Thanksgiving Thoughts

I don't want you to think that I'm writing this post simply because it is Thanksgiving.  No, I've been writing it for a much longer time, but today just seemed like the prime opportunity to release it.

This thanksgiving I have so many things to be thankful for.  Even though it's been a rough month and I've had some very hard weeks at school, I am definitely thankful, first of all, to be home. And, despite being very worn out from school, I am also thankful for it.  I have been given a great opportunity to learn at one of the top Geology and Mining schools in the country. And even though I get stressed and frustrated, I remind myself what a blessing it really is.

I am thankful for my family, for helping me pay for college and for raising me to be the person I am.  Thank you Mom and Dad for putting up with my crazy antics, my quirks, my weirdness, and my flaws and for teaching me so much about life and how to be a good person.  I would not be where I am without you. I love you guys!!

I am also extremely thankful for my best friend/sister/not-really-my-sister-but-you-know-what-I-mean.  We're so far away, and I've missed you so much!! However, you never fail to make me laugh, even when we're Skyping! (By the way it was hilarious when you fell under your desk). It's a really awesome feeling to be so far away and know that nothing about our friendship will change because of the distance.  It's been so great seeing you again! Those brownies were the best! Gotta love ol' Betty Crocker! ;)  Love ya!

And last but definitely not least, I'm so thankful for my amazing boyfriend.  You give me so much to smile and be happy about every single day. And even when it's been a terrible day, you never fail to bring out the best in me and show me that I am worth so much more.  

Thank you for being you, because you are perfect that way.  Thank you for being strong, sometimes for both of us.  Thank you for being a gentleman and a leader in our relationship. Thank you for always being there for me through thick and thin, for supporting me through everything, for helping me get up when I fall down.  Thank you for teaching me so much about myself, and about life, computers, and math. You inspire me, and you are my role model for so many things.  I am so blessed to have you in my life.  Thank you for being my rock. :) 

I am so thankful for what we have.  Our relationship even makes me thankful for all of the ones which failed in the past. Each of them taught me some aspect of what I was really looking for, and in the end they brought me here. You are everything I could have hoped to find and so much more, and I thank God in my prayers that you are in my life. I love you so much! :)

Finally, I'm thankful for all of my readers! I hope everyone has a wonderful, warm, and safe thanksgiving! Thanks again for reading my blog! Cheers!

Beyond the Blanket

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I was little, I always saw the world and its problems as things that our parents had to deal with. The world was meant for adults, and as children we couldn't even see past the edges of high counters, let alone manage the world's issues.  Being so young, we didn't have responsibilities.  We essentially reported to our superiors, and our superiors governed our lives.  As we grew older we were slowly given more and more things to be responsible of.  First it was dressing ourselves, making our own lunches, then it was driving vehicles and paying for our own things.  But now it is different.  As adults, we are now plunged into an entirely different realm of responsibilities and duties.  Namely, to our families, to our country, and even to the world itself.

When we were children, it wasn't our job to deal with these things. Maybe I took that for granted and started thinking it would never be our job.  But now, suddenly, it is our job.  The world and all of its wars and conflicts are now our burden to bear.  We can't hide under the blanket of childhood carelessness anymore.  Now it is time to grow up; time to emerge.

As we shed the warmth of naivety, the world seems to be a cold and cruel place.  This cannot be the nature of the world.  It is because of the actions of people that the world appears to be this way. It is, sadly, the nature of men toward one another.  And while the duty for our generation to mend this evil has been thrust upon us, we have a choice.  We can cower under our blankets in fear and effectively allow the evil to win, or we can stand up, brace against the cold, and refuse to let it defeat us.