the day i've been dreading...

tomorrow.
thanksgiving.
ya know, there was a time when thanksgiving was my least favorite holiday.
why?
i think because i thought it was boring.
because it was me, and then more than a decade between the next youngest.
but thankfully that changed.
to think that my family will be gathering without me tomorrow...
dang!

i am ridiculously thankful for them.

among other things, 

but being away from everyone i love these past 3 months

has really driven the point home.

i am now, more than ever,

certain of the people in this world,

whom i cannot find the right words to describe,

for, without them, i can only imagine life as cloudy & grey.

sure, i'm thankful for this semester.

i know that it's a blessing to live in europe,

to see the way another culture lives,

to live within that culture,

but i've hit that point

where i'd just like to appreciate my experience from my kitchen table,

in between my mom and dad.

from my apartment, 

surrounded by some of the best people in the entire world.

from the floor,

lying next to my dog.

from behind the wheel of my car

with lecki in the passenger seat.

this year

i'm thankful for my people.

"home isn't a place anymore.
it's a group of people."
-garrett nickelsen