time to appreciate who surrounds you. It is a time to appreciate where you live, what health you have, and the things you take for granted.