Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving break was a time for me to get away from my studies and have a moment to relax and to reflect on my life so far this year. More and more, as the craziness of Christmas at Luther and finals week has reached full swing, I'm realizing that this time at home was more of a "calm before the storm," if you will.

It was a pretty average Thanksgiving weekend. Except my father wasn't there - I took him to the airport Wednesday morning so he could fly out to North Carolina to have Thanksgiving with his side of the family for some sort of family reunion deal in his hometown. So we had Thanksgiving in Norwalk, with my mom's side, like I always have since I was little. But this year, my girlfriend came up from her school in Creston, IA to stay with us over the break! It was such a treat - just what I needed to lift my spirits. I am continually amazed by my family's (both immediate and extended) ability to accept others right into everything and to love them unconditionally. Koreann is so well accepted and loved around my home, and it really makes me happy. I realized this more than I ever have before over the break. So I take from it a lesson - the lesson that I want MY family to always have that same ability to share and love with other people connected to my family members' lives. It makes things so much easier when you can skip the drama, the questions, the doubts and just go on living life to its greatest potential. This is the greatest truth I discovered over Thanksgiving, and for THAT, I give thanks.