With Thanksgiving upon us, I have been aware even more of how blessed I am. "Blessed? Don't you mean Thankful?" you might ask. My response to your question would be "No". I feel that I am blessed because each day I am surrounded by caring, giving, and loving people.

I am thankful that I have the family, friends, co-workers, roommates, and boyfriend that I do in my life. I am thankful that each of them are supportive of me and there for me whether it be for something big or something small. The reason that I am blessed is because each of the people in my life are a gift to me. Each person in my daily life brings me joy and love. I am blessed that each person in my life makes an impact in my life choices and affects my mood in a positive way.

My family, immediate and extended, are a group of people whom I love with all my heart. Each member of my family and I have a bond different from the bond I have with the other members. My Mom and brother are the two people in my family I couldn't live without, especially after the passing of my Dad four years ago. My extended family are always there to support myself and my immediate family in times of joy and in times of need.

My co-workers are my second family at College. They are my Res-life family. My boss, fellow RA's, and my boss' husband and daughter are people I treasure. Each one of these people are important to me because they are there to support me in a professional and personal capacity. Each member of my Res-life family are different from one another and different from myself, which can make working together difficult at times. Having a group of people who have your back through thick and thin with academic, personal, and job-related struggles is a blessing in itself. My boss' family are also an extension of the bond of our Res-life family. My boss' husband is a fun-loving guy who brings humor into our group, and her daughter looks up to each of us as her playmates and 'siblings'.

My Odyssey family are my professional family. These people understand what it takes to be a dedicated millennial with thoughts, views, and words that can impact and change the world around us. We support one another in our writing, in supporting and shaping the teams at our Colleges and Universities, and in our every-day dilemmas, This family and I have only been acquainted for a short amount of time but bring me such joy in my life and in my writing.

My friends and roommates, are people that are my chosen family members. I treat them with the same amount of love and respect that I do my own brother. Each one has a trait that I envy, and each one are someone I aspire to be. Each one is a treasure to me that I couldn't imagine my life without. My friends are the people that know me better than anyone else. My roommates are the people that live with me every day and put up with all my shenanigans and 1 a.m. desires for Domino's.

My boyfriend and his family, are people that I hold very close to my heart. My boyfriend is my best friend and other half, and I feel the exact same way about his family. My boyfriend's family has taken me in as one of them, and I couldn't be more happy to have another family to love.

I am extremely blessed by each person in my life and with all of the relationships I have with each of the people in my life.