Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. China doesn't celebrate this holiday.. crazy. haha. We Americans are celebrating though with a meal.. as close as we can get to Thanksgiving. We even found a turkey at Metro. Then we will play some games and fellowship. We are going to spend some time talking together and studying and being Thankful.

The things I am most Thankful for are HIM and his work in my life. The places he has sent me to work. The life experiences he has given me. The most important thing though is the people he has put in my life.

My family is of course at the top of that list. The have raised me and taught me so many things. They are the biggest influences I have in my life. The love and support they have always given me, and encouragement is just amazing. My mom is at the top of the list. My cousins are amazing.. always there to make me laugh and share inside jokes. It's funny to watch when we all get together and just talk non-stop forever. Always laughing and joking like we see each other everyday. I miss that. I will miss Savage Christmas this year.. the older we get, the less we are all together. I am so thankful for ALL of my family though.

Then there is a whole other family I've been given. It's hard to put into words, but they are just as important to me as the aforementioned family. They are my very closest friends. They have been there with me through the thick and thin of my everchanging life in the last 3 1/2 years. The way that we started our friendship was through laughter. As many of you probably know.. that the way to my heart. Make me laugh and I'm yours. This alternative family I've been given is comprised of mostly guys and a couple girls. They are amazing men of DAD, and are always shining the light. They are kind and fun and happy and encouraging. All things that I need in my life. I am so thankful to have them in my life.. even when I'm so far away. They download Skype and we talk and they still work on that building relationship. It's amazing to see the hearts they have been given and how they share those hearts with the rest of the World daily.

Other extensions of my family are my Chinese family. The Americans here that i have grown to know and love. The Chinese here that are in my life daily. I am so thankful for their kindness. I am so thankful for the innocence of my friends here. My Chinese friends teach me so many amazing things everday about life and culture and adaptation. I am so thankful for those things that I get to see in that family everyday. The American family here teaches me patience and kindness. They laugh with me and support me and tease me. It's amazing to get to see the way relationships grow and change when you're in a new place and culture. You really bond over the American holidays and cultural things.

My time at Harding was not always amazing, but some amazing people came out of that deal. Every year it seemed that my friendships changed and relationships. Some of us grew apart.. some together.. and some apart and then together again. I find myself thinking about those friends that I haven't talked to in so long. Time gets away from us, and life gets busy. I am so thankful for each of those seasons of frienships.. and knowing that some of those people still try to keep in touch. I am thankful for those random friendships I made there too. The people I met on the sidewalk once or on the front lawn and we still chat every now and then. I am so thankful for those happy memories.

I'm also thankful for my supporting family at home. They are the reason I am able to be here and to work. The way that DAD answers those talks with him. He has used my amazing Alpine family and other families to support me in my work here. Emotionally and financially. It's a true blessing that I am ever so thankful for today.

There are so many other people in my life that I am thankful for. There are so many things in my life I'm thankful for. So many things I've been given and gotten to experience. I try to remember these things everyday, but this holiday always makes me think more in depth about it. I hope you are all safe and have a joyous day with your families. Love you all and am so thankful for each of you.