Now that Thanksgiving is over, families have gone home and the reality of class has sunk in. In the attempt to avoid homework, I started thinking about my Thanksgiving in which I served tables all day at Cracker Barrel.

I soon realized that I forgot to message all of the people that mean something to me and tell them I am thankful for them. But then it hit me: these people should know how thankful I am because it should show more than one day a year, but I love to tell them anyway. The word thankful does not do enough justice for the people that surround me, but I'm going to try to put some words into why I'm thankful this year.

To my family, I'm blown away by the support that I receive from you. Always loving me in my weak moments, setting me in my place, and encouraging me to keep working. You all love me for the characteristics that others don't. You accept that I'm a workaholic. You listen to my 9745984589 stories. You make fun of me, but help me laugh at myself. You build me up and love me at the distance that I need. Thank you, fam, for constantly supporting me from a distance. I hope you all know every day of the year that I love you, support you, think about you, and thank God that he blessed me with you all as my forever family.

To my friends, it has been a hard year of friendships. I know I don't make much time for you all. I'm sorry. I hope you all realize that I care about you immensely and pray for you on a constant basis. Thank you for letting me in. Thank you for teaching me about your cultures, languages, darkest moments, and letting me live with you through some of your best memories. Thank you for educating me when I am wrong and accepting me for who I am. Thank you for pushing me and telling me that I will make it because I know I complain a lot. Thank you for listening to me and letting me cry. I seriously would never eat if you all didn't remind me to. I hope that I never make you feel unloved and unwanted because you are a monumental part of my life.

To my professors, thank you for being understanding to all of my questions. Thank you for being concerned when I fall asleep in class and offer help to make my life easier. Thank you for educating me. I am here for one reason: to get my education. Thank you for teaching me that I can accomplish everything that is presented in front of me even if it seems like too much. You push us to do well and encourage us to become great educators. You are a great example of how we should be with our future students.

To my bosses, thank you for being understanding when I sleep through my alarm, being concerned about my schedule, and letting me take breaks to go get coffee. Thank you for letting me sleep on the floor of your office between work and class so that I would actually get up and go to class. Thank you for listening to my concerns and always being a listening ear. Thank you for helping me in anyway that you possibly could to make my life more simple.

To the families that let me babysit their kids and/or let me live with them, you are one of the biggest blessings I could have ever asked for when coming to college. Taking me under your wings, teaching me more about professionalism, and teaching me about the realness about marriage, being parents, and working full time. Thank you for loving me and all of the messes that I come with, whether that is emotional and/or actually living messy. Thank you for teaching me to ask when I need help instead of existing in worry and troubled times. Thank you for praying for me and pursuing me when life consumes me.

To my residents, thank you for being amazing. You all teach me so much, maybe even more than you say I teach you. Thank you for understanding my schedule and coming to my programs/floor meetings. Thank you for showing up at my bedroom door when I actually am home just to talk. I hope you all do truly realize how much I care about you and want you to succeed. This college life can be kind of scary, so let me walk it with you, because you are not alone.

To those that tipped at the restaurant, thank you for helping me pay for the car expenses that popped up out of the blue. Working on Thanksgiving isn't so bad when people are willing to tip you for the service that they get. Thank you for being polite and patient when the grill line gets backed up. Thank you for realizing that I make mistakes, but it is not always my fault. Thank you for reminding me when I forgot that you asked for more Blackberry jam. Thank you for allowing me to pre-bus and not sitting at your tables long after you ate, so that I could flip the table faster.

To those that support me from a distance, thank you for the support even if I don't see it directly. Thank you for loving my family and my friends, however you may relate to this. Thank you for praying for me.

I hope I didn't miss anyone, but even if I don't stop to thank you on a normal basis, I hope you all realize how much you mean to me. You all play a crucial role in my life and I would not have the same college experience that I have been blessed with without you all.

So to all the people who support me, listen to me, love me, encourage me, push me, and much, much more, THANK YOU. I wish I could buy you all chocolate to prove my gratitude, but I'm a broke college student, so I hope this is enough.

Remember: This could be the last holiday season you may have with your loved ones, so hug them tight and enjoy the time you do get with them.