Thankful for L-O-V-E

In Honduras, last Thanksgiving, I made creamed potatoes and honey cornbread and, alongside my buddy Andrew, trekked from my little town of Guaimaca to the much larger Comayagua, where we met up with eight other Peace Corps Volunteers. It was a vegetarian feast, during which we sat on the floor of Monica's apartment and took turns telling each other what we were thankful for. That will probably be my most fulfilling Thanksgiving meal for years and years to come.

This year, in a surprise turn of events, I'm in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I spent the day at my uncle's house, chatting with family, and then visited my father's house to see his side of my family. My favorite moment was sitting at the dining room table with my younger brother and sister, of whom I'm so proud, eating homemade pie. Just the three of us, talking like friends, like siblings. I love them so much.

Today I spent with my dear friend, Flo, whose family moved to town when we were 8-years-old and who immediately captured my imagination simply by being the new kid in school. I had never lived anywhere other than Chattanooga and she had moved from Illinois. Illinois! I had thought, How exotic! I wanted to know everything about what it was like to live in Illinois. I was further excited to hear that prior to Illinois, her family was in California, and prior to that they lived in their native Uganda, the Heart of Africa. She was by far the most interesting person I'd ever met. 

We used to sit on the playground and reorganize our Trapper-Keepers during recess. She introduced me to the New Kids on the Block and she was always my jump-rope partner for Field Day. We've been friends now for 22 years. Her gorgeous smile and the contagious laughter of her boisterous family always lift my spirits. It doesn't matter how much time passes between our visits, we always pick up where we left off.

Instead of exploring each others' Trapper-Keepers, this afternoon, we looked at each others' e-readers and shared favorite books with each other. Flo is an avid reader, travel enthusiast, professional editor and amazing writer. (You can check out her book review blog called Book Nerds Across America.) 

More than anything, I'm grateful for my loved ones and I'm grateful that those same people also love me. In the end, that's all that matters.