Thanksgiving!

            Ever since I was a little kid, we have always went to Kanab, Utah for Thanksgiving. It was one of the few trips we took every year growing up. I enjoyed seeing all of our extended family on the Bunting side. But, one of my favorite parts was seeing my cousin Kirstie. She was the only cousin on that side my age.  She lives in Colorado so her and I would only see each other once a year over Thanksgiving weekend.  We would kick a soccer ball back and forth, shoot baskets or just play cards in the house. 

   As the years have passed, Thanksgiving has changed a bit, now much of the extended family stay with their immediate families where they live. But, I still find myself with the same excitement as Thanksgiving approaches as I did as a little girl. I am excited to go to Kanab this year and to be able to spend time with my family. To be able to be an active participant of the tradition that started so long ago! Every one of us has a desire to belong, I strongly feel that is why God placed us in family units because He knew that our spirits desire to belong. At Thanksgiving each year, I feel this sense of belonging and acceptance. You have the opportunity to be with those loved ones who know you and love you! I do not know how to explain it necessarily but there is not a greater feeling than coming Home. Home not necessarily being a geographical location but rather coming home to a group of people that you know will love you no matter what! Family who has been through the good and the hard times with you. They are your biggest fans and always cheering you on.

   Thanksgiving has been the holiday that has best captured that feeling for me! I look forward to Thanksgiving every year! I am grateful for the family that I do have on both sides, both the Tribetts and the Buntings. I am grateful for the emphasis that my extended family has put on spending time together for all the different birthdays and holidays during the years. 

 

   I am eternally grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Through it I know that my current and my future family can be together for eternity if we strive to live righteously. I am a family studies major here at BYU,I absolutely love my major because I get to learn how to maintain family values and help families in a world that is diminishing the nurturing of families. I want to help families who are struggling and make it possible for more children to feel that sense of belonging and acceptance in their family units. 

   I am so grateful for Thanksgiving! I am grateful for this wonderful time of year! I am grateful for the love that Our Heavenly Father has for us! I am grateful for my family! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!