You're 22 years old and almost a college graduate. Every Thanksgiving day you wonder where on Earth the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday you were coloring in the turkey coloring page with your cousins and family friends.
The conversations varied from who was cute on the playground, to what we wanted to put on our Christmas lists. Each year, major milestones are passed: first tooth you lost, first steps, and the first time you went to kindergarten. All you wanted for Christmas were your two front teeth.
Your mom pulls out the Thanksgiving Family Game, and everyone goes around answering crazy questions that start off with what you're thankful for.
Of course as a kid, you were thankful for the little things -- like the cherry popsicle your dad let you have for dessert the night before or that Barbie doll your mom got you for being good at the dentist.
As the years progressed, the kids' table conversation changed to young adult topics like driver's ed, first kisses, and the thrill of being able to go away to college.
The things you were thankful for in those years grew a little bit bigger: significant others, best friends, and family. Granted you were also thankful for the invention of Snapchat, but the family and friends mattered too.
And this year, you are thankful for something different. You're thankful for all of the memories you've made every Thanksgiving: that time your mom called 1-800-BUTTERBALL because she thought she left the giblet bag inside, that time you and your best friend won the family Taboo tournament, or even that first Thanksgiving you brought a boy home.
As the years at the kids' table come to a close, you realize that it's not the kids table that's actually dissipating: it's just the name. The kids' table will eventually revolutionize into the adult table and whole new generation will start playing the Family Thanksgiving Game. You can only hope that one day they'll be thankful for their memories and family just like you were.
