With Thanksgiving being one week away, I am stricken with the undeniable fact that I will be having to choose who I celebrate the holiday with. I'm aware that in your twenties, most young adults are having the discussion with their significant other about which side of the family they're going to see first. But, for the other half of young adults, we are deciding if we are going to spend Thanksgiving with our mom or dad.

Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday growing up, and it still is. On Thanksgiving Eve, my dad and I always cleaned out the 20-pound turkey that would feed our large Italian family the next day. My mom would wake up at 5 A.M. just to put the bird in the oven and make sure our house looked immaculate for her side of the family. I was a cheerleader, so my hometown's high school football game was how I started off the day every single year.

Everything about Thanksgiving was perfect. My favorite aunt would be over our house all day helping my mom. My dad's sisters brought over the most amazing appetizers and desserts, and the men were in the family room watching the Army vs. Navy game. The house was filled with the comforting aroma of mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. This is how every Thanksgiving went for 13 years straight.

Until my parents got a divorce. Now all I have left are the memories of my old house and how my favorite holiday used to be.

I hold onto the memories of my cousins wrestling or playing Rock Band in the basement while the adults were upstairs drinking wine and playing Scrabble. I remember the Thanksgiving my amazing cousin got engaged in my living room. I remember the year that my little cousin passed away, and that Thanksgiving was about loving, comforting, and supporting each other.

I don't remember Thanksgiving for the food or the number on the scoreboard. The ones I remember most are the times we laughed so hard we cried, and the times we sat in silence to remember.

I am thankful for the memories. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful to have two parents who love me unconditionally, that I have the opportunity to spend the holidays with, except now, separately.

I wake up on the holidays and accept the fact that the day is going to be hectic as I drive all over to spend time with my mom and dad's families. It's not always easy, and it's not glamorous. But I do it because I want to. I want to make time for both of my parents and both sides of my family. I loved having both sides over for Thanksgiving, and it really made me realize how blessed I was, and how blessed I still am.

That house now has another family living in it; maybe they're even hosting Thanksgiving, too. My favorite aunt is no longer here to make the stuffing and help my mom. My parents are never in the same place at once anymore.

As excited as I am for my favorite holiday, I also can't help but feel sadness and miss how things used to be.

But that's okay. I've learned that I am allowed to miss people, places, and the past. The holidays aren't about how much you eat or waking up at 3 A.M. to Black Friday shop. Thanksgiving is about who you are with.

Don't forget to be present in those moments. You never know what next Thanksgiving may bring.